- Aisling Hannon
- Mon, Jun 05 2023
Wexford kept hold of sixth spot in the table after a frantic 1-1 draw with Treaty United at Market's Field on Bank Holiday Monday.
An early wondergoal from Darragh Levingston and a second-half penalty from Treaty skipper Marc Ludden left both teams sharing the points in their tense promotion-chasing campaign.
Wexford manager James Keddy did not feature on the sidelines for this fixture after receiving a red card last Friday night in their 2-1 win over Cobh Ramblers at Ferrycarrig Park.
Similarly, skipper Ethan Boyle was also dismissed late in that crucial win, with Jordan Tallon coming in to take his place in the back line.
Treaty welcomed back Ben O’Riordan following a three-match suspension but were without Mark Murphy and Andy Spain due to injury.
Wexford started the game strong and did look better in terms of chances in front of goal in the opening few minutes, with defender Hugh Douglas coming close to heading the ball into the net but Treaty’s Shane Hallahan did well to palm it over the bar.
Kian Corbally and Brandon McCann also attempted some low, heavy shots but it was Levingston who took a chance with an ambitious attempt after 15 minutes, and it paid off.
Youngster Darren Nwankwo tried to get his side out of danger as Wexford put the defence under pressure, but his headed clearance fell to the lap of Levingston, who took control and struck the ball sweetly into the net.
Treaty could be seen in a slightly panicked state after that, with Stephen Christopher and Colin Conroy chancing their own take on the spectacular, but to no avail.
They soon began to settle, and Colin Conroy made some good runs down the line, doing well to move the ball around the defenders, but Treaty were unable to find any real opportunities to level the score before half-time.
They certainly seemed more fired-up coming into the remaining 45 minutes, with Dean George having a decent attempt in front of goal early on, but taking another touch instead of hitting the ball first time cost him a chance at levelling the game.
The referee was kept on his toes with several bookings produced throughout the half for both sides as the atmosphere became more tense.
Treaty’s Willie Armshaw came off the bench on the half-hour mark and certainly made an impact, with a number of headed attempts and shots putting Wexford under pressure.
The home side finally got their chance to snatch a deserving goal, as Ludden was pushed in the box by defender Reece Webb, forcing the referee to award a penalty.
It was Ludden who stepped up and tucked it away calmly to claim his second of the season and Treaty’s first in almost 300 minutes of play.
The Limerick side looked like a completely different squad from four days ago at the RSC where Waterford netted seven past them to snatch a ruthless win.
Tommy Barrett’s side played with dominance and looked comfortable in possession and play, particularly throughout the second-half as Wexford tried eagerly to claim their third win on the bounce.
Despite getting the ball in front of the box several times throughout the remainder of the half, neither could produce any real chance to take all three points, and both will be happy to share the spoils.
Although Wexford kept hold of their two-point advantage, Treaty will be relieved to see defeats on the scoreboard for Longford and Finn Harps tonight, and preserve their own two-point gap over both sides as a result.
Treaty will return to Markets Field on Friday where they host Cobh Ramblers, as Wexford welcome table-toppers Galway United to Ferrycarrig Park.
Treaty United: Shane Hallahan; Marc Ludden, Darren Nwankwo (Scott Kirkland 82), Ben O'Riordan; Conor Barry, Alec Byrne, Stephen Christopher, Colin Conroy, Lee Devitt Molloy; Darren Collins (William Armshaw 60), Dean George.
Subs not used: Joshua Coady, Robbie Lynch, Martin Coughlan, Colin Kelly, Mark Murphy, Josh Quinlivan.
Booked: Ben O'Riordan (38), Darren Nwankwo (78), Colin Conroy (83).
Wexford: Charlie Heffernan; Hugh Douglas, Darragh Levingston, Ben Lynch, Jordan Tallon (Conor Levingston 68), Reece Webb; Kian Corbally, Corban Piper; Karl Chambers (Sean Fitzpatrick 87), Aaron Dobbs, Brandon McCann.
Subs not used: Colm Cox, Matthew Dunne, Kaylem Harnett, James Crawford, Danny Furlong, Evan Farrell.
Booked: Hugh Douglas (28), Brandon McCann (42), Darragh Levingston (54), Aaron Dobbs (69), Corban Piper (86).
Referee: Ray Matthews
extratime.com Player of the Match: Colin Conroy (Treaty United).
