Wexford have too much firepower for brave Carlow

THEY provided one of the most uplifting tales of the summer in Portlaoise a fortnight ago but there was no repeat of that romance for the Carlow footballers in Croke Park yesterday.

Their appearance in a first Leinster semi-final since 1958 ensured there was novelty aplenty surrounding this last four fixture. But hopes they could end the county’s exhausting 66-year wait for a seat at the table on Leinster final day were dashed. Luke Dempsey’s charges fronted up against a Wexford side that were too powerful around the middle, too clinical in front of goal and too focused on ensuring there will be another chapter for their 2011 provincial narrative.

The Carlow faithful swelled the numbers in the stands for yesterday’s curtain-raiser but while the first-half provided its share of cheers, the second-half was a muted affair. Wexford had been in indifferent form before the break, failing to replicate the facets of play that had brought them to this stage. However they emerged for the second-half with the home truths of their manager Jason Ryan still ringing in their ears.

Wexford became coldly clinical and ruthless, pulverising their opponents on the scoreboard. They added two goals to complement the pair they had registered in the first-half and were it not for the herculean shot-stopping of Carlow’s Trevor O’Reilly, Wexford would have administered a heavier beating. As it was they had the match wrapped up well before the final whistle and had a healthy cushion of 14 points when time was eventually called.

The victory was achieved without stellar scoring shows by Wexford’s marquee attackers Ciaran Lyng and Redmond Barry. They only mustered a point between them. However don’t deduce from that that their influence was minimal. Barry was still sharp and inventive in the early stages while Lyng in particular took on the role of creator in chief.

The St Martin’s man was well-shackled by Carlow’s young full-back Conor Lawlor in the first-half yet as the match wore on he began to express himself. Lyng provided the assists for two of Wexford’s second-half goals and his unselfish play saw him at the heart of their best attacking moves as they ripped apart the Carlow rearguard.

This was an afternoon where other players stepped into the breach in impressive fashion. Ben Brosnan, with his thatch of blonde hair, was a conspicuous presence in the second-half as he atoned for errant kicking early on to despatch dead balls between the post. PJ Banville was eager for action during his late cameo and beautifully finished to the net in the 64th minute. And Eric Bradley was rewarded for an afternoon of honest endeavour when he notched 1-1 during the finale.

But Wexford’s brightest attacking light was Shane Roche. They may have had plenty accurate scoretakers in the second-half yet when this match was fraught with anxiety during the opening period, it was the young Geraldine O’Hanrahan’s player who displayed a cool head. He knocked over some fine points, kept his composure to slot past Trevor O’Reilly in the 19th minute and repeated that with a blistering shot to the net just before half-time. That Roche contributed 2-3 out of Wexford’s first-half tally of 2-4 illustrated his importance to the county’s cause.

That second goal was a disaster for Carlow. Captain Shane Redmond found himself caught in possession and Wexford punished that error by launching a swift counter-attack. Carlow had played with pluck and commitment in the first-half yet were still trailing on the scoreboard at the break by 2-4 to 0-7. That was a dispiriting state of affairs. They would have been enthused by their defensive performance in the first-half when Wexford’s support runners were meticulously checked and the space available to the Model County’s danger men up front was restricted. Further encouragement for Carlow came in the shape of the assured freetaking of Brian Murphy, the successful foraging around the middle by Daragh Foley and Thomas Walsh, and a couple of breathtaking long-range points by Brendan Murphy.

However they rued the naivety and lapses in concentration that allowed Wexford plunder two goals. After the interval Wexford began applying pressure on Carlow’s points of strength, most noticeably at midfield. Rory Quinlivan and Daithí Waters started to command that territory while David Murphy and Aindreas Doyle became prominent figures in the half-back line. Roche finally started to receive support in the scoring stakes and there was a growing air of inevitability about this clash once Wexford kicked the first four points of the second-half.

Carlow’s response was meagre with a Foley free in the 48th minute their solitary strike until sub Cormac Mullins bagged a brace of points in injury-time. In contrast Wexford had no such difficulties, creating a plethora of goalscoring chances and they had shifted focus to the Leinster decider before this game was up.

Scorers for Wexford: S Roche 2-4, B Brosnan 0-6 (0-3 ’45, 0-2f), E Bradley 1-1, PJ Banville 1-0, C Lyng 0-1.

Scorers for Carlow: Brian Murphy 0-3 (0-3f), D St Ledger (0-1f), Brendan Murphy, C Mullins 0-2 each, D Foley 0-1 (0-1f).

Subs for Wexford: A Morrissey for Doyle (43), B Doyle for Waters (48), P Byrne for Quinlivan (55), PJ Banville for Barry (58), G Sunderland for Morris (67).

Subs for Carlow: A Curran for Nolan (43), C Mullins for Hickey (55), E Ruth for Finnegan (55), J Murphy for Foley (61), W Minchin for Walsh (65).

Referee: Michael Collins (Cork).