Leinster SFC Quarter-final/ Wexford 0-16 Louth 2-8: Goals win matches, though sometimes not. Especially when the other team outclasses you in every aspect of the game, and the goals merely postpone the inevitable.
So it proved in Croke Park yesterday - Wexford being the class above, and Louth relying on goals just to keep them in it.
In the end those goals came close to salvaging a draw, but Wexford survived to book a semi-final date with Laois in two weeks' time.
Anything less than a Wexford victory would have been incomprehensible. Their rate and style of scoring were the envy of Louth throughout the 70 minutes, six players contributing, and from most angles. Given it was their first competitive game in 10 weeks some faults were expected, but manager Paul Bealin found it hard to be critical, even of the way they let Louth back into it.
"We knew Louth would come back strong," he said. "That's a team that have battled through three games over the last number of weeks. We lost a few defenders with injury, and that didn't help, but still we should have killed them off.
"At least it gives us something to work on. Their two goals in the first half killed us, because we were totally dominating the game. We needed that game, after such a long break, and are happy to have won it. But we'll have to step it up against Laois.
"This will be the fourth Leinster semi-final for Wexford, and we're sick of being beaten in semi-finals."
There is room for improvement - starting with consistency. Wexford were fluid and graceful in the first half, scoring 12 points - 10 from play.
Debutants Adrian Flynn and Ciarán Lyng quickly showed class with some of the more acutely angled scores. Eric Bradley hit two from midfield. Matty Forde chipped in as usual, as did captain Ciarán Deely. Wexford led 0-12 to 2-2 at half-time.
"Some of the scoring today was very good," added Bealin, "from very tight angles. I'd usually be giving out to them for kicking from tight angles. But in fairness, when they go over you have to smile."
Louth's scoring, in total contrast, was brutally poor - only one point from play in the entire first half.
Saving them from complete embarrassment was John O'Brien's goal after three minutes, following a deft combination of passes started by Paddy Keenan, and then a penalty on 17 minutes. Mark Stanfield took the spot kick only to see it ricochet off the left- and right-hand posts and into the path of JP Rooney, who at least buried the rebound.
But Louth's first-half play was otherwise abject. And their woes were deepened by Wexford's responses: 0-6 without reply after the first goal and 0-3 without reply after the second.
Form did change somewhat in the second half, as Wexford began struggling to find their range. Scores from Flynn and Forde eased them into a six-point lead but when the Louth substitutes were wheeled in they made a difference. Shane Lennon reduced the gap to three points on 64 minutes, and Darren Clarke's free on 70 minutes reduced it to two.
With the announcement of added time came the race for Louth's third goal, and they could have won it had Clarke's last-gasp free not been sent weakly wide by Stanfield.
Louth boss Eamonn McEneaney complained there should have been more than two minutes added, but that surely was clutching at straws. For if Louth had scored that late goal they would not have deserved to win.
WEXFORD: 1 J Cooper; 2 C Morris, 3 P Wallace, 4 B Malone; 5 A Morrissey, 6 D Murphy, 7 N Murphy; 8 R Stafford, 9 E Bradley (0-2); 10 C Deely (0-1), 11 R Barry (0-1), 12 A Flynn (0-3); 13 C Lyng (0-2), 14 P Colfer, 15 M Forde (0-7, two frees, one 45). Subs: 17 G Sunderland for Morrissey inj (25 mins), 20 P O'Dwyer for Wallace inj (42 mins), 18 A Doyle for Murphy (64 mins), 22 D Fogarty for Stafford (69 mins), 21 L Murphy for Lyng (72 mins).
LOUTH: 1 S Reynolds; 2 A Page, 3 C Goss, 4 J Carr; 5 R Finnegan, 6 P McGinnity, 7 D Finnegan; 8 P Keenan (0-2), 10 M Farrelly; 14 M Stanfield (0-1), 11 M Brennan, 12 J O'Brien (1-0); 13 A Hoey, 23 N McDonnell, 15 JP Rooney (1-1). Subs: 18 J Neary for Goss (34 mins), 21 D Clarke (0-3, two frees)for McDonnell, 19 S Lennon (0-1)for Rooney (both half-time), 9 R Carroll for Farrelly (47 mins), 22 C Grimes for Brennan (66 mins).
YELLOW CARDS: Wexford: Malone (70 mins); Louth: Carr (20 mins), Farrelly (29 mins), Keenan (35 mins), Hoey (70 mins)
Referee: P Russell(Tipperary).
