Tame exit as tired looking Offaly go completely into empty
A YEAR that they will remember for a long time ended with a complete damp squib for Offaly as they made a very tame exit from the Tailteann Cup at home to Wexford on Saturday afternoon.
Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final
Wexford 1-22
Offaly 2-14
As a unit, a tired looking Offaly team never got beyond third gear and the final result was an entirely just one. It just never happened for Offaly as they provided overwhelming evidence to back up the belief that the players had enough of county football for the year and wanted the season over.
This was a very mute defeat by Offaly, a quite meek surrender as their work rate fell way short of where it needed to be. Apart from a handful of exceptions, Offaly were unable to get their intensity and tempo up to anywhere near championship level whereas it was a very different story from a hungry looking Wexford.
There was no real pace or drive in Offaly's game. Too many players seemed to be jogging or going very little faster as they tried to chase and close down players and from an early stage, a defeat loomed into view for Offaly.
The writing was on the wall for them as they trailed by 1-10 to 1-7 at half time after playing with a strong wind. The game was really gone from them six minutes into the second half when Joe Maher was sent off for a second yellow, awarded for a clumsy foul on Liam Coleman. Wexford were 1-11 to 1-8 ahead at that stage but Offaly's goose was cooked and the visitors won with a degree of comfort that did not impress the home support.
For the second week in a row, Offaly finished with thirteen men as Anton Sullivan was sent off three minutes into injury time, picking up both a black and a red after fouling and then apparently saying something to the referee – it is not clear if he had got an earlier yellow and no one in the press box had him down for one.
Goalkeeper Ian Duffy was the one Offaly player who was fully tuned in but that tells its own story. His excellence saved Offaly from a real trimming as he made three top drawer saves and his two first half ones in particular kept Offaly alive. Declan Hogan, Declan Dempsey and Lee Pearson in defence and Peter Cunningham at midfield did try and raise the bar at times while Cian Farrell went well in the attack in the first half and Bernard Allen did well off the bench in the second half but too many Offaly players were just not tuned in for this one.
1-22 was a huge score to concede, all of it from play, against Division 4 opposition but the blame for this does not lie with the defence alone. In fact most of Offaly's better players were in defence and all over the field, Offaly players were guilty of not working hard enough and Wexford were able to charge through with alarming ease. In the first half, they regularly came straight through the centre and it was very much one of those days for Offaly.
For whatever reason, a number of players just looked wrecked. They did not run freely, some looked to be carrying knocks and it looks like several of them won't be disappointed that the season is over.
The draw against Laois and defeat by Cavan suggested that Offaly had little appetite for the Tailteann Cup and this type of display and result was always possible. There are extenuating circumstances for Offaly and while this display and performance was very disappointing, the squad do deserve some benefit of the doubt for not attacking the Tailteann Cup with everything they had.
It has been a very strange year for them. They competed well in the league but the sudden death of their manager Liam Kearns during the campaign had a profound effect on the squad.
Selector Martin Murphy stepped up as manager and Offaly had a fantastic win over Meath in the championship. They almost took Louth in the Leinster semi-final but it all went downhill from here and Offaly's bolt was really shot at that stage.
They went completely into empty here and the result was a comprehensive defeat. Offaly were in bother almost the whole way, even when they had their noses in front for most of the first half. Wexford fully deserved their three point half time lead and it could have been substantially more. Duffy made fantastic saves from Paraic Hughes and Glen Malone in the first and 33rd minute while Mark Rossiter hit the crossbar with an intuitive punch in the 6th minute.
Each of these would have been goals on a different day while Offaly's goal had a stroke of good fortune about it with Darragh Brooks almost keeping out Anton Sullivan's seventh minute penalty, awarded for a footblock on Ruari McNamee.
That goal gave Offaly a 1-1 to 0-1 lead. Wexford were on level terms, 0-6 to 1-3 after 19 minutes before Cian Farrell and Nigel Dunne pushed Offaly two clear. Three points on the trot from the 30th to 33rd minutes got Wexford in front. Ruari McNamee equalised but Wexford finally breached the Offaly cover three minutes into injury time as Mark Rossiter raced through for an excellent goal.
Ciaran Donnelly and Rossiter swopped early second half points but Offaly's heads dropped after Maher's dismissal. There was only going to be one winner from here as Wexford got three in a row to lead by 1-14 to 1-8 after 45 minutes.
With Wexford regularly picking off points, Offaly never threatened a salvage act. The closest they could get was five and Aaron Leavy's punched goal six minutes into injury time had absolutely no bearing on the outcome.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Mark Rossiter (Wexford): Apart from Ian Duffy, all the best players were on the Wexford side with Glen Malone and Eoghan Nolan outstanding. Mark Rossiter is the choice. He played with real footballing intelligence, scoring 1-4 and caused problems for the Offaly defence all day.
THE SCORERS
Wexford: Mark Rossiter 1-4, Eoghan Nolan 0-4, Brian Molloy 0-3, Glen Malone, Ben Brosnan, Kevin O'Grady and Robbie Brooks 0-2 each, Paraic Hughes, Niall Hughes, John Turbitt 0-1 each.
Offaly: Anton Sullivan 1-1 (Goal from a penalty), Bernard Allen (1f), Nigel Dunne (1f) and Ruari McNamee (2f) 0-3 each, Aaron Leavy 1-0, Cian Farrell 0-2 (1m), Peter Cunningham, Ciaran Donnelly 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
OFFALY: Ian Duffy (Walsh Island); Lee Pearson (Edenderry), Declan Hogan (Tullamore), David Dempsey (Ballycommon); Cian Donohue (St Brigid's), Conor McNamee (Rhode), Ciaran Donnelly (Bracknagh); Peter Cunningham (Bracknagh), Aaron Leavy (Tullamore); Jordan Hayes (Edenderry), Ruari McNamee (Rhode), Anton Sullivan (Rhode); Cian Farrell (Edenderry), Joe Maher (Ferbane), Nigel Dunne (Shamrocks). Subs – Nigel Bracken (Tullamore) for Donohue (45m), Bernard Allen (Tubber) for Dunne (45m), Jamie Evans (Gracefield) for Farrell (47m), Morgan Tynan (Ballinagar) for Conor McNamee (54m), Aaron Brazil (Shannonbridge) for Donnelly (60m).
WEXFORD: Darragh Brooks; Brian Cushe, Dylan Furlong, Michael Furlong; Eoin Porter, Glen Malone, Paraic Hughes; Liam Coleman, Niall Hughes; Alan Tobin, Eoghan Nolan, Kevin O'Grady; Robbie Brooks, Mark Rossiter, Brian Molloy. Subs - Ben Brosnan for O'Grady (49m), Conor Kinsella for Nolan (60m), Darragh Lyons for Tobin (62m), John Turbitt for Brooks (65m), Liam O'Connor for Furlong (66m),
Referee – David Murnane (Cork).
REFEREE WATCH
David Murnane had a good game and there was little contentious here.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Mark Rossiter's injury time first half goal was a just reward for Wexford's play and gave them the foundation to push on in the second half.
VENUE WATCH
The recent warm weather took a toll on O'Connor Park with a few bare enough looking patches and the ground was very hard. No doubt head groundsman Jim Kelly will be joining the farmers in looking for rain. There was a small enough crowd here and they were well hosted.
WHAT'S NEXT
Wexford go into the quarter-finals draw.
STATISTICS
Wides: Offaly – 7 (5 in first half); Wexford - 8 (3 in first half).
Yellow cards: Offaly – 3 (Joe Maher 2, Conor McNamee); Wexford – 3 (Darragh Brooks, Michael Furlong and Darragh Lyons).
Black cards: Offaly – 1 (Anton Sullivan); Wexford – 0.
Red cards: Offaly – 2 (Joe Maher 2 yellows and Anton Sullivan); Wexford - 0