Clare 0-18 Wexford 1-11
Even by his own admission Davy Fitzgerald isn't sure where Clare hurling is going, except that they're going the right way about it. Unbeaten so far this year, they're already primed for promotion and finding it increasingly hard to kick the habit of winning.
Indeed that’s six competitive wins out of six in 2016, including two wins in their opening two league games. They arrived in Wexford Park as if they meant business - pulling into the lot in five Volkswagen Transporter vans, looking very rock n’roll - and exited in similar style, scoring the last five points in the last five minutes without reply. If their travelling supporters had screamed for a brief encore there would surely have been a few more.
Because by then Wexford’s brave attitude and resistance had finally wilted. They had been in front for much of the second half but couldn’t quite last the distance, making it two losses in their two opening games, killing any chance of their promotion. At least they’d made a game of it, unlike against Limerick the previous week.
“It was great to fight out a result like that, because we were finding it hard, in the second half,” admitted Fitzgerald. “Wexford were really dogging it out there, dominated for good patches of the second half, but we didn’t panic.
“What’s more important is to win them like that, the hard way. The players believed in themselves, backed themselves, and that’s good. Although I always felt we were going to win it. Maybe that’s just my own head. We just needed to create a few more chances, and we got back running at them
“So I’m happy with the effort. I don’t know yet exactly where it will take is, but I want us to be competitive, and we’re there or thereabouts. We’ll keep plugging away.”
Clare have some big names to come back too, including the injured Tony Kelly, Darach Honan, Brendan Bugler, and Colm Galvin. John Conlon did pass a late fitness test and proved his worth in the half-forward line, where David Reidy was also excellent, while Colin Ryan was his usual picture of reliability under the placed ball, scoring 0-10 in all.
Conor McGrath and Jack Brown both hit 0-2 from play, as did Bobby Duggan, coming off the bench to inject further pace into Clare’s final gallop for the finish line.
Wexford benefitted from a somewhat dubious penalty just before half-time, when Clare full back and captain Cian Dillon was judged to have impeded Podge Doran (with Mark Fanning coming up from the Wexford goal to neatly convert): “Yeah, and I thought the penalty before half-time gave them an edge,” said Fitzgerald. “I’d like to see it again, because Dillon told me he just put his arms out.
“But in fairness Wexford battled hard, and I like when they play like that. I thought they stood off Limerick, last week, but they were definitely up for this. And look, we lost enough games by a point or two, last year. So it’s nice to be winning the few, this time. That’s great for the confidence. And if you remember the last time we came down to Wexford we ended up on the wrong side of the result.”
Indeed Wexford looked to have put themselves in a winning position around the hour mark, especially after corner back Liam Ryan stopped an otherwise certain goal chance for Aaron Cunningham, making a terrific block. Shane O’Donnell had actually set up that move, and although held scoreless, gradually found some space to present a threat. On firmer ground and with faster ball he will be a liability for any defender.
Wexford manager Liam Dunne didn’t stick around long enough for our post-mortem, although selector Ger Cush just about did - and certainly couldn’t fault the Wexford effort: “Yeah, we were looking for a big game, and they gave it. We didn’t show up last week, didn’t hurl at all, and the lads knew that. In the end a few mistakes cost us, but at least we were in a winning position.
“So look, we know promotion is out the window now. It’s about trying to make a quarter-final now. But that’s not a given either, they way this division is shaping up.”
What Wexford will rue as much as the concession of the last five points is their wastefulness of the first half, where despite playing with the considerable breeze, they hit seven wides. They’d briefly gone 0-4 to 0-1 in front, Andrew Shore, Shaun Murphy and Liam Og McGovern all displaying the heightened spirit. Still they found scoring space was at a premium, especially with David McInerney holding down Clare’s half back line with little room for argument.
Fanning’s penalty certainly gave Wexford an added spur for the second half, yet they become overly reliant of the free-taking of Harry Kehoe, with a little bit more fearlessness might have got them over the line first. Instead it was Clare who finished with that sense of bravado, the likes of which hasn’t really been seen since 2013.
Now, they mightn’t be quite back to that 2013 level yet, but they’re going the right way about it.
CLARE: P Kelly; P Flanagan, C Dillon (capt), P O'Connor; C Cleary, D McInerney, J Brown (0-2); Conor Ryan, D Reidy (0-1); G O'Connell, J Conlon (0-1), Colin Ryan (0-10, eight frees, one 65); A Shanagher, S O'Donnell, C McGrath (0-2).
Subs: B Duggan (0-2) for O'Connell (46 mins), A Cunningham for Shanagher (56 mins).
WEXFORD: M Fanning (1-0, a penalty); L Ryan, M O'Hanlon (capt), J Breen; E Moore (0-1), P Foley, S Murphy; L Chin, A Kenny; A Nolan, A Shore (0-1), H Kehoe (0-6, all frees); D Dunne (0-2), L Og McGovern, P Doran (0-1).
Subs: E Conroy for Murphy (29 mins, inj), I Byrne for Breen (42 mins), C McDonald for McGovern (58 mins),
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)
