Shelbourne

Three points for Shels in Tolka Park tonight in somewhat bizarre game in which the Youths had a shocker of a first half but came back reasonably well in the second with Shels taking their foot off the gas. Wexford made one change from last week with Greg coming in and started Packie, Karl, Wolfie, Anto, Murt, Shane, Greg, Patsy, Ben and Danny and Darragh up front. Shels applied some early pressure and first chance fell to them after about eight when Packie held onto a header which came from just beyond the far post.

Shels then went ahread in the eleventh when a chest down into space in the Wexford box found a runner, Dalton, coming from a long way out and his easy finish from close ranfe made it one-nil. In the fourteenth, it became two-nil when another good cross was finshed tidily at the near post. It was three-nil after eighteen when a bullet back-header smacked off the cross-bar leaving an easy finish with Packie stranded. Wexford were in bits at this stage and could hardly keep the ball even in their own half. Another cross into the box was then put wide by Shels and, with about fifteen to go, it became four-nil when another cross of quality between Packie and his defence was buried int his own net by Karl Keogh.

With a minute to go, a run by Ben Ryan into the Shels box saw him hacked down and Danny sent Delaney the wrong way with the resulting penalty for four-one at half-time.
Wexford brought on Grinny for the lively Darragh at half-time and Gareth for Wolfie with Murt moving to the centre of the defence. Both teams had a good chance right at the start of the half with Delaney coming out well to smother Grinny's effort in the Shels box. Game then became very open with both sides able to run at each other and with Shels becoming very sloppy in their own half. Wexford then got another goal back when a thirty yard backpass from Shels went for a corner and, when swung over, Gareth's low volley eluded everybody to nestle in the net.

Ben then hit the post with a nice freekick over the wall with Delaney stranded and later on, Patsy jumped early into Delaney when trying to get on the end of another slice and got a yellow with Delaney walking off with an injury. Shane also got replaced by Kevin Rowe for his first start of the season. Four-two at the final whistle in eventful match. Best for Wexford were Packie, despite the four goals, Patsy and Greg in midfield and Danny did well once he played on his own in a 4-5-1 formation in the second-half. Gareth also had a stormer when he came on at left-back and looks like a player who wants his place back. Wexford need to learn from Shels quality of crossing in the first half and Noel needs to work out pretty soon what his best combination is up front. Over 800 at it.