Fitzgerald eyeing Wexford windfall after Nolan winner
FOR three breathless injury-time minutes, the game hung in the balance, swinging back and forth in the considerable breeze in Innovate Wexford Park.
Diarmuid O’Keeffe had just pulled the home side level as the clock hit the 70-minute mark and the next score was likely to win it.
Tipperary surged forward and felt they could have had a free to clinch glory. In the several rucks that formed, Wexford might have had a case for a call their way too.
Eventually Lee Chin got his head up to pick out Aidan Nolan. The road ahead opened up and the Bunclody man clipped the ball between the posts for his first of the game and the decisive score of the afternoon.
Nolan’s point saw Wexford complete a nine-point swing from early in the second half but given the wind that was at their backs and the fact that Tipp were reduced to 14 men from late in the first half, after the dismissal of Noel McGrath, they were expected to produce some sort of kick.
Eventually Nolan got their noses in front and they stayed there, much to the joy of the majority of the 6,700 in attendance. Davy Fitzgerald’s men made life difficult for themselves, conceding a goal after just 46 seconds when Seamus Callanan got enough of a touch on Niall O’Meara’s pass to give them the dream start.
However, Tipp couldn’t make full use of the breeze from there on as manager Liam Sheedy hinted at unhappiness with some of the decisions of referee Colm Lyons.
“It was 10 frees to two (at one stage in the first half ). I was wondering did the arms go both ways at all,” said the Tipp boss.
“But look, I appreciate how difficult it is to referee a game, but I just thought there were a few moments in that game... when you lose by a point, everything is questionable.”
Sheedy had no issue with the decision to send off Noel McGrath on two yellow cards which were picked up inside just seven first-half minutes.
Despite their numerical disadvantage Tipp finished the first half strongly, hitting three of the last four scores through Callanan frees to take a 1-7 to 0-6 lead at the break.
Fitzgerald called for Chin at the interval, yet it was their opponents who made the more productive start on the resumption.
Despite having the breeze in their faces they hit four in a row through O’Meara
(2), Callanan and Robert Byrne to push themselves eight clear.
Wexford were shipping water but got traction just when they needed it, hitting 1-2 in three minutes with Seamus Casey (below) keeping his cool to grab their goal.
The home side kept coming and by the time Kevin Foley – who was operating as Wexford’s extra defender – tapped over the equaliser on 56 minutes, it looked like they would kick on to win with a bit to spare.
However, Tipp redoubled their efforts and the sides exchanged blows.
Callanan, who finished the day with 1-7, batted over another free before Cathal Dunbar sailed over a glorious sideline cut from the 65.
The teams would be level three times before the end of the game with Nolan having the final say in those frenetic injury-time exchanges.
“I thought our 10 minutes at the start of the second half was probably as good a period as we have put together since the Clare match,” Sheedy reflected.
“A man down, I thought we really took the game to Wexford. We gave away a killer goal to bring them back
into it. “There was a throw-in and we got sucked in. We didn’t defend that ball well. But what a game. There was a really strong breeze there, big crowd. It is a hard place to win.
“We’ve a lot to take out of the game. A few lads tightened up at the finish, Niall O’Meara went out today, got his chance and played really well. Jake (Morris) came on and got a wonderful score.
“John McGrath and Jason (Forde), I felt we could have got a few frees late on. I thought there was much softer frees given in the first half.
“I thought we hurled well enough to get something out of the game. It didn’t happen. It is the middle of February. In terms of the project and where we are at all overall, I am very happy with the effort and energy that they are bringing to the pitch.”
Nolan’s point secured a first win for Fitzgerald over Tipperary as Wexford manager.
And even though there’s little at stake in the top flight this time around, Fitzgerald doesn’t see a marked difference between this and other league campaigns.
“If you look at the managers on the sideline and you look at the players on the field, I notice no difference to the last two years.
“I’ve watched a lot of games too and I’m watching to see; and I haven’t seen any teams going out there not wanting to really burst it.
“When you are playing competitively it’s in our nature. “You can tell me all you want that there’s no relegation, but you want to win.”
Wexford now reside in second place
in Division 1A and Fitzgerald admitted there’s a significant financial gain to making the latter stages of the league.
“Winning games like this at Wexford Park is very important for us,” said the Clare native. “We had a very big crowd today and a lot of young people there. The more big games we win the better, and confidence-wise for our lads.
“We’ll be keeping an eye on what’s going to happen later in the year but for Wexford, we want to get into the play-offs. Financially for every county board it’s very important to get to the play-offs.
“Like, it helps. If you get a budget for a team to work with and you get them to a quarter-final, that might extend your budget by 20 or 30 grand. That’s a big chunk of change if you can do it.”