Wexford FC suffer defeat in Dundalk to lose further ground in play-off race
However, Keith Ward restored the two-goal cushion in the 63rd minute and, although Mikie Rowe pulled one back late on, the visitors couldn't force an equaliser, leaving them seven points adrift of fifth-placed Treaty United.
Stephen Elliott named an unchanged eleven from the previous weekend's 4-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup and the visitors again got off to a nightmare start – something that has happened too often this season.
There was little over 90 seconds on the clock when the hosts struck the front through Arubi.
Daryl Horgan turned smartly to his right and whipped in an inviting delivery.
Former Wexford player Eoin Kenny headed the cross towards goal and, although Paul Martin made the save, the alert Arubi was on hand to finish from close range.
The lively attacker quickly threatened to grab a second when he broke clear, but his shot was well blocked by Dean Larkin.
After a difficult opening, Wexford had their first sight of goal in the 11th minute when Ben McCormack found Ajibola Oluwabiya, and the winger curled a right-footed effort over the crossbar from just outside the 18-yard box.
Mikie Rowe then cut inside but was well off target with his left while, at the other end, Aodh Dervin showed good feet before getting a shot away, but his long-range effort was always rising.
After Dervin dragged another effort wide, Dundalk did grab their second goal just before the half hour mark and they did so in style.
Declan McDaid glanced a header towards Arubi and the frontman blasted a sweet first-time effort to the corner of the net, giving goalkeeper Paul Martin no chance.
The hosts were threatening to run riot and, after good work from Arubi, Daryl Horgan tried to pick out McDaid, but he was denied by good defending from James Crawford.
Wexford weathered the storm and when Michael McCarthy played a long ball forward for Aaron Dobbs to run on to in the 38th minute and the striker was taken down by goalkeeper Enda Minogue, it briefly looked like the visitors would have a route back into the game.
However, the offside flag was quickly up for what was a marginal call, so the referee didn't have a decision to make.
Muhammad Haris, who only recently joined Wexford from the Lilywhites, was introduced for the start of the second-half and he quickly came back to haunt his former side as he brought the visitors back into the contest in the 50th minute.
Another former Dundalk player, Robbie McCourt, played a hopeful ball forward which Minogue inexplicably allowed to slip from his grasp, and Haris had the simple task of rolling to the net for his first League of Ireland goal.
Unfortunately, the wind was soon taken out of Wexford's sails when another substitute, experienced campaigner Keith Ward, grabbed Dundalk's third goal in the 63rd minute.
A dangerous McDaid cross was only cleared as far as Ward and the playmaker fired a stunning volley that flew past Martin and into the net.
Having started the second-half well it was a bitter blow for the Slaneysiders but, to their credit, they kept plugging away and Dean Larkin steered a McCormack free-kick narrowly wide moments later.
Arubi and Ward were both off target with efforts as the hosts tried to put the contest to bed, while McDaid couldn't generate enough power on a header from a Horgan cross.
Wexford managed to just about stay in the game though and, after McCormack shot wide, they were right back in the contest in the 87th minute when Mikie Rowe grabbed a lifeline.
McCourt clipped a free-kick to Calum Flynn, with the substitute lifting the ball across the box and when it fell to Dean Larkin, he nodded on to Rowe, who applied a tidy finish past Minogue for his 16th league goal of the season.
Aodh Dervin's strike deflected wide off McCourt as Dundalk threatened a quick response, but Wexford almost rescued an unlikely share of the spoils in the 94th minute as Dean Larkin got his head to a Cian Browne long throw, but the ball drifted narrowly wide of the far post.
It was Wexford's second successive 3-2 defeat to the league leaders, having suffered the same fate in their previous meeting in Ferrycarrig Park at the end of May.
Wexford will be hoping to get a much-needed win when they host Finn Harps on Friday and the Donegal side should be in high spirits, having held high-flying Cobh Ramblers to a 2-2 draw at the weekend.
Dundalk: Enda Minogue; John Ross Wilson, Conor O'Keeffe, Vinnie Leonard, Shane Tracey; Aodh Dervin, Harry Groome; Declan McDaid, Eoin Kenny, Daryl Horgan; Gbemi Arubi. Subs. – Andy Parashiv for Groome (56), Keith Ward for Kenny (56), Rohan Vaughan for Horgan (78), Dean Ebbe for Arubi (78), Luke Mulligan for Tracey (90+1), also, Peter Cherrie, Sammy Safaei, Seán Spaight, T.J. Molloy.
Wexford FC: Paul Martin; Michael McCarthy, Dean Larkin, Robbie McCourt, James Crawford; Matthew O'Brien, Kaylem Harnett, Ben McCormack; Mikie Rowe, Aaron Dobbs (capt.), Ajibola Oluwabiyi. Subs. – Muhammad Haris for Harnett (HT), Darragh Levingston for O'Brien (58), Cian Browne for Crawford (64), Filip Wasilewski for Oluwabiyi (64), Calum Flynn for Dobbs (71), also, Alex Moody, Zayd Abada, Ryan Butler, Patrick Manning.
SSE AIRTRICITY FIRST DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
Dundalk 24 15 7 2 39 18 52
Cobh Ramblers 24 14 4 6 41 24 46
Bray Wanderers 23 14 1 8 39 29 43
UCD 24 10 6 8 27 23 36
Treaty United 24 9 7 8 38 25 34
Wexford FC 24 7 6 11 28 33 27
Longford Town 23 6 7 10 22 39 25
Finn Harps 24 5 9 9 26 31 24
Kerry FC 24 6 3 14 24 41 21
Athlone Town 24 3 8 13 18 39 16
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