Sporting Fingal 0 - 1 Wexford Youths

• Niall Farrell
• Tue, Sep 22 2009


Wexford Youths earned their 12th win of the league campaign which saw them thwart Sporting Fingal’s aim of going top of the First Division on goal difference at the Morton Stadium tonight.

Gary Sheahan was the hero for the Youths, tapping the ball in to score in the 40th minute after Fingal goalkeeper Darren Quigley could only parry Richie Fitzgerald’s shot.

Both teams had a nervy start to the match, with Sporting’s Gary O’Neill nearly scoring after just four minutes. Gary Sheahan went close for the Youths after Jimmy Keohane played the ex-Limerick man in on goal in the 24th minute.

Wexford did well to frustrate Gary O’Neill and the rest of the Fingal attack, playing a slow build up game while waiting for their chance to counter-attack. Directly after Sheahan’s goal, Sporting nearly equalised when an Alan Kirby shot went narrowly wide of Packie Holden’s goal.

Beginning the second half, Wexford picked up where they left off, resisting wave after wave of Fingal attacks and mounting dangerous attacks of their own through their attacking trio of Captain Conor Sinnott, goalscorer Gary Sheahan and Jimmy Keohane.

Sporting found it very difficult to break down the Wexford defence, with only a few arching crosses troubling Wexford ‘keeper Packie Holden. Desperate to get an equaliser, Sporting brought on Eamon Zayed for Alan Kirby and Gareth Whelan for Conan Byrne in the 60th minute and switched from a 4-3-3 formation to a 3-5-2.

Darren Quigley received the first yellow card of the match for dissent in the 65th minute and soon after Shaun Maher went close for Sporting when his headed ball from a corner hit the crossbar. Fingal created a few chances, with Shaun Williams missing perhaps the best one of the match when he failed to strike home a loose ball in the Wexford penalty area after Eamonn Zayed did well to make the space.

David Breen saved an almost certain goal when he bravely blocked an Eamonn Zayed shot that seemed destined for goal in the 74th minute and Packie Holden was again a star for Wexford as he pulled off a tremendous save to deny Gary O’Neill a goal a minute later.

Sporting brought on Kevin Dawson for Shane McFaul and Wexford brought on Lee Aust for Richie Fitzgerald in the 81st minute and soon after, Shane Dempsey nearly doubled Wexford’s lead as his headed ball cannoned off the upright.

Gareth McCurtin received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Conan Byrne in the 84th minute, but even from the resulting free kick Fingal were unable to get the better of a resolute Wexford defence. Patsy Malone was unlucky not to score in the final minute of normal time and in the 2nd minute of added time, Gary O’Neill was yellow carded for a Maradona-style incident where he helped the ball past Packie Holden using his hand.

This win means that Wexford have won away against all of the top four clubs this season, while Sporting may rue their chance to go top of the league for the first time in the club’s short history.

Sporting Fingal: Quigley, Gannon, Frost, Williams, Maher, P.Byrne, C. Byrne (Whelan 60’), Bayly, O’Neill, Kirby (Zayed 60’), McFaul (Dawson 81’) Unused Subs: Foley, Konopka

Wexford Youths: Holden, Russell, McCurtin, Malone, White, Breen, Fitzgerald (Aust 81’), Dempsey, Sheahan, Sinnott, Keohane Unused Subs: Broaders, Wallace, Vickers, Rossiter

Extratime.ie Man of The Match: The whole Wexford Youths team worked hard, but none harder that goalkeeper Packie Holden, who pulled off a string of excellent saves to retain Wexford’s lead.

Attendance: 232