Roche seals Wexford's win

Wexford 1-10 Westmeath 1-09: WEXFORD BOOKED their place in the Leinster under-21 football semi-finals with a one-point victory over Westmeath in Cusack Park yesterday.

Ultimately it was a point from senior star Shane Roche which proved to be the difference between the sides but the visitors could have won by a bigger margin.

The home side played their best football when playing against the stiff breeze in the opening period and two John Connellan points settled the side.

However, in the 13th minute Roche kick-started his side's victory march when he rose above Westmeath full back Kieran Gavin to fist the ball to the net.

Turning over just one point (1-4 to 0-6) in arrears, Westmeath looked capable of turning the game around and when Brendan Kelly blasted the ball to the Wexford net in the 42nd minute, the home side were three in front.

Wexford showed the greater resolve in the final quarter and two splendid points from Peter Hughes got them moving again. His second point tied the game less than two minutes from time before Roche dashed Westmeath hopes with his late strike.

WEXFORD: P Kavanagh; T Hayden (0-1), M O'Loughlin, A Murphy; P Whitely, C Murphy, J Kehoe; D Waters, D Farrell; S O'Neill, P Hughes (0-2), B Brosnan (0-1); S Roche (1-3), B Traynor (0-1), B Hearne (0-1). Subs:  S Carmody (0-1) for Hearne, M Molloy for O'Loughlin, P Murphy for Kehoe, O Doyle for O'Neill.

WESTMEATH: P Shaw; W Murtagh, K Gavin, S Moorehead; A Whitney (0-1), F O'Reilly, T Warburton; A Browne, N Kilcoyne (0-2); C  Reilly, J Durkan, K Scally; K Lynam, B Kelly (1-1), J Connellan (0-5). Subs: C Curley for Lynam, J Dolan for K Scally.

Referee: G McKenny (Louth).

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times