A round-up of Wexford’s performances in the 2024 Kennedy Cup
Wexford travelled to the University of Limerick to take part in the Kennedy Cup last week…
Reporter Eoin Horkan was on hand to paint a picture of Wexford’s performances in the Kennedy Cup.
Wexford 3
Dundalk 0
Wexford, wearing the Barcelona colors, played an impressive game to win the first round match at UL.
From the beginning, Wexford played the ball around and maintained a strong defense whenever Dundalk attacked. The first half seemed to be ending without goals. However, with seven minutes to go, Lee Jordan calmly finished into the corner on the break after some great build-up play.
In the second half, it was Jordan again who scored from a difficult angle after dispossessing the goalkeeper near the endline. Just before the final whistle, Patryk Werra scored the third goal for the southeast side from long range.
Wexford 1
Wicklow 1
A solid defensive performance, even after being reduced to ten men, kept Wexford unbeaten after the first two rounds of the tournament in UL.
From the start, it was evident that these two fierce rivals were evenly matched. Wexford created the first significant chance, but a goal-line scramble was successfully cleared. Both teams had half chances before and after the water break, making it clear that only a remarkable strike would break the deadlock.
With five minutes left in the first half, Wexford center back Bobby Connell scored a volley from the edge of the box, giving his team a halftime lead.
After the break, Wicklow dominated, led by forward Cian Murphy. Murphy nearly set up the equalizer, but David McCormack’s effort was well saved. Shortly after, Murphy’s impressive skills earned a penalty, which Sam Conyard converted.
Wexford goalkeeper Elliott Barrett received a straight red card for handling the ball outside the box. Despite this setback, Wexford’s strong defensive performance ensured they secured a share of the points in this M11 Derby.
Wexford 1
Limerick District 0
A solitary first-half goal proved decisive in this top-of-the-table clash, as the southeast side emerged victorious against one of the home teams in the final group game on Tuesday evening.
Wexford, knowing that a win would secure them the top spot in the group, started the match with intense pressure on their opponents. Within five minutes, Cormac Cunningham capitalized on a high press, winning the ball back and firing it into the top corner. Both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances, but just before the water break, Limerick’s Jack Taheny broke through the defense only to have his shot brilliantly saved by Oscar Cullen.
From the water break to halftime, neither team could gain control as the midfield turned into a battleground, leaving Wexford with a 1-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, both sides continued to search for a crucial foothold, but clear-cut chances remained elusive despite the players’ fatigue. As the final whistle blew, Wexford celebrated their hard-fought victory, having done enough to secure their place in the Cup side of the draw.
Wexford were then drawn to play West Cork in the cup quarter final Wednesday evening in UL.
Cup Quarter Final
Wexford 1
West Cork 0
Wexford have proven to be one of the best defensive teams in the tournament, having conceded only one goal up to the semi-final.
The first half of this quarterfinal was a hard-fought battle, with both sides evenly matched. However, the southeast side gradually gained control in midfield, creating several chances that were thwarted by West Cork’s solid defense.
After the break, Wexford intensified their pressure and eventually broke the deadlock when Lee Jordan found the back of the net with twenty minutes remaining. Despite Munster’s side pushing forward after the second water break, Wexford, led by captain Sean Galway, held firm to secure a 1-0 victory. This win advanced them to the cup semi-final on Thursday afternoon.
Cup Semi Final
Wexford 0
South Belfast 3
South Belfast finally broke down the tournament’s toughest defense, defeating their southeast opponents in this highly anticipated Kennedy Cup semi-final.
Having recently faced each other in the inter-league competition, the two teams were evenly matched from the start. The deadlock was broken within ten minutes when Rocco Devlin set up Beto Unhabo, who fired past the returning Elliott Barrett. Despite this early setback, Wexford stuck to their game plan and created several chances, most of which fell to the impressive striker Lee Jordan, who couldn’t find the equalizer before halftime.
Minutes into the second half, Devlin assisted again, this time setting up Winner Kabuya to slot the ball past Barrett, doubling South Belfast’s lead. Wexford battled admirably to narrow the gap but couldn’t break through the opposition’s strong defense. As the final whistle approached, Belfast were awarded a penalty, which Daniel Anderson converted, securing their victory and a place in the cup final.
3rd and 4th place match
Wexford 0
Galway 1
Wexford fell short in their final game of the tournament, with a solitary goal making the difference.
From the start of this Friday evening tie in UL, it was evident that a single goal would likely determine the higher placement in the final standings. The Connacht side had the first attempt with a free kick that sailed over the bar. Clear chances were rare, but Wexford’s Aaron Nolan had the best opportunity before the first break, only for his effort to be well blocked by the opposition.
After the break, Galway took the lead with Ronan Keating’s shot finding the net, putting them ahead at halftime. In the second half, Wexford fought hard to get back into the game, creating chances on either side of the water break, but they couldn’t break through Galway’s defense. Until the final whistle, Galway stood strong, denying Wexford’s valiant attempts to equalize.
Wexford should be proud of their fourth-place finish in the competition.
After the game, we got the thoughts of Manager, Simon Barnes.
“It has been a brilliant week and the lads have been excellent,” he told Wexford Weekly.
Finishing fourth in the tournament was a fantastic result for his side:
“I’ve had a great four years with them, and hopes they go onto bigger and better things.”
As a final word, he mentions three of the players who are lucky enough to be traveling to Blackpool next Friday with the SFAI squad:
“We have three lads going to Blackpool next week, these are Sean Galway, Darryl Kehoe and Aaron Nolan.”
