2019 Season Preview - Wexford

Manager: Brian O'Sullivan                           

Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park (2,500)

2019 Players in: Ben Brown (Clonmel Town), Paddy Cahill (Freebooters), Jack Doherty (Free Agent), Danny Furlong (Galway United), Jason McGuire (Courtown Hibs), Emmet Nugent (Freebooters), Sean Roche (Waterford).

2019 Players out: Aaron Dobbs (Longford Town), Dean George (Athlone Town), John Morgan (Athlone Town).

Extratime.ie Key Man: Danny Furlong

Club legend Danny Furlong is back once more, and his experience and track record will be hugely valuable this season if they want to avoid a poor finish in the table.

The Rosslare man famously holds the record for most goals in a First Division season when he netted 30 in 28 games in 2015, helping his side gain promotion.

After a stint in New Zealand for Dunedin side Southern United, Furlong played for Galway United in last year’s First Division.

 He began the campaign with a hat-trick but it went downhill from there after picking up glandular fever and other injuries.

Extratime.ie One to Watch: Emmet Nugent

Nugent was Kilkenny District League Player of the Year for 2018. The 23 year old is a prolific striker, and recently scored in Wexford’s pre-season loss to Cobh Ramblers.

He will undoubtedly learn from Furlong, and the two could go on to form a prolific partnership this season.

Nugent had a short stint in Ferrycarrig last year, and made three appearances after joining from Freebooters in July 2018.

How they did last season:

League: Ninth

The prediction from the extratime.ie team was bang on, as Wexford finished comfortably ahead of last place Athlone Town. However, they were 11 points behind Cobh Ramblers and it was an overall disappointing season for the club.

FAI Cup: First Round

A 0-7 thrashing at home last year was a dark day for Wexford as Bohemians had it all their own way. They will be hoping for a kinder draw this year, and a nice run would be hugely beneficial for the morale of the club.

EA Sports Cup: First Round

The club suffered an agonising 8-7 defeat on penalties at home to league rivals Cobh Ramblers. To add salt to the wound, Cobh would go on a magnificent run to the final where they lost 3-1 to Derry City.

Wexford can take heart from Cobh’s run last year, and will look to take any advantage over bigger clubs who have their eyes on more prestigious trophies.

What to expect this season:

As heavy favourites to finish last in the First Division, one could argue that anything above would be a success.

A 3-1 defeat to Cobh and a 6-0 loss to Waterford in pre-season does not bode well, and a bottom two finish seems likely.  

However with some good signings in the off-season, a mid-table finish, coupled with a favourable draw and run in the EA Sports Cup, is not inconceivable.

Title Odds: 250/1

First game: Athlone Town (away), February 22^nd (kick-off 7.45pm).