Mervue miss chance to close the gap on leaders in dour stalemate

Mervue United missed out on the chance to regain ground on the leaders of the Airtricity League First Division on Friday night as their encounter with Wexford Youths somehow finished a stalemate.

The opening half was largely forgettable, despite Mervue creating an early chance when Barry O’Mahoney’s cross was headed over by Paul Sinnott.

On 15 minutes a neat move from the hosts on the right flank saw Tom King use his pace to keep the ball in play and cross for the waiting Brendan Lavelle, whose first-time effort was saved by Graham Doyle but the offside flag was up on the far side.

The visitors finally began to apply pressure and two corners in a row came to nothing, but the game became a dour scrappy affair for the bulk of the opening half hereafter, despite the best efforts of Mervue wingers Michael Duffy and Tom King to try and create something.

The visitors had evidently learned from their last visit here, and were much tighter than the team which lost 4-1 at the venue back in April. They were now much tighter at the back and more vigilant in their challenges.

The last decent chance of note in the first half came after 33 minutes, when makeshift Mervue attacker Stephen Walsh nicked the ball off Patsy Malone, but he shot over when he should have at least hit the target.

Without suspended duo Ryan Manning and Jason Molloy and key central midfielder Gary Curran only named as a sub due to a calf strain, Mervue’s hand was weakened from before a ball was kicked.

After the restart Mervue showed early initiative once more, and Lavelle shot over when Doyle failed to clear his lines within the opening minute.

Five minutes later, Lavelle was through and struck one sweetly from the edge of the box, but it somehow clipped the underside of the post when it looked to be sailing home.

From this point onwards, Wexford began piling the pressure, and they should have gone in front when a thunderbolt from Brian Nolan was too hot for Conor Gleeson, but Graham Delaney’s effort from point-blank range was somehow stopped by Gleeson, who flung himself at it.

Two minutes later Danny Fitzpatrick had a go for Shane Keegan’s charges and again Gleeson could only parry to the waiting Delaney, and the winger failed to hit the target – this time blazing over.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.