Despite what the doom and gloom merchants were predicting, Wexford’s footballers made All-Ireland holders Dublin work for their eight point victory in Sunday’s Leinster championship quarter-final at sunny Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Dublin are now a staggering 31 games unbeaten in the provincial championship, and their average margin of victory across these eleven campaigns has been fourteen points.
But despite Wexford languishing in Division 4, they challenged purposefully in their first championship meeting with the Sky Blues since a 16 point loss in the 2014 semi-final – and this was Dublin’s smallest victory in Leinster since a seven point success over Meath in the 2013 final.
Wexford are blessed to have such experienced hands as Brian Malone – making his 50th championship appearance on this occasion – Daithí Waters and Michael Furlong amongst their ranks, but their young, promising, emerging colleagues are also sure to be further heartened by coping so admirably against the greatest side ever in the game as Wexford set their sights on making further positive strides during 2022 and beyond.
Only a week after celebrating their first win in Leinster in seven years, Wexford weren’t daunted by their far more illustrious rivals as manager Shane Roche, selectors Philip Wallace and Anthony Masterson and the wider backroom put together a purposeful challenge.
Indeed, after Brian Fenton pointed Dublin in front, Mark Rossiter (free and play) turned the tables by 0-2 to 0-1 after five minutes, before John Tubritt negated a Cormac Costello free on nine minutes (0-3 to 0-2) to the sure approval of the locals amongst the 500 attendance.
Unfortunately Wexford weren’t to score again until the 49th-minute, and Dublin had slowly but surely gained the upper-hand, forging clear by 0-6 to 0-3 at half-time.
Michael Furlong made a magnificent intervention to prevent Con O’Callaghan from finding the Clonard-end net at the expense of a fruitless ’45 during the third quarter.
The gap extended to 0-9 to 0-3 before Kevin O’Grady combined nicely with Páraic Hughes for a delightful finish from the right wing by Hughes to end the Wexford famine on 49 minutes.
Mark Rossiter (free) and Donal Shanley (free and play) delivered late lifters for hard-trying Wexford while Dublin made their second-half territorial dominance tell in an eventual eight-point success.
Dublin: Evan Comerford; Michael Fitzsimons, David Byrne, Seán McMahon; James McCarthy, Brian Howard (0-2), Robert McDaid; Brian Fenton (0-2), Peadar Ó Cofaigh-Byrne; Paddy Small, Ciarán Kilkenny (0-1), Niall Scully; Ryan Basquel, Con O’Callaghan, Cormac Costello (0-7, 5 frees).
Subs: Tom Lahiff (0-1) for McDaid inj., (34); Seán Bugler for R. Basquel; Colm Basquel (0-1) for Scully (53); Aaron Byrne for Small (56); Dean Rock (0-1) for Byrne (66).
Wexford: Darragh Brooks; Liam O’Connor, Gavin Sheehan, Eoin Porter; Michael Furlong, Martin O’Connor, Brian Malone; Daithí Waters, Liam Coleman; Páraic Hughes (0-1), Tom Byrne, Kevin O’Grady; John Tubritt (0-1), Niall Hughes, Mark Rossiter (0-3, 2 frees).
Subs: Seán Nolan for Tubritt (42); Alan Tobin for Waters, inj. (58); Robbie Brooks for Hughes (63); Donal Shanley (0-2, 1 free) for Rossiter (63); Conor Carty for O’Grady, inj. (66).
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary).
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