Opposition Watch: Wexford FC

Treaty United begin their home campaign this evening when they entertain a youthful Wexford FC side at the Markets Field (7.45).

Both sides will be searching for their first win of the 2021 campaign with Treaty earning a draw against promotion hopefuls Bray Wanderers while Wexford succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Cabinteely. It is a game that both sides will be targeting for 3 points.

Below, we have a brief insight into today’s opposition and the key players in the visiting side.

Key Players: It is a very youthful looking Wexford squad for the new season but they will be aided by the experienced Jack Doherty. The former Limerick FC, Waterford and Longford player has a big reputation in the First Division and is the team’s playmaker.

The 30-year old failed to shine at Longford Town and appears to play his best football at Ferrycarrig Park. Due to the lack of goals last season, Doherty will be hoping to create more chances for his teammates while chipping in with goals as regularly as possible.

Since the departure of the club’s record goalscorer Danny Furlong, Wexford have been unable to find a regular goal scorer.

Tom Murphy: The netminder begins his second season with Wexford and he was hugely popular last season when he won the club’s player of the year award for a string of impressive displays despite playing behind a leaky defence.

If the youngster can continue his development in 2021, he is sure to be a player to watch in the division. He will be disappointed with the concession from the long-range free-kick in the second period against Cabinteely last weekend but us generally a sharp shot stopper.

How did they perform last season: Wexford endured a disappointing season in 2020 as they finished bottom of the Airtricity League First Division table on goal difference after finishing level on points with Athlone Town.

Brian O’Sullivan’s side had the second worst goal difference in the division and coupled with the fact that they only hit the opposition net 13 times, the deficiency in both boxes proved costly.

An 18 game season may not have suited the South-East side as they only managed three wins and three draws in that period. It is hard to judge teams on effectively half a regular season.

Expectations in 2021: O’Sullivan has made some impressive signings in pre-season with the likes of Alex O’Hanlon signing on loan from Shelbourne and Luke Turner making the trip from Aberdeen in Scotland. Both players played in last week’s 1-2 opening day defeat to Cabinteely.

Furthermore, the club managed to maintain the services of playmaker Jack Doherty and captain Dan Tobin while also signing a young striker in Kyle Robinson. Considering the troubles the team had in finding the net last season, the onus will be on the likes of Robinson and Paul Fox to improve on last season’s 13 goal team haul.

Although Wexford have improved on paper, the same can be said for the rest of the division. Nobody is expecting the Ferrycarrig outfit to finish ahead of the likes the Shelbourne, Cork City, Galway and Bray but after speaking to members of the Wexford media, an improvement in points tally is the primary aim for the club in 2021.