U-20 derby clash

Wexford host Carlow under floodlights

THE 19-POINT hammering in the opening round of the Andrew Corden Cup in early January shouldn’t be used as a reliable yardstick for the prospects of the Wexford Under-20 footballers in Friday’s Eirgrid Leinster championship opener.

St. Patrick’s Park in Enniscorthy will host the clash with a decent Carlow side at 8 p.m., but the team under the management of Brendan Kehoe is likely to bear little or no resemblance to the starting 15 for that 2-19 to 0-6 hammering at the Training Centre in Fenagh last month.

Wexford were anxious not to show their hand in that game, given the short timeframe until this more important meeting, and they were in equally experimental mood for the second round when they were well beaten by Tipperary in the Moyle Rovers club grounds (3-16 to 0-4).

The side was markedly stronger for the last game against Waterford at the Ferns Centre of Excellence, with Wexford winning by 4-11 to 0-6 on the same evening that Carlow lost the Corden Cup decider to the Premier county by four points.

While mentors Brendan Kehoe (Adamstown), Paul Gannon (Sarsfields), Paud Moriarty (Ballyhogue) and the Horeswood pair of P.J. Banville and Darren O’Reilly hadn’t finalised their squad at the time of writing, it’s possible to make an educated guess as to who will be involved on the basis of recent line-outs.

Anthony Larkin of Starlights is expected to don the goalkeeper’s jersey, with four likely nailed-on starters at the back in Páraic Hughes (Kilanerin), Ciarán Kavanagh (HWH-Bunclody), Liam O’Connor (St. Mary’s, Rosslare) and Niall Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s).

Jack Kehoe (Horeswood), Ryan Furlong (Sarsfields) and Ciarán Regan (HWH-Bunclody) are also in strong contention for places in defence, while Castletown’s Liam Coleman is expected to be partnered at midfield by Emmet Cullen (Gusserane) or Tiarnan Neville (Shelmaliers).

Although just as capable of doing a job between the posts, Colum Feeney (Adamstown) will fill a forward’s berth and is also likely to be on free-taking duty.

Others expected to figure in the attacking lines are Shane Pettit (St. Fintan’s), Todd Hynes (St. Mary’s, Maudlintown), Seán Forde (Kilanerin) and Diarmuid Barry (St. Martin’s).

The sole major injury doubt surrounds Conor Mahoney of Glynn-Barntown, who impressed at midfield for St. Peter’s in their surprisingly easy championship win over Good Counsel on Wednesday.

Conor Kehoe (Sarsfields) caught the eye in that game too, while Tomás Murphy (Blackwater) did his prospects no harm at all with a first-half hat-trick.

The panel is also expected to include Sam Audsley (St. Martin’s), Diarmuid Kehoe (Geraldine O’Hanrahans), Michael Carroll (Glynn-Barntown), Fiachra Hourihane (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Colm Parnell (Ballyhogue) and Cormac Cooney (Glynn-Barntown).

Incidentally, Wexford were one of 17 counties who applied for a special dispensation to allow them field players still involved with their second level schools in competitive fare.

A rule had been passed restricting those in this position to assisting their schools only until they exited from the race for post-primary honours.

However, it wouldn’t have been worth Wexford’s while entering the Under-20 grade if they were denied the services of the likes of Pettit, Cullen, the two Kehoes, and Tomás Murphy, all of whom still have important games to play in either football or hurling with Peter’s and Counsel.

The mentors’ intention to play their last league game against Waterford at the championship venue was thwarted when the floodlights failed, forcing a quick dash out the road to the Centre of Excellence, but they did line out there in a challenge against Glynn-Barntown on Friday.

Carlow looked particularly strong at midfield and in their full-forward line in the Corden Cup campaign, and it will take a major effort on the part of the home team to secure a quarter-final clash with Meath on February 15. The visitors will surely carry more of a threat than their Seniors did on Saturday.

The timing of the Under-20 championship has been changed since last year when Wexford made it to the last four, beating Wicklow (1-14 to 2-7) and Louth (3-10 to 0-16) before Dublin unceremoniously dumped them by 1-17 to 0-6 in Parnell Park.

Liam O’Connor, Ciarán Kavanagh, Liam Coleman and Seán Forde are playing survivors from that semi-final loss, with Jack Kehoe, Conor Kehoe, Colum Feeney and Nathan O’Connor (Starlights) all looking to step up from the 2019 substitutes’ bench.