Wexford FC v Longford

[ForzaForth]

Wexford will be devastated at the unnecessary dropping of two points with the last kick of the game in Ferrycarrig this evening in a match which had many twists and turns. Longford looked a rejuvenated side under their new temporary boss and matched the ability which their side looks to have on paper. With Dobbsy still injured, Wexford started with Owen, Darragh, Ben, Cian (O’M), Ethan, Kian, Thomas, Mark, Luka, Cian (C) and Reece. Wexford didn’t play well in the first half and it was Longford who looked the more likely to score as the home side failed to put any pressure on Brady in the Longford goal. The Wexford forwards, in particular, looked to be wrongly configured with Thomas Oluwa not playing centrally where he looks most comfortable. On 18 minutes, Longford’s Dean O’Shea should probably have scored when he had a free header from a Longford corner but let it slide wide of the Wexford post. Kyle O’Connor was also doing well down Longford’s left but Wexford's Reece Webb had the pace to generally curb O’Connor’s forays into the Wexford half. With 31 minutes gone, a very dangerous low cross by Longford resulted in Owen Mason getting a blow to the head as he went down to save but fortunately he was ok to continue. Just before the half ended, the ref awarded Longford a peno for handball for a ball lashed at a Wexford defender. Looked a bit harsh as his arm was across his chest at the time of impact. However, Chris Lyons failed to send Mason the wrong way and it resulted in Mason making a reasonably comfortable save. Last action of the half saw Longford’s Karl Chambers get a bad facial injury from an accidental collision and he was substituted at the start of the second half. 0-0 at halftime.

[ForzaForth]

Wexford brought on Mikie Rowe and Kaylem Harnett at the start of the second half and it transformed Wexford’s attack. Within a few minutes, Kaylem put Wexford ahead when he flicked a near-post header past Brady in the Longford goal for 1-0 to the home side. (At 16 years of age apparently, he could well be Wexford’s youngest ever league goalscorer.) Wexford were now dominating and it soon became two nil to Wexford when Mikie Rowe latched onto a bad Longford backpass to finish neatly past Brady. Wexford looked certainties for the three points at this stage as Harnett had a right-footed volley over the Longford bar and a third Wexford goal was disallowed for a bodycheck by Thomas Oluwa on Brady in Longford’s goal. However, Longford applied late pressure and got a goal back on 80 minutes when Dean O’Shea was allowed a free run at Wexford’s far post to meet a free cleanly with his head. 2-1 at this stage. Wexford’s goal then had a fairly charmed life as firstly Ben Lynch made a great block on the line, then Wexford just about cleared the resulting Longford corner off their own goal-line and finally a Wexford defender cleared another Longford shot off the goal-line with Mason beaten. In the final minute of the six minutes injury-time, however, a clearance by Mason was hit too low and it fell to a Longford midfielder who cushioned the ball into the path of Jordan Adeyemo. He stabbed the ball below the onrushing Mason and Longford had got an unlikely point at 2-2. Wexford played decently in the second half but slip-ups of this type will undoubtedly prove very costly. 2-2 at fulltime.

[ger121]

Shocker of kick out for the equaliser.

[ForzaForth]

Thanks, Ger. I've only seen it in real-time so far but I've an idea that his standing foot slipped at the time of impact resulting in Mason shanking the ball along the ground.

[Martinho II]

Only realised elsewhere here that reason Jordan Adeyemo wasnt involved earlier this season was because he was involved in a motor accident. Thought he was gone from club altogether. Great to have him back!