League Preview: Wexford Youths -v- Shamrock Rovers B

• Macdara Ferris
• Fri, Jul 25 2014




WEXFORD YOUTHS

Wexford Youths welcome the youths of Shamrock Rovers to Ferrycarraig Park on Friday night for this SSE Airtricity League First Division clash (kick off 8pm). Youths will feel themselves unlucky not to have gotten a point away to First Division leaders Longford Town during the week. The match ended 3-2 to Longford with all the goals scored in the first half. Longford raced into a 3-0 lead before two goals from Danny Furling got Youths back into the match. They were the first goals Town had conceded in their last eight games. Dean Broaders’ sending off just before half-time didn’t help Wexford’s chances of finding an equaliser in the second half.

 

“We may not have taken points but we might have found that final ingredient that we've been looking for, real fight when faced with adversity,” said Youths boss Shane Keegan in his Wexford Youth programme notes for tonight’s game.

 

“Our last game against Rovers was about as exciting as a game can get with us scoring an injury time winner to get ourselves out of jail after throwing away a two goal lead. Rovers are a young exciting team. Having seen them play on numerous occasions I can vouch for the fact that they have been extremely unlucky not have a higher points tally than they currently boast.”

 

Shane Keegan’s men had run out comprehensive 3-0 winners against local rivals Waterford United in last Friday’s league outing. Danny Furling, in fine goalscoring form, scored a hat-trick in that game away to Waterford.

 

Unavailable due to work commitments during the week, Eric Molloy and Aidan Keenan are both back in the squad. Shane Dunne returns from suspension and will be available for Youths but Dean Broaders’ red card during the week will mean he will miss the match against Rovers’ B team. Youths are still missing long time absentees Sean Skelly (cruciate ligaments), Jimmy Dermody (broken metatarsal) and Ricky Fox (ankle) but Craig McCabe, who was out with a quad injury, will be in the squad if he passes a pre-match fitness test.

 

SHAMROCK ROVERS B

The stats don’t make for pretty reading for Shamrock Rovers. Seven defeats in a row, no wins in the last nine games and if they don’t score in the opening minute in Wexford, it will be 13 hours without a goal (and that is excluding any injury time in those games). For any other club, there would be talk of crisis but not at Rovers.

 

No one at the club wants to be reminded of those statistics but Rovers’ First Division team has already succeeded this season as two of their squad have made the jump up to play in the Premier Division. Earlier this year 17-year-old Sean Heaney became the youngest player to debut for the Hoops since 2007 and the youngest to score in 25 years. Evan Osam, who back in May needed time off from school to play for Rovers in front of 42,500 fans in the Aviva Stadium against Liverpool, made his debut in the Premier Division last Friday night. He doesn’t turn 17 until next month and his debut made him the youngest starter for the Hoops in top flight action since 1978.

 

Rovers put in a spirited performance against Shelbourne last week but two sloppy goals cost them the game. The return of Daniel Purdy from a collarbone injury gave them more of an offensive threat and Colin Hawkins’ men were unlucky not to score when Emeka Onwubiko came off the bench in the second half to link up well with Chris Lyons. The First Division starting XI is constantly changing as Hawkins looks to give as many of his players a run in the team and that certainly hasn’t helped results.

 

"The main focus for us at the moment is putting points on the board," said Hawkins ahead of the game in Wexford. "We've gone through a sticky patch recently, so that has to be our aim right now. It will be difficult for us, Wexford are a good side. But we've trained well all week and have worked on cutting out the individual errors that have cost us recently."

 

Midfielder Ryan Doolin is still suspended and Colin Hawkins confirmed to extratime.ie that both midfielder Jack Watson (groin) and goalkeeper Shane Fagan (quad) are unavailable due to injury. Rovers were unlucky not to get a point the last time they travelled to Ferrycarraig Park losing by one goal in five with Youths getting an injury time winner.

 

Referee: Michael O’Connor.

 

MATCH STATS

The sides have played each other twice this season. Youths won the first encounter at home 3-2 with Danny Furlong scoring a hat-trick and Daniel Purdy and Chris Lyons scoring for the Hoops. In Tallaght back in May, Youths won 2-0 thanks to a brace of goals by Ben Ryan.

 

24-year-old Danny Furlong is Wexford’s top goalscorer with 11 goals.

 

Rovers’ last win was away from home against Finn Harps back in May. Sean Confrey got the winner that night for the Hoops.

 

BETTING
Wexford Youths 1/2; Draw 11/4; Shamrock Rovers B 5/1.

 

PREDICTION
2-1 home win

 

Wexford Youths

Injured: Sean Skelly, Jimmy Dermody, Ricky Fox.

Doubtful: Craig McCabe.

Suspended: Dean Broaders.

 

Shamrock Rovers B 

Injured: Jack Watson, Shane Fagan.

Suspended: Ryan Doolin.