| Wexford win only adds to Clare crisis
 Clare
1-10
Wexford 1-12
National Hurling League Division 1A
New Wexford boss John Meyler recorded his first win as manager but all
the talk emerging from Cusack Park in Ennis on Sunday was of the growing
crisis in Clare hurling.
Banner County boss Tony Considine and long-serving goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald
have apparently had a dispute with the player leaving the panel and growing
divisions evident in the Clare hurling camp.
Against a Wexford side coming off a hammering against Waterford the previous
week Clare looked far-less composed and confident.
The Slaneysiders raced into a commanding early lead with a Richie Kehoe
goal in the ninth minute complementing points from Eoin Quigley.
Clare’s best spell was in the opening quarter with points from their
veteran trio of Niall Gilligan, Tony Carmody and Barry Nugent and they
led by 0-6 to 1-2 10 minutes before the interval. But the dearth of talent
in Clare hurling soon became evident when influential wing-forward Jonathan
Clancy went off injured.
Any pattern which there was in the largely scrappy game suddenly swung
Wexford’s way in the second-half. Three successive points from PJ
Banville, Paul Carley and Rory Jacob sent Meyler’s men into the
lead.
A fortuitous goal from Bernard Gaffney edged Clare back into the lead
but the momentum was all Wexford’s and they hit a flurry of late
points to seal a morale-boosting victory. Malachy Travers was the best
player on view. The Yellowbellies corner-back used all of his experience
to restrict Clare to a solitary score in the second-half.
Wexford manger Meyler wore a look of relief after presiding over the first
win of his managerial career.
He said: “I thought we were well worth the win. The lads have been
working hard since the Waterford match and got their reward today. Hopefully
we can build on this and claim a few more wins in the League.”
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