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Offaly Earn Morale Boosting Victory In Wexford Park

Thursday, 2 February 2012

Offaly 2-18. Wexford 1-15.

HAVING succumbed to Westmeath in Ollie Baker's first competitive game in charge, the Offaly hurlers roared back in fine fashion at the weekend with a six point victory away to Wexford. Not the easiest of places to visit, Wexford Park has been the vain of many Offaly supporters in recent years but for the few that braved it on Sunday last; they were certainly sent home with a smile on there face.
With a mixture of regulars and lads out to make their mark this year, Ollie Baker sent out his Offaly team keen for them to make amends for their showing in Kinnegad the Sunday previous and they did so in fine fashion racking up a tasty 2-18 in the process.
There reward is a Shield final appearance against Dublin Institute of Technology this Sunday in Tullamore and a chance for them to retain the shield they won last year. There may not be a huge hunger for retaining such a trophy but it remains another competitive match with a piece of silverware on offer.
With the league not starting until the end of the month, Sunday's final will be the last competitive game before the league starts with only challenge games on offer until then. Offaly will go in as strong favourites based on their showing in Wexford Park with Derek Molloy and Joe Bergin very much to the fore.
The centre and full forward respectively hit 2-10 between them and with the luxury of leaving Shane Dooley on the bench, it was a contribution that is likely to please Ollie Baker no end.
Wexford, who come up against Offaly in both league and championship this year, have a good bit of catching up to do. Although fielding a Development Squad, they also came up against an Offaly team that was minus a host of regulars and one that started only six players that saw championship action last year.
The Offaly hurling was sharper and slicker throughout, while they proved too strong through the early exchanges as they physically out-muscled the home side in man to man tussles. Bergin was in fine fettle with the half back line of Barry Harding, Chris McDonald and Diarmuid Horan excelling.
With less than a minute on the clock, corner-forward Seán Ryan had Offaly in front, and when a high lob from Derek Molloy dropped into the goalmouth, the bustling Joe Bergin distracted the attention of 'keeper Mark Fanning, leaving the ball to find its way to the net. Offaly went on to lead by 1-2 to 0-2, with the home side's points courtesy of a Jack Guiney free and Tomás O'Leary.
Full-forward Joe Bergin continually asked questions of the Wexford defence. The fact that the Seir Kieran clubman was proving a real threat on the edge of the square was supplemented by his ability to roam outfield for possession and pick off some excellent points.
This added to the opposition's problems as the visitors stretched into a 1-8 to 0-2 lead inside the opening 20 minutes, with Bergin, Dermot Mooney and centre-back Chris McDonald chipping in with excellent long-range scores.
Wexford ended a 17-minute barren spell when Colm Farrell pointed after 21 minutes. Michael O'Hanlon struck over two excellent points with Shinrone man Mark Morkan having one in between for the visiting Faithful men.
27 minutes into the game Wexford had their first real goal chance. Rhys Clarke blocked down the attempted clearance of 'keeper Eoin Kelly but, having rounded his marker, failed to apply the finish, with his effort on goal being knocked way for a fruitless '65.
The sides continued to trade points in the lead-up to the interval, but it was Offaly who looked comfortable with an eight-point advantage at the break on a scoreline of 1-12 to 0-7.
Offaly were hit by a Wexford comeback early in the second half and had to withhold a serious backlash. Jim Berry and Jack Guiney had opening points, before Rhys Clarke found the net from close range in the 39th minute, after 'keeper Kelly had blocked out a goal attempt from Daniel Martin-Carroll, leaving just three points separating the sides at 1-12 to 1-9.
Offaly needed a sharp response and they got just that as within one minute they killed off any hope of a second-half Wexford revival. Midfielder Conor Mahon won possession and his 70-metre lob was brilliantly finished to the net by an overhead strike from Bergin, brushing aside the challenge of Bobby Kenny who had assumed the man-marking challenge by this stage, sending Offaly back into a comfortable six-point lead.
To their credit, Wexford stayed plugging away and points from Guiney and O'Hanlon before the 47th minute left them back in the game but still trailing Offaly 2-13 to 1-13.
But that was as good as it got, with their challenge fading after a Guiney attempt for goal went wide.
Offaly moved Bergin into more of an outfield role to help his side regain the initiative and he immediately responded with a pointed free after being fouled, while substitute Tom Carroll made it 2-15 to 1-13.
After substitute Ian Byrne had responded with a home point, Bergin lofted over a huge point from out on the sideline under the stand, a score that ended the home side's challenge as Offaly pushed on to the most comfortable of victories.

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