The small details matter: just ask Wexford

SMALL things, Keith Rossiter had said last week, that’s what has cost Wexford so many times over the years.

“It gets frustrating in the sense that I know we have a team that is good enough to go places, but just that small little things are holding us back and that can be the most frustrating,” said the Wexford full-back.

Perhaps, after this latest championship loss for Wexford in the Leinster SHC quarter-final in Nowlan Park on Saturday, Rossiter should go into the soothsaying business because yet again – notwithstanding the fact that Galway were full value for this win – it was an accumulation of those ‘small things’ that really hurt Wexford.

Example No 1: Well into first half injury time, Wexford, exceeding most expectations in trailing Galway by just three points after facing the swirling breeze, are awarded a free when outstanding centre-back Darren Stamp was late-tackled after booting the ball upfield.

Should have been a free from where the ball landed, inside the Galway 65, scoreable; instead the ball is ordered back to where the hit occurred, inside the Wexford 65, out of range for free-taker Diarmuid Lyng, who opted instead to take a fast, short, free to Eoin Quigley, lurking up the left wing. However, the ball is under hit, blocked by Galway wing-back Donal Barry, picked up by midfielder Ger Farragher, delivered long into the Wexford square, where Joe Canning, about to pounce on the break, gets entangled with Rossiter; 20m free for Joe, drilled to the net.

Instead of heading into the dressing-room with a manageable half-time deficit of just two points, the high-powered Galway attack held to just two points (one apiece from Portumna clubmates Canning and Damien Hayes, Farragher with the rest, all but one from placed balls), Wexford trailed by six, 1-9 to 0-6.

“Coming in six points down,” said frustrated Wexford manager Colm Bonnar. “We had a free, should have hit it over the bar, two or three points behind at the break would have given us even more hope.”

Example No 2: Ninth minute of the second half, three more points apiece added as Wexford stayed toe-to-toe with Galway, Wexford substitute David Redmond gets a superb hook on the same Joe Canning just as he’s about to shoot to a gaping net; Rossiter – again involved – wins possession, charges clear, parts to impressive new Wexford midfielder Harry Kehoe, who sends a long delivery forward; beautiful one-touch on-the-run control by Rory Jacob sees the corner-forward clear and bearing down on Galway keeper Colm Callanan; point-blank shot across the keeper from just outside the small rectangle, yet somehow, the keeper gets his stick up, deflects the ball out for a 65. Should have been a six-point swing, Wexford within a score, wind very much in their sails.

“I didn’t know an awful lot about it,” admitted Callanan, “often they fly into the top corner, or the bottom corner, but sure you take what you can get, lucky enough to get a touch on it. He shaped into that corner and I just went with it, got the hurl up and that was it.”

Example No 3: Wexford recover from that, Diarmuid Lyng points the resultant 65 and they add two more points. Galway, through the blade of Farragher (13 points, 12 from placed balls), the influential Damien Hayes and the gifted Joe Canning, go six clear again, but then comes the Wexford goal, a double-double, Stephen Banville and Thomas Waters both pulling on a long Lyng free, giving even Colm Callanan no chance, and a double-whammy also as Galway’s Andy Smith sees red for the foul, the Tribesmen reduced to fourteen.

Only three points behind (1-15 to 1-12) but a man to the good, Wexford are now cock-a-hoop, their fans in great voice, when again they fail; after another Farragher free, Damien Hayes fights like a demon to keep a ball alive along the Wexford endline when a good shoulder would have seen him safely out; his pass finds the just-introduced Kevin Hynes, who carries, beats Noel Carton too easily at the near post, from a narrow angle.

“Those are the inches you talk about in a game,” said Galway captain Shane Kavanagh – “It’s great to have lads like Hayesie around.” Seven points in it again, game over as Galway, their defence supreme against a poor Wexford attack, drive on for the finishing post, Wexford losing the inspirational Lyng (straight red) and David Redmond (second yellow) in the process. Little things, a whole series of them, major consequences. On the evidence of Saturday, Galway seem to have learned that lesson – will it ever get through to Wexford?

Galway - C Callanan; D Joyce, S Kavanagh, O Canning; D Barry, T Óg Regan, D Collins; G Farragher (0-13), D Burke (0-1); D Hayes (0-2), C Donnellan, A Smyth (0-1); A Harte (0-1), J Canning (1-3), J Gantley. Subs - I Tannian for Donnellan, K Hynes (1-0) for Gantley, A Callanan (0-1) for Harte, J Lee for Regan, A Cullinane for Collins.

Wexford - N Carton; L Prendergast, K Rossiter, C Kenny; R Kehoe, D Stamp, M Travers; H Kehoe (0-1), C Farrell; M Jacob, E Quigley (0-1), D Lyng (0-11); R Jacob (0-1), S Banville, P Atkinson. Subs - D Redmond for Travers, T Waters (1-0) for R Kehoe, P Morris for M Jacob.

Ref - J Sexton (Cork).