2021 Season Preview: Wexford Youths

Wexford manager Tom Elmes.

Wexford manager Tom Elmes. Credit: Hugh de Paor (ETPhotos)

Manager: Tom Elmes

Stadium: Ferrycarrig Park

Players in: Kim Flood (St. Patrick’s CYFC), Lynn Marie Grant (Forth Celtic AFC), Katie O’Regan (Unattached), Freya DeMange (Wexford Youths U17s)

Players out: Blessing Kingsley (Southern Mississippi University)

Extratime.com Key Player: Ciara Rossiter

Rossiter is a no-nonsense left-full who will no doubt have a major impact in the coming season. Wexford’s player of the year last season, this is her eighth season with the club, bringing invaluable experience to the team despite still only being 25 years of age. 

Tom Elmes has a well-established back-four at Wexford Youths with Rossiter on the left-hand side. Her knowledge of the game alongside her defensive counterparts is a strength that Youths will continue to utilise. Although, her versatility is also something that Elmes will look to – her pace and strength along with a canon of a right foot could see her drafted into midfield from time to time. 

Extratime.com One to Watch: Aoibheann Clancy

Clancy is a player that her manager rates very highly. Alongside Ellen Molloy, Freya DeMange, Kira Bates-Crosbie and others, she is part of an exciting crop of young players that Wexford have nurtured over the past couple of seasons. 

The Irish underage international joined at the start of the 2020 season from Limerick and after impressing in training, became a constant in Wexford’s starting eleven. Her physicality in the middle of the park is a sign of her hunger while her crisp passing can also open doors for the Wexford attackers this season. 



How they did last season:

League: Finishing in third place last season, Wexford would have been disappointed not to have given Peamount and Shelbourne a closer contest at the top of the table. 

In a much-shortened season, a 3-0 victory at home to Peamount was perhaps the highlight with Youths giving a defensive masterclass. They struggled however to match that performance against Shelbourne and a 5-2 loss at home in Ferrycarrig was a night to forget. 

Convincing wins against Bohemians and Treaty United showed signs that life after Rianna Jarret doesn’t mean a lack of firepower up front, but for much of the season Wexford struggled to convert chances. The one thing Wexford fans will be hoping for in the coming season is more goals.  

WFAI Cup: The three-time winners of the WFAI Cup were disappointed not to book a place in the final again last season. A narrow 3-2 win away to Galway saw Lauren Kelly nab a winner five minutes from time. A 1-0 defeat at home to Peamount in the semi-final meant they would not be returning to WFAI Cup final action in 2020 but fans can take a lot of promise into the 2021 season with a strong semi-final performance. 

What to expect this season:



Wexford have only strengthened their squad further going into the 2021 Women’s National League. Blessing Kingsley’s move to Southern Mississippi University will be a disappointment for Youths fans who were very excited about the young attackers prospects at the club, but bringing in experienced players such as Kim Flood, Lynn Marie Grant and Katie O’Regan will give Wexford the additional bit of firepower that they missed last season. 

Grant has had an impressive pre-season campaign scoring against Bohemians in their final game before their season opener this Saturday against Peamount. Returning to Ferrycarrig for a second spell, her performances so far could have her marked down in Tom Elmes’ starting eleven already. 

Of course, fans also have another season of Ellen Molloy at Ferrycarrig. The Kilkenny woman had an explosive debut season in the league scoring eight goals, being named WNL Young Player of the Season and earning her Irish international debut against Ukraine. Her flair and skill will bolster Wexford’s goal scoring chances this season. 

Tom Elmes has now managed to build a squad with a decent blend of youth and experience. Molloy and Clancy will both feature heavily throughout the season while Kira Bates-Crosbie, Maeve Williams and Breda Cushin also give Tom Elmes options. Freya DeMange’s promotion from the U17s is noteworthy and she is certainly a tricky player to look out for. 

While still at the top of their own games, the experience of Kylie Murphy, Edel Kennedy and Nicola Sinnott will provide a lot of guidance for those younger players. The experience of Wexford’s back-four alone will be crucial if they’re going to pull off more defensive masterclasses like their 3-0 win against Peamount last season. 

Fans will be hoping to improve on the third-place finish of the last two seasons while a return to the WFAI Cup Final will certainly be a priority. More goals are needed this season if they are to achieve those aims and Elmes will be looking to the likes of Ellen Molloy, Lynn Marie Grant, Vanessa Ogbonna and Aisling Frawley to provide just that. 

First game: Peamount (Home) March 27th 16.00

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