ForzaForth
18/02/2017, 10:08 AM
Enjoyable and feisty affair in Tolka Park last night as a physically strong and good attacking unit from Shelbourne deserved their victory while Damian Locke will have to analyse the standard of Wexford's play during the first hour. With Graham Doyle and Craig McCabe on the sidelines, Damian went with Corey Chambers, Conor Sutton, Ross Kenny, Owen McCormack, Andy O'Connor, Adam Hanlon, John McKeown, Craig Wall, Duxey Dunne, Mark Slater and with Lee Duffy up front, Shelbourne had the look of a sharper team in the pre-match warm-up and not surprisingly they started the better, with a few crosses coming into the Wexford box but nothing came of them. Then, on eight minutes a blocked shot fell straight to the feet of Rooney for Shels and he blasted it past Chambers in the Wexford goal for 1-0 to Shels. First shot by Wexford came on ten minutes when Hanlon hit a daisy-cutter but it proved an easy catch for Delaney. Shels next decent chance came on 24 minutes and it led to their second goal when English was left with too much space to meet a cross and he back-headed it into the corner for 2-0. Lee Duffy then had a header a yard wide and later had the ball in the net after dispossessing Delaney illegally. But Wexford's play up to this stage had generally been poor with aimless balls being played towards an isolated Duffy, and although Wexford conceded a third just before half-time when a low cross by the impressive Shels left-back, McAteer (?), was touched home from a yard by English, it was Wexford's use of the ball when they had it which was the more worrying issue. 3-0 to Shels at half-time with Neil Doyle beginning to dish out the approx. 8-10 yellow cards which featured throughout the game. A worrying sign for Wexford was the withdrawal of Craig Wall right before the break holding his shoulder and in obvious discomfort, being immediately replaced by Thomas Croke.