Wexford Youths -v- Monaghan United

• Simon O'Gorman
• Thu, Jul 07 2011


Wexford Youths will face Monaghan United at Ferrycarrig Park on Friday night with the two sides approaching this First Division tie from starkly different perspectives. (Kick off, 7.45pm)

It doesn’t take more than a cursory glance at the league table to see how far apart these two sides are with Wexford having collected a meagre six points from their 16 games while Monaghan have collected 34 with the same number of games played.

Indeed, Wexford are currently on a run of seven straight league defeats although this sequence was broken by a startling 4-1 win over Derry City in the FAI Cup. However, this result is now five weeks old and hopes of a Wexford revival have since dissipated. Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat away to Athlone Town will have been particularly dispiriting, a poor performance being rounded off with the dismissal of striker Danny Furlong.

As a result Furlong will sit out Friday night’s game, leaving Noel O’Connor without his top scorer. Furlong has claimed 12 of Wexford’s 22 goals in all competitions and has seven to his name in the league. David Grincell will also miss out as he is still recovering from appendicitis, leaving the goal-scoring duties in the hands of Ben Ryan who hit a brace in the 3-2 defeat to Limerick a fortnight ago,

Monaghan also enter this game on the back of defeat, having lost 1-0 to league leaders Shelbourne at Gortakeegan last Friday night. But this represented their first loss in eight league games and Roddy Collins' men are, generally speaking, in fine form. So far they have lost just twice in the league and few doubt that they will be among the challengers for automatic promotion come the end of the season.

Roddy Collins will be without the injured Conor McMahon and Eric Foley who serves a suspension but, having blooded plenty of young talent this season, he will know that he has a growing pool of talent with which to cover absentees.

Michael Isichei, Kevin Loughran, and Jason Marks have all impressed in their outings with the first team and with Declan O’Brien, Don Tierney and defenders Alan and Philip Byrne, he also has plenty of experience to call on.

O’Brien has scored goals throughout his league career and, along with strike partner Sean Brennan, he has continued to do so at Monaghan. The pair have managed eight league goals apiece so far and if Wexford are to get anything from Friday’s game they will have to ensure that these two are well marshaled.

Wexford Youths
Injured: David Grincell.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Danny Furlong.

Monaghan United
Injured: Conor McMahon.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: Eric Foley.

Referee: Graham Kelly.
Paddy Power Odds: Wexford 5/1; Draw 11/4; Monaghan 1/2.
Extratime prediction: A comprehensive win for Monaghan, 3-0.