Seconds make sure of runners-up place with win on the road
THE WEXFORD Wanderers second XV travelled to a chilly Cill Dara on The Curragh on Sunday as the first part of a double-header between the sides.
Wanderers got on the scoreboard early, with Tom Barry breaking through the Cill Dara midfield to score in the corner after ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes later, after some excellent phase play, Barry Ryan broke two tackles to score under the posts, with Joyce adding the simple conversion.
Tom Barry thought he was in for his second but the referee deemed the ball was not grounded, something he would do a number of times during the game, for both sides.
Tom Barry finally got his second just before the interval when he rounded the Cill Dara backs and sauntered along the try zone to score under the posts.
Joyce again added the conversion to give Wanderers a commanding 19-0 lead.
In the second period Cill Dara rallied and were rewarded ten minutes in with a converted try, very much against the run of play.
Wanderers kept pushing for the vital score to kill off the game as Cill Dara’s self-discipline dipped.
The score came on 65 minutes from man of the match Barry Ryan, who was spot on with his line-out throws all day and who excelled in the loose.
The contest was finalised with full-back John Gannon getting in beside the posts to allow Joyce a simple conversion to bring the final score to 31-7.
The result cements Wanderers as league runners-up behind the undefeated Clondalkin who lead them by seven points with two games left to play, as against Wanderers’ last remaining league outing in Newbridge in early March.
From a performance point of view the Wanderers management will be pleased with the likes of props Kelly and O’Callaghan who lasted the full 80 minutes, and the ever-growing presence of young Ciarán Byrne who again was a powerhouse in the second row, while the matador-like Paul Gannon’s marshalling and kicking was pitch perfect throughout.
Next up for Wanderers is the opening round of the Seconds Towns Cup next Sunday, where they welcome Dundalk to Park Lane.
Interestingly, the last time Wanderers and Dundalk faced off at Senior level was in the final of the J4 Dunne Cup four years ago, with Wexford taking the honours on that occasion.
And adding spice to the fixture is the fact that the Wexford Wanderers firsts will have to reverse the journey the following weekend in the second round of the Provincial Towns Cup.
As ever, home support drives a side on and, with a later kickoff of 3 p.m. next Sunday, your backing will hopefully go a long way towards guiding this young side into the next round of the cup.
Wexford: Ross O’Callaghan, Barry Ryan, Gavin Kelly, Zygimantas Sniezka, Ciarán Byrne, Vincent Carroll, Cormac Burke, Cillian McConville (capt.), Kevin Brendan Roche, Paul Gannon, Owen Cardiff, Ciarán Joyce, Tom Barry, Mark Power, John Gannon. Subs. - Alan Kinsella, Noel Richards, Pat Toomey.