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Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Wexford ease into Tailteann Cup quarter-final with an 11 point win over Antrim
Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final: Wexford 5-23 (5-4-15) Antrim 2-21 (2-5-11) AN eleven point victory did not flatter Wexford as they cruised into the quarter-finals at the expense of a disappointing Antrim outfit in this Tailteann Cup senior football game played at Chadwicks Wexford Park. For Wexford it was a welcome victory over the Saffron county who on their previous two visits to the model county had come away with victories, but there was never going to be a repeat as the homeside took control in the second quarter to go on to a comfortable victory. While Antrim playing into the breeze took the lead in the opening minute through a Conor Hand point, this was the only time in the game that they led, with home keeper Darragh Brooks pointing his side level almost immediately from a 45, while on six minutes Martin O'Connor moved through the defence to point the homeside in front. Antrim got back level through a Dominic McEnhill point, but with Sean Nolan storming into the game with a two pointed free followed by a further free, Wexford led 0-5 to 0-2. Wexford continued to stretch their lead as Sean Nolan found the net, a score which helped them into a 1-12 to 0-4 lead after twenty-seven minutes. As the homeside continued to widen the gap with Martin O'Connor setting up Ben Brosnan goal leaving them with a 2-14 to 0-7 interval lead. When Wexford stretched the led immediately on the resumption through points from Pairic Hughes and Jack Higgins, Antrim came under more intense pressure, despite the homeside losing Martin O'Connor with a leg injury. The scores continued to flow for the homeside as Sean Nolan added his second goal, while a Mark Rossiter further goal on fifty-seven minutes had them leading 4-10 to 0-11. As Wexford relaxed their grip on the game, Antrim managed a Patrick Finnegan goal ten minutes from the end, followed by a Dominic McEnhill goal reducing the deficit to 4-23 to 2-14, but just to show their control, Wexford finished with a Robbie Brooks goal giving them a real boost for a tougher test that lies ahead. Scorers for Wexford: S Nolan (2-3, 0-1 f); D Brooks (0-6, 2tpf); B Brosnan (1-2, 1tp); M Rossiter (1-1); R Brooks (1-0); M O'Connor (1tp), P Hughes, J Higgins (0-3 apiece); G Malone (0-2). Scorers for Antrim: D McEnhill (1-4, 1tp, 1 '45); M Byrne (0-7, 3 tpf); R McQuillan (0-5, 2f); P Finnegan (1-0); C Hand and E Quinn (1tp) (0-2 apiece); E McCabe (0-1) WEXFORD: D Brooks; M. Furlong, G Sheehan, E Porter; M O'Connor, G Malone, D furlong; L Coleman, N Hughes; M Kinsella, P Hughes, M Rossiter, J Higgins, S Nolan, B Brosnan. Subs: K O'Grady for O'Connor (inj.43); R Brooks for Brosnan (54), C Walsh for Nolan (59), R Martin for Rossiter (66), C Carty for Kinsella (72). ANTRIM: M Byrne; E McCabe, K Keenan, E Walsh; R Boyle, J Finnegan, D McAleese; C Hand, C Stewart; P McBride, A Loughran, M Jordan; R McQuillan, R McCann, D McEnhill. Subs: N Burns for Jordan (53), P Finnegan for McBride (53), E Quinn for Stewart (56), J McAuley for McCabe (62). Referee: C Lane (Cork).
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Wexford cruise past Antrim to book Tailteann Cup quarter-final berth
Wexford gained pay back against Antrim at Chadwicks Wexford Park to power through to the last-eight of the Tailteann Cup, winning in the end by 11 points. The Model County had lost out on home soil to the Saffrons in the group stages of the last two campaigns. But Wexford had the perfect response to their dispiriting defeat to Fermanagh a week earlier as they revived their season with a thump. Goals from Seán Nolan and Ben Brosnan shot Wexford 2-14 to 0-07 clear half-time, and they were a full 22 points clear before Antrim made some in-roads as Andy McEntee's sharges – semi-finalists in the last two years – completed a disappointing season. John Hegarty's men are now facing a trip to Kildare, Limerick or Wicklow in the quarter-finals. Midfielder Conor Hand slotted Antrim in front before Wexford through 'keeper Darragh Brooks from a '45 – after veteran Ben Brosnan had scorched through to force an intervention – and Martin O'Connor turned the tables by 0-02 to 0-01 after six minutes. Dominic McEnhill pegged one back, but the Wexford netminder replied with a two-pointer free, and sharpshooter Seán Nolan (free) generated a 0-05 to 0-02 margin. And Brooks underlined his worth in his chosen position when being smart to divert a McEnhill drive at the expense of a fruitless '45 in the twelfth minute, before Ryan McQuillan pegged it back to 0-05 to 0-03. Brosnan weighed in with a two-pointer from the left wing on 21 minutes to stretch Wexford into a double-scores advantage (0-8 to 0-4). And Seán Nolan buried a goal a minute later after swift approach play by Martin O'Connor and Jack Higgins to extend the daylight, with Nolan, Jack Higgins and another two-pointer free from Brooks making it 1-12 to 0-04 after 27 minutes. Mark Rossiter squandered a gilt-edged goaling chance for Wexford. But after the sides traded two-pointers – Antrim goalie Michael Byrne and Wexford's Martin O'Connor – the purple and gold soared 2-14 to 0-07 ahead at the break after Ben Brosnan touched home a Mark Rossiter assist. Páiric Hughes and Higgins widened the margin on the resumption before Wexford suffered the devastating blow of losing Martin O'Connor to a leg injury after an innocuous incident. Wexford kept their focus nevertheless for Seán Nolan to help balloon the gap to 3-20 to 0-10 after he stitched his second goal on 52 minutes after nifty play by Higgins, captain Liam Coleman and Brosnan. Mark Rossiter was among the goals on 57 minutes to open-up a 4-10 to 0-11 lead after substitute Kevin O'Grady played him in for an angled finish. It wasn't as if the Wexford were napping, with 'keeper Brooks forced to make a masterful save from Adam Loughran before also denying Antrim corner-back Eoghan McCabe. However, Patrick Finnegan netted for the visitors when the substitute turned over a bad kick-out to ease through to slim it down to 4-21 to 1-12 on 61 minutes. And McEnhill had Antrim's second goal shortly afterwards with a looping finish from a Niall Burns' assist (4-23 to 2-12). Seán Nolan was dangerously close to completing his hat-trick, before sub Robbie Brooks – elder brother of 'keeper Darragh - netted in added-time from a Páraic Hughes set up to complete a solid passage overall as Wexford return to the quarter-finals after a year's absence. Wexford: Darragh Brooks (0-6, 2tpf); Michael Furlong, Gavin Sheehan, Eoin Porter; Martin O'Connor (0-3, 1tp), Glen Malone (0-2), Dylan Furlong; Liam Coleman, Niall Hughes; Michael Kinsella, Páraic Hughes (0-3), Mark Rossiter (1-1); Jack Higgins (0-3), Seán Nolan (2-3, 0-1f), Ben Brosnan (1-2, 1tp). Subs: Kevin O'Grady for O'Connor, inj. (43), Robbie Brooks (1-0) for Brosnan (54), Cathal Walsh for Nolan (59), Ruairí Martin for Rossiter (66), Conor Carty for Kinsella (70+2). Antrim: Michael Byrne (0-6, 3tpf); Eoghan McCabe (0-1), Kavan Keenan, Eunan Walsh; Ronan Boyle, Joseph Finnegan, Dermot McAleese; Conor Hand (0-2), Conor Stewart; Patrick McBride, Adam Loughran, Marc Jordan; Ryan McQuillan (0-5, 2f), Ruairí McCann, Dominic McEnhill (1-5, 1tp, 1'45). Subs: Niall Burns for Jordan (53), Patrick Finnegan (1-0) for McBride (53), Eunan Quinn (0-2, 1tp) for Stewart (56), James McAuley for McCabe (62).
Irish Independent
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Wexford footballers welcome back key players for Tailteann Cup campaign
A number of key players will return to the fold for the Wexford footballers as they get their Tailteann Cup campaign under way with a home game against Longford on Saturday, May 10 at 6.30 p.m. The Slaneysiders comfortably beat Mike Solan's side by 2-18 to 1-10 in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park in March to make it seven wins from seven in the league, and they will be confident of repeating the trick with the likes of Martin O'Connor, Eoghan Nolan, Shane Pettit and Jack Higgins having recovered from injury.
