Sporting Fingal 2-0 Wexford Youths
Sporting Fingal looked to get over their early slump in form against Mick Wallace’s Wexford Youths in Morton Stadium.
Manager Liam Buckley made four changes to the side that lost to UCD last week Eamon Zayed returned from injury while Alan Kirby, Shane McFaul and Colm James were all promoted from the bench.
Fingal started brightly and the first chance arrived when Conan Byrne was set free down the wing by Alan Kirby. Eamon Zayed’s header from the ensuing cross was deflected just over.
Wexford never really got a foothold in the first half and their best chance came when Peter White dragged his shot wide from a difficult angle on the half hour mark.
Shane McFaul had just come off after he suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle from a challenge by Patsy Malone, which saw the Wexford man collect a booking.
Eamon Zayed opened his account for Fingal in first-half stoppage time after Kirby picked up the ball in his own half and burst forward before putting the striker through with a perfectly timed pass. The former Drogheda striker then curled his shot around Packie Holden and low into the right corner of the net for the lead goal.
The visitors started the second half brighter than Fingal but failed to create any real chances that troubled Darren Quigley.
Kirby threatened throughout and nearly linked up with Zayed inside the box only for the ball to be cleared for a corner by David Breen.
The closest Wexford came to scoring was a Shane Dempsey shot straight at Quigley from the edge of the box four minutes from time.
Conan Byrne then doubled the Fingal lead and effectively finished the game off on 88 minutes when Kirby’s cross rebounded out to the midfielder who powered the ball past the despairing Holden in the away goal.
In the last action of the match, Robbie Doyle came close to adding a third for Fingal but he shot just over from long range.
Sporting Fingal (4-3-3): Quigley; James, Maher, P. Byrne, Frost; Kirby, McFaul (Bayly 27), Williams; C. Byrne, Zayed, Doyle.
Wexford Youths (4-4-2): Holden; Russell , Breen , McGrath , Flynn-O’Connor ; White, Malone, Sinnott, Kearney (Fitzgerald 63); Kelly (O’Loughlin 80), Mullen (Dempsey 63).
Ref: Phil Caschera.
Attendance: 456.