Sport

Fermanagh beat Wexford in scrappy Brewster Park encounter

Ryan Jones clings to the ball as he wrestles with Wexford duo Nick Doyle and Glen Malone Picture by Jason Moncrieff
Ryan Jones clings to the ball as he wrestles with Wexford duo Nick Doyle and Glen Malone Picture by Jason Moncrieff Ryan Jones clings to the ball as he wrestles with Wexford duo Nick Doyle and Glen Malone Picture by Jason Moncrieff

Allianz Football League Division Three: Fermanagh 3-7 Wexford 2-5

WITH 13 cards brandished by Mayo whistler Liam Devenney Fermanagh’s five-point win over Wexford yesterday was bereft of any real attacking quality.

A mitigating factor was certainly the heavy underfoot conditions with the Brewster Park sod cutting up and the players understandably found it difficult to get any fluidity to their play.

Two Seamus Quigley goals, both finished to the net soccer-style, gave the home side a comfortable seven-point lead at the break. Wexford had to wait until the 36th minute for a score from play, with Daithi Watters striking over from distance just before the half-time whistle.

It did get better in the early part of the second half for Paul McLaughlin’s men when Nick Doyle was quickest to react to drive to the net after Fermanagh ’keeper Pat Cadden fumbled a high delivery into the square.

But the home side responded with a Paul McCusker point and a Conal Jones goal, drilled to the net with the aid of a deflection, to take a nine-point lead.

Fermanagh were in total control at this stage but that all changed with the sending off of Ryan Jones on 50 minutes for what the referee deemed a striking offence.

Jones had already accounted for three points from play and in the final 25 minutes of action Fermanagh were only to score once more with Wexford hitting 1-2 as the home side struggled to maintain their dominance around the middle.

That said, the result was never really in doubt as Wexford relied on route one football and Fermanagh, with the introduction of Ryan McCluskey, didn’t give the appearance they were to concede another goal.

The game finished with a mini fracas on the sideline close to the Fermanagh dugout with Wexford’s Brian Malone picked out by Devenney and sent to the line. Tiernan Rossiter had already received his marching orders for the visitors on 64 minutes for a second yellow card.

Fermanagh manager Rory Gallagher felt the last minute schmozzle was of the “harmless” variety.

“Ah listen, it’s one of those things that happens on a sideline,” he said.

“I think there was a challenge, we had got blown for overcarrying and the next thing, it appeared as if a Wexford guy came in with the boot and obviously it was at the end of the game and tempers were frayed. It was harmless enough.”

Overall, the Erne boss was less than happy with much of his side’s display, and in particular, the nature of the three-pointers conceded.

“Definitely unhappy with the goals we gave away and I don’t think the goals we scored were things of beauty either.

“It was workmanlike and there was good effort and things like that, but our finishing and things like that left a lot to be desired in the first half,” he said.

“There was a period we were on top and we weren’t clinical and we dropped a couple of balls short.

“Then in the second half you had a couple of frees, a chance to put the game out of sight and you leave Wexford hanging.

“But a bit of indiscipline, you lose a man and you give Wexford a wee incentive to keep going when you should be coasting home.”

Turing his attention to that red card for Ryan Jones, Gallagher clearly saw it as a momentum stopper for his team.

“That was massive. We had been playing well and he had kicked a few scores as well,” he said.

“We were dominating the kickouts, really strong in the middle of the field and it’s disappointing.

“Not really sure what the red was for, but maybe striking. I am disappointed with that if it is, we don’t want indiscipline, or to go a man down and it left it more of a battle than it should have been.”

Fermanagh: P Cadden; K Connor (0-1), C Cullen, C McManus; J McMahon, L Cullen, D McCusker; E Donnelly, R Jones (0-3); R Lyons, B Mulrone, A Breen (0-1); D Teague, C Jones, Seamus Quigley (2-1, 0-1 free). Subs: E Maguire for Teague (30), P McCusker (0-1) for Lyons (42), M Jones for Seamus Quigley (52), Sean Quigley for L Cullen (59), R McCluskey for McMahon (62), C McGee for Maguire (65)

Black cards: Sean Quigley, not replaced (73)

Wexford: P Doyle; M Furlong, M O’Neill, J Rossiter; G Malone, B Malone, B O’Gorman; D Waters (0-1), N Doyle (1-1); T Rossiter (1-0), B O’Connor, D Shanley (0-2 frees); P Curtis, E Nolan, C McCabe.

Subs: C Carty for O’Gorman (h-t), S Byrne for O’Connor (h-t), R Frayne for Shanley (42), C Devereux (0-1) for McCabe (55), D Holmes for Nolan (57), M Rossiter for Curtis (67)

Referee: L Devenney (Mayo)