As we are at the Christmas break of the 2023/24 Wexford Football League, the Premier Division is taking a familiar sight…
As I see it the league can once again be spilt into three categories; The Contenders, Middle of the pack and the Relegation candidates. There are also the same issues with some “The Challengers” having played very few league games due to cup commitments in Leinster and FAI Competitions, but nevertheless I think we can still assess what we have seen so far in this year’s competition.
The Contenders;
This group at the minute has three teams in it but I think there are only two teams that are legitimate contenders and that is North End United and Gorey Rangers, while I have added Moyne Rangers for the moment due to the points they have accumulated so far.
North End are currently top of the league by two points to nearest challengers Moyne, but North End have played two games fewer. North End have a fantastic record of 7 wins from 8 with one loss to Gorey Rangers. Eoin Rhodes has led the scoring again this year for North End with a fantastic 7 goals from 5 appearances. His form will be crucial after Christmas for North End’s march to reclaim the title. That one blemish on their record is probably what saves the league from being over at Christmas.
Gorey Rangers have only played 5 league games this season due to Leinster and FAI cup commitments. They have 3 wins and 2 draws. North End are 10 points clear but they have also played 3 games more so Rangers can easily claw that gap back. The reason I think the title race would be over at Christmas this year if they didn’t beat North End a few weeks ago, North End would be 16 points clear of them so the Gorey victory down in North End was crucial.
Rangers will be extremely disappointed with their start of the season in a bid to defend their title as they only managed two draws to Forth Celtic and Ajax who sit 6th and 10th respectively. Those were 4 massive points dropped so early in the year. Over the past 10 years, the maximum amount of points a team dropped and still won the league was 8 so to have half of that after 2 games was a big worry for Rangers. The victory down in North End was so massive it can’t be overstated as it allows Rangers to give it a real go after Christmas to catch North End and bring the title back to Gorey.
I have Moyne Rangers in the contender section for the moment. They are in the thick of it at this point in time. They are two points off the top but have played two games more than North End so they could find themselves too far adrift very quickly. Their last three games have seen they drop points that have been very damaging to their campaign. Two losses to Gorey and North End have hurt while a 1-1 draw with Ajax in a local derby really stings for Moyne Rangers. The additions of Sean Miller and Ricky Fox have added quality and experience to the Moyne ranks and they will be hoping for a big second half of the season with an upset or two against Gorey and North End to try and keep pace at the top.
Middle of the Pack;
This is where the majority of the league find themselves. There is a real muddle in the middle of the division to battle out to be the “best of the rest” and not find themselves slipping towards the relegation playoff. A lot of these teams have only played 5 or 6 games too which makes it frustrating. Last year’s beaten Wexford Cup finalists Ferns United will find themselves here and I think they will be closer to the middle of the table rather than the bottom or the relegation playoff.
There is now a muddle of teams on 6 games. Forth Celtic, Crossabeg, Wexford Bohs with Bunclody who are on 7. With so many games to play, a couple of those teams will rise up the table while the others will slide down it. Forth have shown the best form so I think they will be safe in mid-table. The rest will leave it to themselves to determine.
Relegation Candidates;
I think there are three teams currently in big danger. Ajax who are winless. Campile secured their first win against Shamrock Rovers. Lastly, the team who are currently in fourth place. Shamrock Rovers. Ajax have 5 points from 5 draws, 4 defeats. Campile have 5 points from 1 win, 2 draws, 6 losses. These teams are only one point from safety. However, they have played 3 more games than those around them. That is a massive difference.
These two teams will need to pick up points and quick. Shamrock Rovers are a curious team. They are currently 4th on 12 points with 4 wins and 6 defeats but have played 10 games. Once the other teams catch up in terms of games played I would not be surprised to see them slipping down the table towards the relegation zone. They have the top scorer in the division in Raphael Abidoye who has fired in 11 goals in 8 games. His form will be crucial in the new year for Rovers and their season.
It is going to be an interesting campaign after the Christmas break in the New Year. I am sure there will be many twists and turns for us to look forward to as Wexford soccer fans. Along with our Oscar Traynor county team who are flying at the minute, fighting to bring home the inaugural Pat Whitty Cup, named in honour of the man who served on the Wexford League for nearly 40 years, best of luck and bring it home lads!
And to all fans of Wexford soccer, Nollaig Shona Daoibh!
Adam Connor
From Gorey, Adam is a writer with Wexford Weekly. He writes about sports and has a keen interest in the Wexford Football League.
