Galway

[ForzaForth]

For anyone interested, it's planned to have audio commentary on tonight's match at the usual link. Guest commentator from Galway, which is great to see.

www.mixlr.com/wexfordyouths

[ForzaForth]

Bizarre match played in bizarre weather as Youths nearly paid the price of not finishing out a game properly in Ferrycarrig after going five goals ahead around the hour mark. Wexford started with Graham, Craig, Lee Grace, Hopper, Aidan, Andy, Lee Chin, Jonny, Speedy Whittle and with Roxy and Spot up front. The surprise was the pushing forward of Lee Chin into midfield and with Hopper Kenny going into the back four where he had a fine game until replaced midway through the second half. Wexford started brightly and went ahead on five minutes when Roxy Keenan controlled a through ball, held off his Galway marker and finished well past Horgan in the Galway goal for 1-0 to the Youths. Galway looked threatening going forward during the whole match and the Wexford goal led a charmed life immediately after the first Wexford goal with a Galway forward scooping the ball over after getting on the end of a good Galway move down the left. On eight minutes, a thunderous Galway shot cannoned off the underside of the cross-bar but somehow stayed out. On 14 minutes, Killian Cantwell of Galway picked up a yellow for a tackle on Roxy Keenan. More chances then followed for both sides with Lee Chin once showing great pace to get on the end of a quick break by Wexford, but he couldn't control and finish and the chance was lost. The intermittent downpours had started just after the Wexford goal with impressive flashes of lightning to accompany them. The Galway defence then gifted goal after goal to Wexford as, on 38 minutes, a Galway defender turned a Wexford free back to his keeper without looking, and Danny Furlong who had come on for Roxy Keenan who had departed with a shoulder injury, was there to tuck it past Horgan for 2-0. Just before the half-time whistle, it was 3-0 when poor control by the last Galway defender let Speedy Whittle have a one-on-one with Horgan, and he finished neatly for a three goal lead for Wexford at half-time, but a scoreline which flattered the home side.

[ForzaForth]

Just before half-time Galway's Enda Curran was stretchered off with what looked like a bad shoulder or collarbone injury and was replaced by Conor Melody. Galway's defence still looked shaky and, after five minutes of the second half, never coped with a trademark long throw by Craig McCabe, and a Wexford flick-on was steered home by Andy O'Connor for 4-0. It was 5-0 on 52 minutes when a Galway defender passed the ball to Danny Furlong across his own 18 yard box with Horgan out of position, and Danny had the easiest of finishes to bring his own tally to two on the night and he now looked like a transformed player. Wexford then didn't take the pace out of the game and remained too open for the impressive Galway attack, with Kevin Devaney outstanding, and started to leak goals themselves.

[ForzaForth]

It became 5-1 on 65 minutes when Galway's Devaney hit a wonderful curling effort into the top right-hand corner to give Graham Doyle no chance. Aidan Friel then knocked the ball into his own net to make it 5-2 when a Galway cross was allowed travel all the way to the far post. On 80 minutes, Devaney repeated his curled effort inside the right-hand post to make it 5-3. Two minutes later, a routine Galway cross was headed downwards and centrally straight to Conor Melody of Galway and he finished neatly from inside the box to make it 5-4. Galway threatened to make it 5-5 on a couple of occasions, but Wexford held out to gain the three points with Craig McCabe getting a late yellow for a pull-back on a Galway attacker and Spot Murphy getting a yellow for time-wasting. Late Wexford subs were Shane Dempsey and Peter Higgins. Best for Wexford were Jonny Bonner who controlled midfield, Hopper Kenny in defence and Danny Furlong who looked revitalised from his much-needed goals. 5-4 at full-time with about 350 at the game.