Gaelic Games

Inspirational Kevin Foley guides Wexford to Leinster U-21 final

Foley registers seven points from play as Offaly fail to kick on after a positive start

Kevin Foley scored seven points as Wexford beat Offaly to reach the Leinster U’21 final. Photograph: Sportsfile
Kevin Foley scored seven points as Wexford beat Offaly to reach the Leinster U’21 final. Photograph: Sportsfile
Wed Jun 24 2015 - 21:44

Wexford 2-16 Offaly 1-12

A superb display of sharp shooting from Kevin Foley proved decisive as Wexford booked their safe passage to the final with a comfortable win over Offaly in Tullamore on Wednesday evening.

Foley showed great opportunism to register seven points from play and his ability to drift into open space seemed to confound the Offaly defence all evening.

It was a deserved win for Wexford and they had a clear physical edge in the exchanges but it was not all plain sailing as Offaly were the better team for much of the first half.

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Three points from the very lively Emmet Nola helped Offaly into an interval lead of 0-8 to 0-7 and they were good value for that. Seven minutes from the break, Offaly were three points to the good, 0-7 to 0-4, but they couldn’t push on from here.

Three quick fire points saw Wexford take the initiative after the resumption. Emmet Nolan cut the deficit to the minimum but then Wexford put the boot down. From the moment that Conor McDonald rounded off a fantastic 39th minute move with a neat goal, the result had an air of inevitability about it.

The home side did hang on grimly and with seventeen minutes left, there was five points in it, 1-13 to 0-11.

Offaly needed a goal to survive and with nine minutes left, they had a chance but Matthew Maloney’s shot lacked conviction and was blocked.

Wexford went straight down the field and impressive substitute, Cathal Dunbar got in for a match clinching goal. Maloney did get an injury time consolation goal for Offaly but it was way too late at that stage.

Wexford: O O'Leary; S Donohoe, L Ryan, E Conroy; J White, P Foley, J O'Connor (0-1); C Devitt, G Bailey (0-1); A Kenny, K Foley (0-7), J Cash; P Sutton, C McDonald (1-5, 2 65s and 2f), S Murphy.

Subs : C Dunbar (1-1) for Donohoe (25m), S Kelly for Murphy (37m), T French (0-1) for Sutton (45m), S Kenny for Cash (53m).

Offaly: K O'Connor; D Corbett, C Kiely, P Rigney; G Crowe, C Doughan (0-1, f), D Doughan; C Mahon (0-1), P Guinan; M Maloney (1-0), J O'Toole-Greene, E Nolan (0-4); A Cleary, J Maher, D Murray (0-5 (4f and 1 65).

Subs: S Guinan (0-1) for Maher (H/t), C Molloy for Mahon (44m), A Connolly for O'Toole-Greene (44m), P Kinsella for Cleary (52m).

Referee: P Burke (Kilkenny).