National Football League Division One Semi-final/ Wexford 1-8 Tyrone 1-7: This shock result has several connotations. It confirms Wexford as the newest force in football - Armagh and now Tyrone will attest to that. The league title is now most definitely achievable, but so is the more prestigious jewel of the Leinster championship.
Wexford felling Tyrone should be a stereotypical David versus Goliath story, but David was far more pragmatic than Pat Roe's side as he kept his distance from the giant.
Wexford got down and dirty in Portlaoise yesterday to convincingly prevail in a dogfight against the meanest competitors in the land. The conditions were not conducive to football, so the hardest working team was always likely to prevail. This seemed set to suit Tyrone's stubborn streak.
Tyrone manager Mickey Harte complimented Wexford afterwards, but also cited an injury list and absenteeism that must be addressed if they are to win the All-Ireland. The return of Brian McGuigan and Kevin Hughes from Australia would be a start.
Yesterday captain Brian Dooher did come back, although he was understandably a yard off the pace, but the withdrawal of their best player in the league campaign, Stephen O'Neill, proved pivotal especially at the most crucial juncture of the contest.
At 1-7 each, a moment of inspiration was required. Everything seemed set for extra-time, but Wexford pressed forward one final time. Matty Forde, who had been well marshalled in the second half, got out in front of Shane Sweeney to find Redmond Barry.
The dual star switched the point of attack to David Fogarty who feinted inside to find himself smack in front of the posts. It was slow motion stuff after that.
Only when the ball sailed over did the realisation of what Wexford had achieved finally become apparent. Until then, Wexford seemed destined to fall off the pace and be content with the gallant loser's tag.
From the outset they looked overly reliant on Forde. Conor Gormley was moved off him within three minutes, after being ticked, for Shane Sweeney to take over. Sweeney only lost him twice, but both times proved costly. Setting up Fogarty was clever play but on 15 minutes he spun off the corner back for a goal that confirmed Wexford were not going to roll over.
That put Wexford a point clear and cancelled out the horrible goal they conceded earlier when goalkeeper John Cooper fumbled a high ball to allow Martin Penrose take full advantage. Cooper was a bundle of nerves for the rest of the afternoon with the slippery ball making matters worse. Still he survived.
The wides began to rack up with Forde's 1-3 the only return until a John Hegarty score on half-time. By that stage, the tide was turning back towards Tyrone with Ryan Mellon spurning the overlap and a genuine goal chance.
Seán Cavanagh was quiet by his standards as the Wexford midfield scrapped for everything. Penrose did stand up to eventually put Tyrone in front with his fourth point.
At this point, the game started to get really ugly. The slippery surface meant the up close and personal exchanges were like a time bomb waiting to detonate and Brian Meenan, in for the injured O'Neill, was lucky to see only yellow from referee John Geaney for punching Colm Morris.
In fairness, it was the lightest of taps, but contact was made. His departure paved the way for Mark Harte to come in, which again exemplifies Tyrone's impressive strength in depth.
The rough stuff continued with up to 15 players involved in an altercation at the Tyrone end-line after Forde got involved with several Tyrone defenders. He could have walked as well for what seemed like a strike similar to Meenan's.
Regardless, the dust-ups showed that Tyrone were up against a team that were quite happy and capable to exchange pleasantries in the physical stakes. They have big men such as Diarmuid Kinsella and John Hudson to cause any team problems.
Kinsella levelled the contest as Dooher began to exert greater influence on the game. There followed a number of errors from both sides that would have swung the contest. Ryan Mellon, Penrose and Harte all missed straightforward frees, but Forde and Hudson seemed destined to regret spurning a two-on-one situation on Chris Lawn. A Paddy Colfer point did eventually put Wexford back in front.
With the game in their grasp and the defence producing heroics, Darragh Breen's moment of madness, when he foot-tripped an attacker in a kickable area, saw him sent to the line. Harte nailed the free entering injury-time and that seemed to be that.
It wasn't, though, as Wexford produced one last epic attack. Fogarty laid the final brick in a performance that sees Wexford awaiting the winners of next Sunday's rescheduled semi-final between Armagh and Mayo at Croke Park.
WEXFORD: J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy; D Breen, D Murphy, S Cullen; D Kinsella (0-1), N Lambert; D Fogarty (0-1), P Colfer (0-1), J Hegarty (0-1); R Barry (0-1), J Hudson, M Forde (1-3, 3f). Subs: J D'Arcy for N Lambert (53 mins), P Forde for J Hegarty (58 mins), D Foran for J Hudson (62 mins), R Mageean for D Breen (70 mins, yellow card).
TYRONE: P McConnell; R McMenamin, C Lawn, S Sweeney; C Gormley, G Devlin, P Jordan; C Holmes, S Cavanagh; B Dooher, R Mellon (0-2, two frees), B Meehan; M Coleman, E McGinley, M Penrose (1-4, one free). Subs: J Devine for P McConnell (26 mins), M Harte (0-1, free) for B Meenan (44 mins, yellow card), P Donnelly for M Coleman (63 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: Wexford - D Breen 70 mins. Tyrone - B Meenan 43 mins.
Referee: J Geaney (Cork).
