Mervue United 0-0 Wexford Youths

By Brian de Salvo

At four miles, the Corrib may be Europe’s shortest river yet it provides a stunning backdrop for the clubhouse at Terryland. The spectacle from the magnificent new stand is alone worth the admission money. But as they left the dressing rooms to do battle for three League of Ireland first division points, the last thing on the minds of the players representing Wexford Youths and their hosts Mervue United last night was the view.

These were two teams badly in need of the stimulus of a win after a sequence of defeats; Mervue hadn’t won since the end of May.  But if there was a universal lack of self belief stretching to the plaintiff tone with which the lone voice in he wilderness regularly implored his charges to “Come on, Mervue!”, it didn’t prevent the ensuing contest from being full of incident with plenty of good football. The only thing missing was a revitalising goal.

It’s always a pleasure to come to Terrylands. This time Mervue are the hosts and I am handed a programme by a tall man in a tracksuit who, at second glance turns out to be the club’s manager Johnny Glynn, who I remember as an elegant striker for Galway United. And there’s Tommy Lally, a goalkeeper I used to admire, putting his young charges through some interesting skill sets in the pre-match warm up.

Peter White has returned to the Wexford fold to re-establish his impressive partnership in defence with the redoubtable David Breen.  This enables Paul Rossiter, who has been subbing in the centre for White in recent weeks, to assay left back where he shows hitherto hidden talents going forward.

The precocious Jimmy Keohane is back too, and comes close to winning the game for the visitors, or squandering the opportunity to do so, depending upon your point of view. But he is the sole recruit from the Under 18 squad and there are only four subs on the bench. Since Youths boast a full squad of 48 registered players this seems to indicate a certain lack of commitment or co-ordination; possibly both.

There’s plenty of action in the opening minutes with Wexford a yard faster and smarter than their opponents. But it’s Mervue who strike first with the unmarked O’Rourke glancing an unchallenged header into Holden’s hands with only two minutes on the clock. Then hard man Shane Dempsey illegally flattens Mervue’s Gary Traynor and is rewarded with some fatherly advice from referee Deering. Three minutes later Traynor, who has all the charm of an outraged wasp, takes revenge on the innocent Sinnott and gets a yellow card for his pains. If refs are charged with the man management of players then players must learn how to manage the officials and this is not the way to do it.  

But it’s his team mate Neil Keane who gets red carded, sent off in the 24th minute for a studs showing lunge on Anto Russell right in front of the dugout. Technically it’s a red card offence but Keane’s most serious crime up to this point was getting offside and I have seen yellow cards administered in similar circumstances.  

Mervue navigate till half time with comparative safety although keeper Eoin Martin manages to trip over his own feet twice to donate an unnecessary corner. Wexford have a series of these and, with Sinnott an accurate provider, United struggle. Malone glances a header wide of the far post, Sheahan is professionally baulked in front of goal with the kind of body check that could incur a penalty but never does, the busy striker then has a shot deflected, sets up Dempsey for a strike from range which Martin goes down to save, before Sinnott has a go only for the home keeper to clutch the ball comfortably above his head.

But it’s not all Wexford by any means. What Mervue lack in polish they provide in perspiration. But it’s not going to be a good night for experienced striker David Golby who, having wriggled goal side of his marker finishes so feebly that Holden can bend to pick the ball up at his feet. Then, after the keeper is penalised for handling outside his penalty area, the hapless front man fires high over the bar when the ball is touched to him.     

For the entire second period Golbey is Mervue’s sole man upfront so Wexford set about capitalising on their numerical advantage. Rossiter cuts inside and sets up Doyle for a neat cross from the left. But when the onrushing Rossiter attempts to re-connect, his effort is blocked at point blank range.

Then, as the hour approaches, Shane Dempsey gets his hands on a free kick, usually the preserve of skipper Sinnott. From all of thirty five yards Dempsey hits a rocket which Martin can only parry at full stretch. But there’s no pink shirt on hand to feast on the loose ball.

Then it’s Sinnott’s turn to try his luck with a free kick from out on the right.   But the trajectory is inches out and glances off the top of Martin’s bar.   Youth’s match winning moment comes just after the hour when Doyle feeds Sinnott on the right and Keohane dives at the edge of the six yard box to head the captain’s cross.  Yes! But no, the ball canons off the inside of the post and scuttles away across the empty goal.  Mervue’s open goal moment comes a minute later when the unfortunate Golbey can only slide the ball wide from Ludden’s low cross from the left.

Sheahan’s still a threat, flashing a fierce drive just over the bar and taking off on a long run down the right which ultimately peters out when he concedes a free kick. At the other end Packie Holden shows his courage coming through a ruck of bodies, leaving Golbey prostrate, to punch clear and then just three minutes later proving uncharacteristically tentative in dribbling the ball away from an attacker when the keeper’s manual says it would have been if not safer in the physical sense, then more effective to fall on it.

Nil-nil then. An extraordinary match which includes that rare event the penalising of a foul throw – I thought only Maltese refs still did that. And seconds from being a match with no subs employed; indeed calling Fitzgerald off the bench during added time looked like tokenism. Post match, everyone tries to justify a point as an adequate reward. But, Youths, facing only ten men for over an hour and must surely regard this result as two points lost that could enable Monaghan to overtake them this week end. Long before the stadium lights dim the Corrib vista has been swallowed up by the night. But, come sunrise, it will be there – as will the League table.

Mervue United: Eoin Martin; Nicky Curran, Nigel Keady, Damien O’Rourke, Kenny Farrell; Pat Hoban, Eric Browne, Gary Traynor, Mark Ludden.
Subs not used: Paul Danaher, Alex Lee. Rory Gaffney, Evan Connolly, Mike Tierney.

Wexford Youths: Packie Holden; Anto Russell, David Breen, Peter White, Paul Rossiter; Conor Sinnott, Patsy Malone, Shane Dempsey, Jimmy Keohane; Gary Sheahan, Gavin Doyle (Ritchie Fitzgerald 90+1)
Subs not used: Tiernan Rossiter, Martin Kehoe, Lee Aust

Referee: Mr P. Deering.

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