Wasteful Cats still have plenty left in the tank

SO many times it’s been said — goals win matches; so many times it’s been said also about this Kilkenny team, that they are a veritable goal-scoring machine. Well, not so yesterday.

The first of their two goals in Nowlan Park in this Allianz Hurling League round three game was typical Kilkenny; it came early, the 9th minute, speedy Colin Fennelly parting to Eoin Larkin who picked out the lurking TJ Reid – net-buster from close range.

“They overlap very quickly, come at you in waves,” said Wexford manager Colm Bonnar, himself a former All-Ireland-winning defender with Tipperary, paying due tribute to that famed attack.

That score put the Cats 1-1 to nil ahead, and they put two further points on the board before Wexford finally got off the mark, a long-range point by midfielder David Redmond, 13th minute.

Looked like it was going to be another stroll in the park for Kilkenny, another big win over their old Leinster rivals, but that was when the machine seized up. At least four more clear goal chances Kilkenny created before game’s end – all were wasted, the normally lethal Richie Hogan guilty on two occasions.

They did get a second goal, and it came at a critical time, just before the break to put the Cats 2-8 to 0-5 ahead, but it was a lucky goal, very lucky, an attempted clearance by Noel Carton rebounding off the unsuspecting Colin Fennelly and looping back into the unguarded net — killer. “That was an awful goal to give away,” said a dejected Colm; “We’d been in the game, we’d been matching them more or less score for score, but the couple of goals put six points between us, and going in at half-time nine points behind (2-9 to 0-6) wasn’t a fair reflection.”

After that it became just a case of damage limitation for Wexford, trying to prevent a repeat of the demolition job suffered in Galway first game out.

While never threatening to win, never even showing the ambition to win – they stuck with a withdrawn attacker even as the game entered the dying minutes – Wexford performed admirably in that second half.

In the process they got fine performances from a variety of sources, young full-back Matthew O’Hanlon enjoying a great duel with the vastly experienced Eddie Brennan (ended about honours even), while centre-back Darren Stamp also impressed, though TJ Reid did catch him for 1-1 from play.

Jim Berry did well from placed balls, Stephen Banville proved more than a handful for Tommy Walsh, won that battle cleanly, while the Wexford team as a whole worked exceptionally hard, drawing praise from Brian Cody, the Kilkenny manager.

“You have to give credit to Wexford,” he said, “They played very well, got some fine scores. Like ourselves at the moment, like all teams, they’re trying to put a side together, trying to get their best team.”

Were it not for another towering performance by midfielder Michael Fennelly, Kilkenny could have been in trouble.

What gives, Brian? “I can’t give exact reasons for it; I suppose if we’d taken all the chances we created we’d have been a lot more comfortable, but we were still five or six points up for most of the game.

“Some good patches in it, some not so good, but it’s another two points. At this time of the year everything doesn’t flow as you’d like. It brings us on in the league, three wins from three games, we’ll settle for it.”

Scorers for Kilkenny: TJ Reid 1-3 (0-2f); C Fennelly 1-3; R Hogan 0-6 (0-5f); J Fitzpatrick 0-2; E Brennan 0-2.

Scorers for Wexford: J Berry 0-9 (0-7f); S Banville 0-3; PJ Nolan 0-2; D Redmond, M Jacob, E Quigley, 0-1 each.

Subs for Kilkenny:: P Hartley for Rice (inj. 27); E Guinan for Hogan (54).

Subs for Wexford: E Quigley for Farrell (35); PJ Nolan for Waters (46); B Doyle for Martin (54); B Hobbs for Redmond (67).

Blood sub: D Kehoe for Roche (29/30)

Referee: T Carroll (Offaly).