Mervue Utd get back to winning ways in fine style

Date Published: 22-Apr-2013

Mervue United 4

Wexford Youths 1

Jason Byrne at Fahy’s Field

Mervue United got back to winning ways in style as Fahy’s Field on Friday night as a flurry of second half goals saw them overcome Wexford Youths for a first win in three games that keeps Johnny Glynn’s men second in the league table.

Stephen Walsh headed Mervue in front before Youths hit back through Shane Nolan, but a Gary Curran penalty and strikes from Gary Shanahan and Noel Varley sealed an important win for the home side.

Glynn had to do without the services of suspended trio Conor Gleeson, Marc Ludden and Mike Elwood on Friday night, after each had received straight reds in Mervue’s bizarre defeat at the hands of Cobh Ramblers a week beforehand.

To add to this, Glynn’s defensive hand was weakened with the news that Martin Conneely will be out for around six weeks after suffering knee ligament damage in the draw at Longford a fortnight ago.

Nonetheless, when things got underway in the sunshine on Friday night, 16-years-old rising Mervue star Ryan Manning had a shot flash wide after all of 20 seconds.

Two minutes later, Brendan Lavelle had a go but again it bounced wide and failed to trouble Wexford keeper Graham Dolye, and it took a while for stand-in Mervue keeper Brian O’Donoghue to even get a touch.

However he was finally called into action after 18 minutes when pacy Wexford attacker Glen Hawe got on the end of a decent Dean Broaders cross, but it was straight at O’Donoghue who caught comfortably.

Five minutes later Tom King became the latest Mervue player to shoot wide after he was played in by Manning, and Wexford’s Brian Nolan also failed to trouble O’Donoghue who held a tame effort.

The remainder of the first-half petered out without a whimper, and few predicted five goals would be scored before referee Rhona Daly blew the full-time whistle.

Just four minutes after the restart, Manning was fouled on the right and Gary Curran’s curling cross from the free was met by Walsh who capped an impressive start to the season with the opener.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.