OFFALY 2-9

WEXFORD 5-24

OFFALY WERE HANDED a harsh reality check by Wexford at Bord na Móna O’Connor Park this evening.

David Fitzgerald’s men ran roughshod over the home side, wrapping up their victory long before the Faithful men were reduced to just 12 players on the field thanks to red cards to Seán Gardiner, Oisín Kelly and Ronan Hughes.

Offaly played with the aid of the breeze in the first half but Wexford played with the vim and vigour of a side that didn’t want a repeat of last week’s shootout against the Dubs.

Conor McDonald showed superb reflexes and instinct to pounce on a loose ball off the post and sweep home the first goal with just three minutes on the clock, and by the time ten more minutes had expired, Wexford had put clear daylight between the sides. Paul Morris, Jack O’Connor and McDonald picked off superb points from tricky angles before a glorious sequence of play saw Simon Donohoe set up Aidan Nolan for the second Wexford goal.

Two penalties in the space of two minutes – both of which saw Sean Gardiner pick up yellow cards – helped Wexford into a 3-12 to 0-6 interval lead. Eoghan Cahill, who had another brilliant game despite being peppered with shots, repelled Aidan Nolan on the first attempt but he could do little to stop Mark Fanning’s top corner bullet with the second.

Source: Patrick O'Connor/INPHO

Lee Chin and Jack O’Connor made it five Wexford goalscorers on the night in the third quarter and while Oisín Kelly produced a wonderful finish to give Offaly fans something to cheer about, he soon joined Gardiner on the bench after getting a straight red card for an incident involved Paudie Foley.

With Offaly now down to 13, Wexford sent a deluge of shots raining down on the Offaly goal and while David Fitzgerald will be concerned by the team’s wide count – they ended the game with 19 – plenty more found the target too. Harry Kehoe came off the bench to chip in with 0-3, with Diarmuid O’Keeffe and Damien Reck also on target from long range.

Shane Dooley’s injury time goal was of no consolation to an Offaly side that now faces a huge test to overcome this in time for what is effectively a relegation showdown in Parnell Park next week, but the mood will be very different in Wexford as they prepare for the visit of All Ireland champions Galway to Wexford Park.

Scorers for Offaly: Shane Dooley (1-5, 0-5f), Oisín Kelly (1-1), Joe Bergin (0-1), Kevin Dunne (0-1), Tommy Geraghty (0-1).

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Scorers for Wexford: Rory O’Connor (0-7, 0-4f, 0-1 ’65), Lee Chin (1-4, 0-4f), Jack O’Connor (1-3), Aidan Nolan (1-1), Conor McDonald (1-1), Harry Kehoe (0-3, 0-1f), Mark Fanning (1-0, pen), Paul Morris (0-2), Kevin Foley (0-1), Diarmuid O’Keeffe (0-1), Damien Reck (0-1).

OFFALY

1. Eoghan Cahill

2. Paddy Delaney

3. Sean Gardiner

4. Ben Conneely

5. Damien Egan

6. Pat Camon

7. David O’Toole Greene

8. Shane Kinsella

9. David King

10. Oisín Kelly

12. Conor Mahon

17. Brendan Murphy

13. Shane Dooley

14. Joe Bergin

18. Kevin Dunne

Substitutes:

24. Tommy Geraghty for Murphy (half time)

11. Colin Egan for Mahon (half time)

15. Dan Currams for Kinsella (42 nd minute)

21. Paddy Rigney for Conneely (48 th minute)

20. Ronan Hughes for Bergin (54 th minute)

WEXFORD

1. Mark Fanning

4. Simon Donohue

3. Liam Ryan

2. Damien Reck

5. Paudie Foley

6. Matthew O’Hanlon

7. Diarmuid O’Keeffe

9. Shaun Murphy

11. Aidan Nolan

10. Lee Chin

8. Kevin Foley

12. Jack O’Connor

13. Paul Morris

14. Rory O’Connor

15. Conor McDonald

Substitutes:

17. Conor Firman for Donohoe (46 th minute)

25. Liam Óg McGovern for R O’Connor (51 st minute)

23. Harry Kehoe for Morris (51 st minute)

18. Willie Devereux for Foley (54 th minute)

24. David Dunne for Chin (64 th minute)

Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)