Drogheda United (Friendly)

Deserved winners after encouraging performance by the Youths in IT Carlow tonight against a Drogheda side who had played Waterford the night before. Indeed, I thought Drogheda looked very leggy and I'm sure they will be capable of more as the season progresses. Wexford started with Graham in goal, a back four of Craig McCabe, Kilian Cantwell, Stephen Last and Jimmy Dermody, a midfield four of Eric Molloy, Shane Nolan, Peter Higgins and Sean Skelly, and with Rocks Keenan and Danny Furlong up front.

Wexford started like a train and forced three corners in the first three minutes. In the fifth minute, a lively Eric Molloy came inside his marker and crashed a shot off the crossbar with the Drogheda keeper beaten. On ten minutes, Rocks was taken down on his way through on goal which was very adjacent to the penalty box. Then on fifteen minutes, Danny Furlong latched onto a stray ball in the middle of the Drogheda defence, rounded the keeper and was roughly taken down by a Drogheda defender which would have merited a red in a normal game. Fortunately, Danny was able to get up and send the keeper the wrong way from the sport to give the Youths a deserved 1-0 lead.

The first decent effort by Drogheda came after eighteen minutes when a decent move down the left lead to a pull-back to just outside the Youth's penalty box but the first time effort was put about two yards wide. With ten to go, Philly Hughes for Drogheda tried to chip Graham Doyle in the Youth's goal but graham was able to grasp it comfortably enough. The half finished 1-0 with Shane Nolan and Peter Higgins dominating in midfield and with Drogheda apparently not having a playmaker who could pull the strings against a Wexford side who closed down quickly and won the ball back far too easily.

The second half proved to be less satisfactory with both sides making the usual raft of substitutions. For the Youths, Ricky Fox and Danny Fitzpatrick came on for Eric Molloy and Craig McCabe at half-time with Peter Higgins moving to right-back and Ricky joining Shane in midfield. Again, the first chance fell to the Youths after three minutes when Ricky pinched the ball off a dallying Drogheda midfielder and progressed to about 30 yards out where he drilled once against the bottom of the crossbar and down but this time there was no Russian linesman to give the call.

On eighteen minutes, a guest, Eoin Vaughan came on in place for Sean Skelly and went up front. On 28 minutes, another soft loss of the ball in midfield by Drogheda this time gave Shane Nolan the chance to carry it forward but his left-footed effort went just wide. However, a minute later, a Wexford corner was won at the far post by Rocks and Danny Fitz had the easy task of nodding home from a couple of yards out for 2-0 to the Youths. As Wexford made more substitutions, Drogheda rallied slightly but a low cross from the left by a useful "Fionn" for Drogheda which was turned over Wexford's crossbar for a corner and then a decent punch by Graham from a cross from the right were the most that Drogheda could manage. Late substitutions for Wexford were Danny Niekis and Daryl Power from the U19s and two further substitutions.

In addition to Shane Nolan and Peter Higgins, Kilian Cantwell and Stephen Last were untroubled in the middle of the defence while Rocks and Danny Furlong posed a threat in the first half to give Wexford a strong spine down the middle of the pitch. Drogheda's passing game remained poor virtually all night with long passes regularly overhit on a zippy pitch or otherwise being lumped straight at a stranded looking Philly Hughes up front, but I'm sure they can do better. 2-0 to the Youths at full-time.