11-05-2025
Hegarty satisfied with Wexford reaction as focus turns to Carlow
Wexford 2-24 Longford 1-18
HAVING trailed by a single point at the interval, Wexford turned in an impressive second-half display to comfortably dispose of the Longford challenge with nine points to spare in this opening round Tailteann Cup senior football game played at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
This was a deserved winning margin for the home side as they controlled the second half with Niall Hughes and team captain, Liam Coleman, dominant in midfield while Sean Nolan, Pauric Hughes and Mark Rossiter shone in attack, as Longford struggled to cope with the superior fitness and finishing ability of the eventual winners.
Wexford had a frustrating end to the league losing out in the Division 4 final, while they came on the end of a heavy opening-round championship defeat to Laois, six days later, so manager John Hegarty was happy with the response of his players.
"It was important in what was our first game since those two disappointing defeats," he said. "We put great emphasis on that so it was important to get over the line, win our first game, and then look ahead to Carlow.
"We got a reaction and now we are happy to move on to Carlow this weekend."
Longford played their best football in the second quarter with Oisin O'Toole and Bryan Masterson shining in defence, Dessie Reynolds winning some crucial possession in midfield during this spell, while Matthew Carey and Dylan Farrell picked off some excellent scores, but they were unable to maintain the momentum during a Wexford dominated second half.
Wexford had a whirlwind start with two Sean Nolan goals helping them into a 2-4 to 0-4 lead inside the opening 18 minutes, but two two-pointers from Daire Duggan and Matthew Carey, along with a Dessie Reynolds point, Longford hauled themselves right back into contention, 2-4 to 0-9, after twenty-three minutes.
Longford now began to grow in confidence with a 26-minute Dylan Farrell goal turning their game their way as they led 1-9 to 2-5. With the sides going on to trade scores it was the visitors who brought a single-point lead, 1-12 to 2-8, into the half-time break.
Despite this slippage in the second quarter, Wexford brought a renewed urgency to their play on the resumption with a Mark Rossiter point bringing the sides level with two minutes of the restart.
It was not until the 48th minute that Longford had their opening second-half score a Dylan Farrell two-pointer free, and with Oisin O'Toole kicking over an excellent point, they had reduced the deficit to a single point, 2-14 to 1-16, after 52 minutes.
Despite Longford's best efforts they were unable to withstand Wexford's late charge while the visitors were reliant on scores from Dylan Farrell and Matthew Carey, but in the end it was the hosts who deservedly emerged with two points before they take on Carlow next weekend.
Wexford: D Brooke (0-1 free); M Furlong, G Sheehan, L O'Connor; E Porter (0-2), E Nolan, M O'Connor (0-1); L Coleman, N Hughes ((0-3, 1tp); P Hughes (0-3, 1 2pt), S Pettitt (0-2), M Rossiter (0-2); K O'Grady (0-2), T Byrne (0-1), S Nolan (2-7, 0-5 frees, 1tp). Subs:R Brooks for Byrne (44), J Higgins for O'Grady (55), D furlong for M O'Connor (57), B Brosnan for S Nolan (66), S Bardon for Porter (69).
Longford: M Hughes; P Fox, O O'Toole (0-1), B Masterson; J Moran, R Moffett, C Brady; D Reynolds (0-3, 1 2pt); J Matthews (0-1), M Carey (0-5, 1, 2ptf), D Farrell (1-5, 2ptf); A Farrell (0-1), C McCabe (0-2), O Kenny. Subs: C Lynch for Brady (45), S Morgan for Kenny (5D Fibnless for Moffett (64).
Referee: B Griffin (Kerry).
