Wexford 2-14
Dublin 0-18
THE O’CONNOR BROTHERS played a major role as Wexford took a massive step towards the knock-out stages of Division 1 tonight.
For the second weekend in succession, Davy Fitzgerald’s side showed immense character to seal a victory. This time they were 0-16 to 1-9 behind after an hour, and reduced to 14 men following Conor McDonald’s red card, when they staged an unlikely comeback.
They were still trailing by two on 67 minutes when Shaun Murphy headed for an early shower when he picked up a second yellow after a tussle with Tomas Connolly.
Eoghan O’Donnell became the third player dismissed in the 69th minute, also for a second yellow. It wasn’t an overly dirty game but Limerick whistler Johnny Murphy handed out 13 yellow cards and three reds during the 70 minutes where he failed to let the game flow to any great extent.
Man-of-the-match Rory O’Connor scored three crucial scores in the final 10 minutes while his older brother Jack slammed in the all-important goal in the 73rd minute.
This was a valuable win for Wexford considering it was a game Mattie Kenny would have targetted at the start of the year.
Wexford played with Kevin Foley in his usual sweeping role, leaving Jake Malone free on the Dublin half back line.
Wexford’s match-ups featured Matthew O’Hanlon on centre-forward Chris Crummey and Damien Reck tagging Donal Burke, while Dublin placed James Madden at wing-back on Rory O’Connor.
Referee Murphy was in whistle happy form, meaning the opening 35 minutes descended into a battle of the free-takers. Just seven of the 16 scores arrived from open play in an extremely stop-start half.
Three different Dublin players scored frees – Ronan Hayes, Oisin O’Rorke and Paul Ryan – though the latter two were responsibly for a pair of misses each too.
Lee Chin scored his first attempt and then missed his next three before Paul Morris assumed the responsibilities for Wexford. They took the lead in the 32 minute through Mark Fanning’s goaled penalty after Aidan Rochford was fouled in the area by Malone.
O’Hanlon was carrying a yellow and replaced at the interval, while Chin only lasted until the 47th minute on his first league start of the season.
Madden broke forward for a well-taken effort, but his marker O’Connor immediately replied with a score of his own. Then came the two Wexford dismissals, before Eoghan O’Donnell walked for Dublin.
Eamonn Dillon arrived off the bench and scored after taking a magnificent touch to press the Sky Blues four clear after 62 minutes. Then the Model County rallied down the home straight.
Rory O’Connor was freed of James Madden’s shackles after the defender was replaced in the 62nd minute. From that stage Wexford outscored Dublin by 1-6 to 0-1 to seal the two points.
Scores for Wexford: Paul Morris 0-7 (0-3f, 0-1 65), Rory O’Connor 0-4 (0-1f), Jack O’Connor and Mark Fanning (1-0 pen) 1-0, Lee Chin (0-1f), Paudie Foley, Diarmuid O’Keeffe 0-1 each.
Scorers for Dublin: Paul Ryan 0-8 (0-8f), Rian McBride and Ronan Hayes (0-1f) 0-2, Eamonn Dillon, Donal Burke, Oisin O’Rorke (0-1f), Chris Crummey 0-1 each.
Wexford
1. Mark Fanning (Glynn Barntown)
2. Conor Firman (St Martins)
3. Liam Ryan (Rapparees)
4. Joe O’Connor (St Martin’s)
8. Kevin Foley (Rapparees)
5. Damien Reck (Oylgate-Glenbrien)
19. Matthew O’Hanlon (St Jmes)
7. Shaun Murphy (Oulart The Ballagh)
10. Aidan Rochford (St Anne’s)
9. Diarmuid O’Keeffe (St Anne’s)
11. Aidan Nolan (HWH Bunclody)
22. Lee Chin (Faythe Harriers)
15. Rory O’Connor (St Martin’s)
13. Paul Morris (Ferns St Aidan’s)
14. Michael Dwyer (St Mogue’s Fethard)
Subs
20. Liam Og McGovern (St Anne’s) for Rochford (ht)
6. Paudie Foley for O’Hanlon (ht)
12. Jack O’Connor (St Martin’s) for Chin (47)
21. Conor McDonald (Naomh Eanna) for Dwyer (48)
26. Cathal Dunbar (Naomh Eanna) for Nolan (69)
Dublin
1. Seán Brennan (Cuala)
2. Paddy Smyth (Clontarf)
3. Eoghan O’Donnell (Whitehall Colmcille)
5. Cian O’Callaghan (Cuala)
4. James Madden (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
6. Daire Gray Whitehall (Colmcille)
9. Jake Malone (Cuala)
7. Seán Moran (Cuala)
11. Rian McBride (St Vincent’s)
10. Donal Burke (Na Fianna)
8. Chris Crummey (Lucan Sarsfields)
25. Danny Sutcliffe (St Jude’s)
13. Oisín O’Rorke (Kilmacud Crokes)
14. Ronan Hayes (Kilmacud Crokes)
15. David Keogh (Thomas Davis)
Subs
20. Paul Ryan (Ballyboden St Enda’s) for O’Rorke (14)
21. Cian Boland (St Oliver Plunketts ER) for Sutcliffe (43)
25. Eamonn Dillon (St Finbarr’s) for Keogh (52)
17. Andrew Dunphy (St Brigid’s) for O’Callaghan (57)
18. Tomas Connolly (St Vincent’s) for Madden (62)
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)
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