Horeswood left to carry Wexford flag after hurling losses

AND THEN there was one. After a disappointing weekend for our county hurling champions, Horeswood are the last club standing and will proudly carry the Wexford flag to Bord na Móna O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Saturday to take on Shamrocks from Offaly in the AIB Leinster Intermediate football championship semi-final.

While their primary target of making an immediate return to Senior ranks has been achieved, astute mentor Aidan O’Brien will be utilising his vast knowledge of the G.A.A. scene in the midlands to get the complete low-down on their Mucklagh-based rivals.

Shamrocks will be a seriously tough nut to crack, after starting their provincial campaign by inflicting a first competitive defeat of the year on Wicklow champions Tinahely who fancied their chances of making a big impact outside the Garden county.

The final score on that occasion in Tullamore was 1-15 to 2-7, with all bar one point of the winning tally provided by dangerous full-forward Nigel Dunne (0-9), an Offaly attacker, and Alan Heffernan (1-5).

Two weeks later their quarter-final was moved at short notice owing to the bad weather to the Faithful Fields in Kilcormac, the county’s new training facility.

And although midfielder and inter-county hurler Johnny O’TooleGreene was dismissed at an early stage, Shamrocks dug deep to dismiss Ballinabranna from Carlow on a 1-15 to 1-10 scoreline.

While his absence will be significant on Saturday, it must be remembered that suspension will also rob Horeswood of the services of their reliable right half-back Eddie Shiely, a native of Caheragh in west Cork.

There wasn’t much fanfare surrounding the Campile crew’s first round win over Kilkenny Senior champions Mullinavat in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, by 3-14 to 1-5, but it was nonetheless a notable achievement for the club.

Indeed, it was their first-ever success in Leinster, as they didn’t get past the initial hurdle in their golden years when four Senior titles were annexed between 2005 and 2011.

There was bitter disappointment in Drogheda 13 years ago when Mattock Rangers from Collon pipped them by 1-9 to 1-8.

And Horeswood went very close again in Newbridge twelve months later, holding Kildare’s Moorefield to a 1-7 to 0-10 draw before losing the replay in Wexford Park by 3-8 to 1-5.

They simply didn’t turn up in Longford’s Pearse Park in 2009, losing to Clonguish by 2-10 to 0-5, while a much-improved performance in Parnell Park two years later still ended in a defeat to St. Brigid’s from Blanchardstown on a 1-20 to 3-8 scoreline.

Their exploits in pipping Rathcline by 1-11 to 0-13 last time out with just twelve men have been well documented.

It was the type of win that will do wonders for the morale within a squad, but in the cold light of day it must be acknowledged that a repeat of their overall performance in New Ross on Saturday week wouldn’t be nearly good enough to dismiss Shamrocks.

The players have been kept on their toes by the keen competition for the last three or four places on the starting 15, with the personnel changing regularly which is a healthy sign.

Hopefully Jamie Myler’s hamstring injury won’t ruin his prospects of playing, because if he can take his place in a forward line that also features P.J. Banville, Declan Murphy and the prolific Seán Nolan, the Shamrocks defence could be in for a trying afternoon.

Incidentally, another interesting name on the Offaly side is attacker Paddy Dunican who has played Airtricity League football between the posts for Longford Town and Athlone Town.

Given that Kilanerin are the reigning champions in this grade, it would be another much-needed boost for Wexford football if Horeswood can clear this tough hurdle, particularly as our dismal Senior record continues. Shelmaliers could only score 1-2 against Dunboyne, after blitzing Kilanerin with 4-14 in the county final replay, and then the Meath men were brushed aside by Kilmacud Crokes in the next round on a 2-17 to 0-7 scoreline.

It’s 14 years and counting since our Senior champions last won a game in Leinster, which is a sad indictment of the standard locally. Let’s hope that Horeswood can come up with a positive result.