Cabinteely

[ForzaForth]

Wexford continued their decent run of on-pitch results with a hard-fought 2-1 in Stradbrook after a very competitive game for which both sides deserve credit. Wexford started with Corey, Conor, Owen, Sean, John, Dean George, Ryan, Mikey, Dean Kelly, Danny and with Aaron up front. On the hard Stradbrook surface, it was never going to be a pretty game with aerial duels being most common. The first half was relatively even. On 13 minutes, Aaron Dobbs got in a great defensive block to prevent a scorable Cabo chance from a corner. Wexford’s first effort on goal came on the quarter hour mark when Ryan Nolan struck a shot a couple of yards wide. After a close Cabo header and a sighter on goal by an energetic Danny Doyle for Wexford, Dean Kelly forced a save by the Cabo keeper with a good effort on goal. With five minutes to go in the half, Dobbs had a smashing rasper which the Cabo keeper could only push into the air, but as Danny Doyle approached to head in the rebound, a high Cabo foot cleared the ball away and made contact with Doyle’s head but nothing was given. 0-0 at half-time.

[ForzaForth]

Second half contained the three goals. After five minutes, Aaron Dobbs went off injured and was replaced by a livewire Emmet Nugent who’s new to me. Almost immediately, Cabo were awarded a peno when Sean Kelly was adjudged to have made a late contact with a Cabo attacker after yet another aerial duel inside the Wexford area. This was put away comfortably by Cabo’s Keeley and the home side were in front. Wexford adapted their game well to suit the smaller t arget-man up front and used Dean George profitably as an outlet down the left wing. It was a ball from the left which was deflected into an arc by a Cabo defender to give Wexford sub Mark Slater the type of easy header that your granny could probably still put away and Wexford were level. With credit to both sides, it was then end to end to see who could get the winner with Cabo creating a number of shooting chances but nearly all ending up in the hands of safe-as-houses Corey Chambers in the Wexford goal. Slater then nearly got a second when he hit the outside of the Cabo stanchion with a free while Cabo went close when an attempted lob of Chambers hit the top of the cross-bar and over. Just when it looked like a fair enough 1-1 draw, a ball into the Cabo box brought two of their defenders together, and it broke invitingly to Dean Kelly who put it away comfortably for 2-1 to Wexford. A late Cabo stretch beyond the far post didn’t threaten Corey Chambers’s goal and Wexford secured the three points with a 2-1 final score after a very decent game. In addition to Chambers, best for Wexford were Sean Kelly who was immense in the back four for the away side, with Mikey Byrne in front of him putting everything he had into every tackle and headed battle. 2-1 to Wexford at full-time.