Wexford Youths 0 - 2 Monaghan United
Credit:
Fifth placed Wexford Youths’ season took yet another home tumble tonight as two sharp goals in the second half from Karl Bermingham decided this tie in favour of sixth placed Monaghan. The Mons took sixth from Limerick a few weeks ago and with only a two-point gap now separating the sides, this result matched with Wexford’s poor form could see them grab fifth by season end.
Wexford Youths looked like a team on a mission from the outset, playing with a directness of play akin to a side battling back from earlier humiliations. After seven minutes Richie Fitzgerald looked likely to make his mark, the winger all too often on the bench this season. He cut inside Grimes on the left and curled a vicious shot just wide of the left post with McCarey beaten. From the resulting corner Breen flicked an effort past the opposite post on the jump from Sinnott’s corner. Just 11 minutes in and Garry Sheahan was released down the right and got his shot off early across the box but the keeper was alert to it and just about gathered it. Breen was solid for the home side as he organised his line and gave encouragement to his team-mates. However, after 24 minutes he dallied on the ball and fell over onto it conceding a free. Clancy stepped up only to smash his left foot free into the wall.
The next chance again fell to the away side as Malone gave away a nothing free as he clipped Tierney on 30 minutes. Clancy sent the cross in with pace and height, Gartland headed it on and Byrne leathered his volley from the knock-down just over the cross-bar. The Youths, despite most of the play and limiting Monaghan to set-pieces and counters, were not moving the ball quick enough to make it pay off. Richie Fitzgerald then went on a similar run to his earlier chance. After beating Grimes on the run, he feinted past Whelan but his smacked shot was tipped over by the flying Aaron McCarey.
The second half started with some sustained Monaghan pressure. Gartland had a powerful header that he couldn’t direct away from Holden from Clancy’s free on 51 minutes. Clancy then almost took the lead two minutes later with a stinging volley on the run that arrowed wide, a great one-two with Bermingham seeing the striker cushion the ball on his knee to lay-off. Sheahan went on another blistering run, the word not at all being wasted on his speed, that beat Grimes but his low shot was straight at McCarey. The deadlock was broken on 59 minutes. O’Connor was given time and space deep on the right and he lofted a ball over the defence that Breen left for the keeper but Bermingham had stolen in to control and half volley across Holden into the net.
Monaghan had Wexford on the back foot for a few minutes after the goal as they struggled to regroup. Wingers O’Connor and Clancy had switched wings and O’Connor showed no worry in playing on his opposite side as he received a return from Freeman and shot only to see the diving Holden grasp his chance from the air.
With 76 minutes played the home side almost made their rising come-back into the game count. Sheahan took a cleared Conor Sinnott corner on the volley that rose over, more composure need on Sheahan’s behalf to go with his clear pace in general and here. Next up was left-back Garret MCurtain for the Youths to try and grab the game back from Monaghan. He acrobatically over-headed Breen’s flick on from Sinnott’s corner only to see the ball hit McCarey’s heel and trickle agonisingly out for another corner.
Byrne was the second out of four Monaghan players booked on 75 as he dragged down Sinnott as he looked to break towards goal – the resulting free was taken quick and but for the away keepers’ quick reaction, almost equalised the game. Sinnott saw the corner work its way back to him when well placed on the left edge of the box but his right footer sliced the wrong side of the post. After this McCurtain appeared to have been sliced down inside the Monaghan box but referee Rogers incensed the home side by not even waving it away, just ignoring a blatant penalty.
The tactics of the away side took a further dip when on 77 minutes O’Connor showed his petulance in booting Breen out to touch with nothing on, earning him a yellow. Sinnott and the introduced Broader, Rossiter and Aust were looking to get the side back into the game with incisive running and passing. Sinnott himself strode forward with the ball on 80 minutes and as the play opened up through the runs of Doyle and Sheahan, he chanced a shot low at the keeper from distance that he gathered at the second attempt with Doyle lurking. That turned out to be the last attempt on goal for the Youths and their misery was compounded on 88 minutes as a piece of magic from Karl Bermingham won the game. He ran onto another ball over the top, this time beating the offside trap, to coolly nip the ball past Holden and score his and the away sides’ second goal of the night.
Wexford Team: Packie Holden; Anto Russell, David Breen (Yellow, 57min), Paul Rossiter, Garret McCurtain (Broaders, 84min); Shane Dempsey (Rossier, 65min), Ritchie Fitzgerald (Aust, 70min), Patsy Malone, Conor Sinnott (Capt.); Garry Sheahan, Gavin Doyle.
Subs: Lee Aust, Warren Broaders, Aiden McCann, Tiernan Rossiter, Pa Doyle.
Monaghan Team: Aaron Kennedy; Stefan McKevitt, Shane Grimes (Yellwo, 70min), Brian Gartland (Yellow, 90+1), Paul Whelan; Dom Tierney (Capt.);Cathal O’Connor (Yellow, 76min), Alan Byrne (Yellow, 75min), Barry Clancy; Karl Birmingham, David Freeman.
Subs: Darragh Hanapy, Stephen McCrossan, Craig Harding, Sean Brennan, Brendan Kennedy.
Referee: Rob Rogers.
Attendance: 400 EST.
Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Double goal-scorer and Monaghan Striker Karl Bermingham. Two quick, intelligent runs inside caught the home side napping and great finishing. The theatrical, lady-screams-from-the-slightest-nudges aside, he was the difference between the sides.
Wexford Youths looked like a team on a mission from the outset, playing with a directness of play akin to a side battling back from earlier humiliations. After seven minutes Richie Fitzgerald looked likely to make his mark, the winger all too often on the bench this season. He cut inside Grimes on the left and curled a vicious shot just wide of the left post with McCarey beaten. From the resulting corner Breen flicked an effort past the opposite post on the jump from Sinnott’s corner. Just 11 minutes in and Garry Sheahan was released down the right and got his shot off early across the box but the keeper was alert to it and just about gathered it. Breen was solid for the home side as he organised his line and gave encouragement to his team-mates. However, after 24 minutes he dallied on the ball and fell over onto it conceding a free. Clancy stepped up only to smash his left foot free into the wall.
The next chance again fell to the away side as Malone gave away a nothing free as he clipped Tierney on 30 minutes. Clancy sent the cross in with pace and height, Gartland headed it on and Byrne leathered his volley from the knock-down just over the cross-bar. The Youths, despite most of the play and limiting Monaghan to set-pieces and counters, were not moving the ball quick enough to make it pay off. Richie Fitzgerald then went on a similar run to his earlier chance. After beating Grimes on the run, he feinted past Whelan but his smacked shot was tipped over by the flying Aaron McCarey.
The second half started with some sustained Monaghan pressure. Gartland had a powerful header that he couldn’t direct away from Holden from Clancy’s free on 51 minutes. Clancy then almost took the lead two minutes later with a stinging volley on the run that arrowed wide, a great one-two with Bermingham seeing the striker cushion the ball on his knee to lay-off. Sheahan went on another blistering run, the word not at all being wasted on his speed, that beat Grimes but his low shot was straight at McCarey. The deadlock was broken on 59 minutes. O’Connor was given time and space deep on the right and he lofted a ball over the defence that Breen left for the keeper but Bermingham had stolen in to control and half volley across Holden into the net.
Monaghan had Wexford on the back foot for a few minutes after the goal as they struggled to regroup. Wingers O’Connor and Clancy had switched wings and O’Connor showed no worry in playing on his opposite side as he received a return from Freeman and shot only to see the diving Holden grasp his chance from the air.
With 76 minutes played the home side almost made their rising come-back into the game count. Sheahan took a cleared Conor Sinnott corner on the volley that rose over, more composure need on Sheahan’s behalf to go with his clear pace in general and here. Next up was left-back Garret MCurtain for the Youths to try and grab the game back from Monaghan. He acrobatically over-headed Breen’s flick on from Sinnott’s corner only to see the ball hit McCarey’s heel and trickle agonisingly out for another corner.
Byrne was the second out of four Monaghan players booked on 75 as he dragged down Sinnott as he looked to break towards goal – the resulting free was taken quick and but for the away keepers’ quick reaction, almost equalised the game. Sinnott saw the corner work its way back to him when well placed on the left edge of the box but his right footer sliced the wrong side of the post. After this McCurtain appeared to have been sliced down inside the Monaghan box but referee Rogers incensed the home side by not even waving it away, just ignoring a blatant penalty.
The tactics of the away side took a further dip when on 77 minutes O’Connor showed his petulance in booting Breen out to touch with nothing on, earning him a yellow. Sinnott and the introduced Broader, Rossiter and Aust were looking to get the side back into the game with incisive running and passing. Sinnott himself strode forward with the ball on 80 minutes and as the play opened up through the runs of Doyle and Sheahan, he chanced a shot low at the keeper from distance that he gathered at the second attempt with Doyle lurking. That turned out to be the last attempt on goal for the Youths and their misery was compounded on 88 minutes as a piece of magic from Karl Bermingham won the game. He ran onto another ball over the top, this time beating the offside trap, to coolly nip the ball past Holden and score his and the away sides’ second goal of the night.
Wexford Team: Packie Holden; Anto Russell, David Breen (Yellow, 57min), Paul Rossiter, Garret McCurtain (Broaders, 84min); Shane Dempsey (Rossier, 65min), Ritchie Fitzgerald (Aust, 70min), Patsy Malone, Conor Sinnott (Capt.); Garry Sheahan, Gavin Doyle.
Subs: Lee Aust, Warren Broaders, Aiden McCann, Tiernan Rossiter, Pa Doyle.
Monaghan Team: Aaron Kennedy; Stefan McKevitt, Shane Grimes (Yellwo, 70min), Brian Gartland (Yellow, 90+1), Paul Whelan; Dom Tierney (Capt.);Cathal O’Connor (Yellow, 76min), Alan Byrne (Yellow, 75min), Barry Clancy; Karl Birmingham, David Freeman.
Subs: Darragh Hanapy, Stephen McCrossan, Craig Harding, Sean Brennan, Brendan Kennedy.
Referee: Rob Rogers.
Attendance: 400 EST.
Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Double goal-scorer and Monaghan Striker Karl Bermingham. Two quick, intelligent runs inside caught the home side napping and great finishing. The theatrical, lady-screams-from-the-slightest-nudges aside, he was the difference between the sides.
