Bealin is confident his Model replacements can handle Louth

WEXFORD take to the Croke Park turf on Sunday minus half a dozen of the county’s best attacking talents but Paul Bealin is confident that Matty Forde’s remaining supporting cast will prove up to the task against Louth.

John Hudson, PJ Banville and roving midfielder Diarmuid Kinsella have been three of Forde’s most senior lieutenants in the past few seasons but none play a part this weekend.

Business commitments in Hong Kong have deprived Bealin of Kinsella, a freak finger injury involving his son and a door has sidelined Hudson and Banville came a cropper last month playing soccer.

Add in the absences of Graeme Molly, Shane Cullen and attacking wing-back Pauric Curtis and the extent of Wexford’s problems going forward are laid bare.

“Yes, Wexford are missing a number of players but other players have to step up to the mark,” said Bealin yesterday.

Forde will be assisted up front by the experienced trio of captain Ciaran Deely, Redmond Barry and Paddy Colfer but Ciaran Lyng will be making his championship debut at right-corner forward while right-half forward Adrian Flynn’s only summer exposure was for a few minutes in a qualifier against Fermanagh last year.

Another making his championship bow will be Adrian Morrissey at right-half back.

“These lads have done very well in extremely competitive games in the league,” said the former Dublin player.

“They stood up in games against the likes of Cavan and especially in the last match against Meath when we had to win and win well.

“It’s a great opportunity for these lads to be making their debuts in Croke Park on a day like Sunday. They’ve risen to every challenge and I’ve no doubt they will again.”

With Louth needing three attempts to defeat Wicklow, Wexford have been sidelined for 10 weeks.

Frustrating as the wait has been, they will at least get to play at HQ after all and the extra two weeks have allowed Forde, goalkeeper John Cooper and full-back Philip Wallace recover from injuries.

Those are about the only positives Bealin has been able to take from the protracted lay-off though, especially with Louth using their hat-trick of fixtures to iron out what proved to be considerable kinks.

“Last year they collapsed against Meath but they’ve shown more this year. I actually thought Wicklow could have won the first two games but Louth had the resilience to hold on.

“Even the third day, when Wicklow came back at them in the second quarter, Louth took the game by the scruff of the neck and Wicklow collapsed. Louth have been building for two or three years and they have been involved in big games with a lot of buzz about them.”

Buzz isn’t a word you would use about Wexford right now.

NFL finalists two years ago, they have taken a couple of prized scalps in recent championships — Meath’s last year — without achieving the major breakthrough they once threatened.

Eight of the starting team that lost to Armagh in that league decider of two years ago will line out against Louth, five of them in defence, but the general impression is that their time has passed.

“That’s great as far as I am concerned,” said Bealin. “The less pressure any team can have has got to be good. Look at the pressure on Dublin — and Meath — this Sunday. No-one is talking about Offaly for that semi-final and they won’t mind that either.”