Wexford Youths 0 - 2 Limerick FC

Wexford welcomed Limerick to a clear but cold and windy Crossabeg on Friday night but it was the away team who left with the three points and, crucially, a win in the first of two quick matches between the two sides. Limerick, in their all-green ki,t took the rising wind out of The Youths midway through the first half through a neat finish from Colin Scanlan following a crafted pass by Paul Walsh. Walsh took a high ball on with his back heel into the path of the onrushing striker Scanlon, whose weighted lob left home 'keeper Holden in no man's land and dropped into the empty net.

Despite being presented with a dropped ball by Limerick 'keeper David Ryan, Peter White couldn’t control the ball to finish into an unguarded net for Wexford just before half-time. Wexford’s Sinnott and White could have earlier equalised but for a tame shot and misguided header from a corner, while Mart Kelly received a yellow for chopping down the industrious Dave Ryan of Limerick.

The second half saw Limerick kick off through Colbert and the goal scorer Scanlon and not much happened until midway through, when Deady was booked for fouling Miller. The introduction of John Flynn O’Connor for Miller, closely followed by Shane Dempsey coming on for Marty Kelly, allowed a greater sense of purpose in the home side. Captain Purcell was yellow carded with half an hour to go for clipping Fitzgerald after a mazy run had taken the winger within shooting distance of the away goals.

Limerick keeper Ryan almost helped Wexford to equalise when he clipped a ball up the pitch away from Fitzgerald only for Dempsey to lob a well placed effort a yard wide of the exposed goal from 40 yards. The lively Fitzgerald then flicked a header wide from a Sinnott free that would’ve deservedly drawn the tie only for White to lose Lyons in the box wide and the defender cliipped the forward in an attempt to regain the lost ground. Paul Walsh stepped up to smash home the penalty and end the game as the game played itself out over the last seven minutes.

Wexford Youths: Packie Holden; Keith Kearney, Anto Russell, David Breen, Peter White; Marty Kelly (Shane Dempsey 78), Conor Sinnott, Patsy Malone, Ritchie Fitzgerald (Liam O’Loughlin 87); David Miller (Johnny Flynn O'Connor 69), Gavin Doyle.
Subs not used: Garret McCurtain, Paul Rossiter.

Limerick FC: Dave Ryan; Jamie Wunsch, Paul Danaher, Pat Purcell, Martin Deady; Paul Walsh, Tommy Barrett, Wayne Colbert (Stephen Goggins, 77), Brendan Daly; Colin Scanlan, David Ryan (Thomas Lyons, 75).
Subs not used: Brian Collopy (gk), Derek Daly, Chimka Manjor.

Referee: Padraigh Sutton

Attendance: 498.

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Pat Purcell (Limerick FC) - the vistor's captain marshalled his team robotically despite collecting a booking for a cynical foul on Ritchie Fitzgerald.