Wexford
Sport:Football
Irish:Loch Garman
Nickname(s):The Model men[1]
The Slaneysiders[2]
The Yellowbellies[3]
The Purple and Gold[4]
County board:Wexford GAA
Manager:John Hegarty
Captain:Ben Brosnan
Home venue(s):Wexford Park, Wexford
Recent competitive record
Current All-Ireland status:Leinster (QF) in 2022
Last championship title:1918
Current NFL Division:4 (6th in 2022)
Last league title:None
First colours
Second colours

The Wexford county football team represents Wexford in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Wexford GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Leinster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

Wexford's home ground is Wexford Park, Wexford. The team's manager is John Hegarty.

The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 1945, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1918 and has never won the National League.

History

Early years

Team of Wexford, 1916 All-Ireland champions

Wexford had one of the greatest football teams in the history of the GAA in the 1910s, winning six consecutive Leinster Senior Football Championship (SFC) titles; it was also the first team to win four consecutive All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) titles.[5] 1900 star James 'the Bull' Roche, who had fought for the World heavyweight boxing championship, trained that team, which featured Fr Ned Wheeler, Aidan Doyle and the O'Kennedy brothers, Gus and Seán, as players. The latter was the team captain. The feat of six consecutive Leinster SFC titles was only equalled in 1931, when Kildare won the sixth in a sequence that had begun in 1926.[6]

Wexford's last major football success was winning the Leinster SFC title in 1945. From then on, the game of hurling took precedence in Wexford and as a consequence the fate of the Wexford footballers was to descend into obscurity for many decades.

Recent years

Following a 1999 National Football League game between Cavan and Wexford at Breffni Park, the Wexford manager Jo Jo Barrett assaulted referee Mick Curley and received a two-year ban.[7][8]

Wexford reached the 2005 National Football League final under the management of Pat Roe, but lost to Armagh. That game was notable for a request for payment attributed to Roe appearing in the minutes of a Wexford County Board meeting; Roe, it was alleged in the minutes, had asked in advance of that game for a €5,000 bonus if Wexford defeated Armagh, whilst €3,000 would suffice in the event of a loss.[9]

In manager Jason Ryan's first year in charge, Wexford defeated Fermanagh to win the 2008 National Football League Division 3 final in April of that year. This proved to be but the first success in what would be a historic year for Wexford football, as the team reached a first Leinster SFC final for more than 50 years. Along the way Wexford defeated Meath (recovering from a ten-point deficit to win the quarter-final, held at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow) and followed this with a comprehensive defeat of Laois in the Leinster SFC semi-final. This was Wexford's fifth consecutive appearance in a provincial semi-final, but the team's first victory. The final, however, was lost to Dublin, by a scoreline of 3–23 to 0–09. Wexford recovered from this defeat and advanced through the All-Ireland Series, unexpectedly defeating Down by seven points to reach the 2008 All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Armagh was the opponent in that game and Wexford secured another unexpected result, winning the game by a scoreline of 1–14 to 0–12 to reach a first All-Ireland SFC semi-final since 1945.[10] Tyrone defeated Wexford by six points in that game, though the team was within two points of the competition's eventual winner as the match concluded.[11]

Wexford again reached the final in the 2011 Leinster Senior Football Championship. That year the team had an easier run of fixtures to the final than in 2008, facing Offaly, Westmeath and Carlow. The final was again versus Dublin. A poor performance from Dublin's star player, Bernard Brogan, assisted Wexford's efforts to stay close to Dublin's score throughout the match; however, a bizarre own goal contributed to a loss — by a scoreline of 2–12 to 1–12 — to the team that would later win that year's All-Ireland SFC title.[12][13] Wexford advanced Round 4 of the 2011 All-Ireland SFC qualifiers where the team faced Limerick. Wexford sustained a single-point loss, by a scoreline of 1–18 to 1–17.

Paul Galvin briefly managed Wexford during 2019 and 2020 before moving away mid-season while play was halted amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games; his selector Shane Roche was appointed on an interim basis.[14] Galvin's tenure involved most (but not all) of the 2020 National Football League campaign; he never actually managed Wexford in a championship game.[15]

Current panel

Team as per Wexford vs Wicklow in the 2020 Leinster SFC quarter-final, 1 November 2020

No. Player Position Club
1 Pa Doyle Goalkeeper Rapparees Starlights
2 Martin O'Connor Right corner back HWH Bunclody
3 Gavin Sheehan Full back Gusserane O'Rahilly's
4 Eoin Porter Left corner back Rathgarogue-Cushinstown
5 Glen Malone Right half back Shelmaliers
6 Brian Malone Centre back Shelmaliers
7 Sean Ryan Left half back Gusserane O'Rahilly's
8 Niall Hughes Midfield Kilanerin–Ballyfad
9 Daithí Waters Midfield St Martin's
10 Alan Tobin Right half forward Rapparees Starlights
11 Donal Shanley Centre forward St Fintan's
12 Eoghan Nolan Left half forward Shelmaliers
13 Kevin O'Grady Right corner forward St James'
14 John Tubritt Full forward Fethard
15 Ben Brosnan (c) Left corner forward Castletown Liam Mellows
No. Player Position Club
16 Ivan Meegan Substitute Ferns
17 Conor Carty Substitute Castletown Liam Mellows
18 Tom Byrne Substitute Kilmore
19 Páidí Hughes Substitute Kilanerin–Ballyfad
20 Liam Coleman Substitute Castletown Liam Mellows
21 James Stafford Substitute Glynn-Barntown
22 Jake Firman Substitute St Martin's
23 Jonathon Bealin Substitute Castletown Liam Mellows
24 Sean Nolan Substitute Horeswood
25 Nick Doyle Substitute Rapparees Starlights
26 Mark Rossiter Substitute Gusserane O'Rahilly's

INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
RET Player has since retired from the county team.
WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Current management team

Managerial history

Key
* Interim manager
Dates Name Origin
1991–1995[17] Liam Fardy Gusserane
1995–1998[18] Cyril Hughes    
1998–1999[19] Jo Jo Barrett   
1999–2002 Ger Halligan ?
2002–2003[20][21] Dom Twomey   
2003–2005[22][23][24] Pat Roe   
2005–2007[25][26] Paul Bealin   
2007–2012[27][28] Jason Ryan   
2012–2014[29][30] Aidan O'Brien ?
2014–2016[31][32] David Power   
2016–2017[33][34] Séamus McEnaney   
2017–2019[35][36][37][38] Paul McLoughlin  
2019–2020[39][40] Paul Galvin   
2020 Shane Roche* Geraldine O'Hanrahans
2021–2022 Shane Roche Geraldine O'Hanrahans
2022– John Hegarty Kilanerin

* Shane Roche was originally a selector but was appointed interim manager after Paul Galvin left suddenly in September 2020.[41] Roche was formally ratified for a two-year term as manager in January 2021 then chose to leave without seeking a further term ahead of the 2023 season.[42]

Players

Notable players

Records

Top scorers

  • John Hegarty scored 21–125 while playing for Wexford between 1995 and 2006.[44]

Most appearances

  • David Murphy played for Wexford until 2013, when he retired with 180 caps, making him his county's most experienced player of all-time.[45]

All Stars

Wexford has one All Star.

2004: Mattie Forde[47]

Crest and colours

Wexford classic kit

Wexford's sporting colours are purple and gold. This iconic choice was made in 1913 before using the colours of county champions clubs[48]

Disposal of the colours is changed during the year, being the traditional kit mostly gold with a purple horizontal half. Since the 1990s purple has gained more importance and has been used in sleeves and with gradients. The current kit is mainly purple with golden trims.

The crest has been changed several times. Until 1996, the team used the town of Wexford's traditional crest (three burning wooden ships), then they adopted the county's new coat of arms. Since 2006, Wexford GAA launched its own logo, used also on team jerseys.

Team sponsorship

Zurich Insurance Group sponsored the team on a four-year deal from 2020, following an announcement in October 2019.[49]

Honours

National

Provincial

References

  1. ↑ "Team news: Wexford show hand for Carlow clash". Hogan Stand. 28 May 2021. Having lost out to Waterford on opening weekend, the Model men will be in search of their first win of the campaign when they welcome their neighbors[sic] to Wexford Town.
  2. ↑ "Slaneysiders dig deep to claim extra-time win". Irish Examiner. 13 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Laois quench fire in the Yellowbellies". Irish Examiner. 8 April 2013.
  4. ↑ "'It was a huge honour and privilege to wear the Purple and Gold' — Morris calls it a day". Hogan Stand. 2 December 2022.
  5. ↑ Wexford Four in a Row Archived 20 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Smith, Raymond (1968). "Chapter 4 – Wexford's Four-in-a-row". The Football Immortals. Dublin: Bruce Spicer Ltd. pp. 50–61.
  7. ↑ Keys, Colm (4 February 2005). "Curley to join referee exodus". Irish Independent.
  8. ↑ Kimmage, Kevin (4 April 1999). "Jo Jo's passion play proved a step too far". Sunday Independent.
  9. ↑ Keys, Colm (24 June 2005). "Wexford play down Roe 'bonus'". Irish Independent.
  10. ↑ "Armagh 0–12 Wexford 1–14". RTÉ. 9 August 2008.
  11. ↑ "Tyrone 0–23 Wexford 1–14". RTÉ. 31 August 2008.
  12. ↑ O'Riordan, Ian (11 July 2011). "Final cut is cruel as Wexford's own goal is decisive". The Irish Times.
  13. ↑ Murphy, Cian (10 July 2010). "Gilroy happy to survive on rare Brogan offday". Irish Independent.
  14. ↑ "Relocated Galvin steps away from Wexford role". RTÉ. 15 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "How GAA managers have changed the landscape of the game". RTÉ. 14 December 2020. The record for shortest tenure as manager this year surely goes to Paul Galvin who was in charge for a grand total of zero championship games before walking out of the Wexford football job, citing time and travel commitments as the reasons behind his unexpected decision.
  16. ↑ "Backroom team to work with new Wexford football manager John Hegarty yet to be finalised". Wexford People. 21 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Fardy the new manager of Under-21 football side". Wexford People. 13 January 2005. Liam Fardy of Gusserane, who managed the Seniors from 1991 to '95, has taken over as manager and will be assisted by Bob Tracey (Clongeen), Eddie Doyle (Shelmaliers), Jimmy Kehoe (HWH-Bunclody) and Eddie O'Sullivan (Kilanerin).
  18. ↑ Aherne, Alan (1 June 2022). "Late Oliver Cullen gave distinguished service to Wexford". Wexford People. I got to know Oliver quite well during the reign of Carlow's Cyril Hughes as Wexford Senior football manager from late 1995 until the championship exit in 1998.
  19. ↑ Horan, Liam (30 March 1999). "'Contrite' Barrett resigns but still faces lengthy ban". Irish Independent.
  20. ↑ "New boss was ratified on Thursday last". Wexford People. 20 September 2002. Twomey was born in Monaghan and played football with Cavan and Roscommon.
  21. ↑ Boylan, James (28 June 2003). "Twomey resigns as Wexford manager". RTÉ.
  22. ↑ "Roe confirmed as new Wexford manager". The Irish Times. 25 March 2003.
  23. ↑ Kissane, Sinéad (25 November 2003). "Roe named Wexford football boss". RTÉ.
  24. ↑ "Roe exits after Wexford qualifier woe". Irish Examiner. 11 July 2005.
  25. ↑ "Bealin named as new Wexford manager". RTÉ. 8 November 2005.
  26. ↑ "Bealin vacates Wexford position". RTÉ. 2 October 2007.
  27. ↑ "Ryan to lead Wexford footballers". RTÉ. 4 November 2007.
  28. ↑ Fennessy, Paul (4 September 2012). "Wave goodbye: Jason Ryan resigns as Wexford manager". The42.ie.
  29. ↑ "O'Brien takes over from Ryan as Wexford manager". The Irish Times. 8 October 2012.
  30. ↑ "Aidan O'Brien steps down as Wexford football manager". RTÉ. 12 August 2014.
  31. ↑ "Power names his team". Wexford People. 4 November 2014.
  32. ↑ O'Toole, Fintan (3 August 2016). "Tipperary native Power steps down as Wexford senior football boss after two seasons in charge". The42.ie.
  33. ↑ "McEnaney appointed new Wexford football manager". RTÉ. 19 October 2016.
  34. ↑ "McEnaney resigns as Wexford manager". Hogan Stand. 23 August 2017.
  35. ↑ "Wexford name Paul McLoughlin as new football manager". RTÉ. 8 October 2017.
  36. ↑ Duffy, Emma (7 October 2017). "Former Kildare player takes the reins as Wexford's new senior football manager". The42.ie.
  37. ↑ Fagan, Ronan (8 June 2019). "McLoughlin resigns in wake of Wexford's loss to Derry". RTÉ.
  38. ↑ Connaughton, Gary (8 June 2019). "Paul McLoughlin Resigns From Wexford With Parting Swipe At County". Balls.ie.
  39. ↑ McQueirns, Oisin (2 August 2019). "Paul Galvin Named New Wexford Manager". Pundit Arena.
  40. ↑ O'Brien, Kevin (15 September 2020). "Major surprise after Paul Galvin steps down as Wexford manager". The42.ie.
  41. ↑ Furlong, Brendan (26 September 2020). "Roche relishes new role: Selector elevated to football boss after Galvin departs". Enniscorthy Guardian.
  42. ↑ "Shane Roche steps down as Wexford manager". RTÉ. 18 July 2022.
  43. ↑ "Banner hero David Tubridy already has more history in his sights after becoming highest league scorer of all time". Irish Independent. 1 June 2021.
  44. ↑ Lawlor, Damian (10 September 2022). "Wexford to appoint John Hegarty as new football manager". RTÉ.
  45. ↑ "David Murphy and Redmond Barry retire from Wexford football". RTÉ. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  46. ↑ "Wexford set to appoint Hegarty as new football boss". Hogan Stand. 10 September 2022.
  47. ↑ O'Riordan, Ian (25 November 2004). "Finally the first among equals for Wexford — All Star Awards: Ian O'Riordan talks to Mattie Forde, who has become Wexford's first football All Star". The Irish Times.
  48. ↑ "GAA County Colours". Archived from the original on 28 September 2015.
  49. ↑ "We are very proud of our close association with GAA in Wexford". Hogan Stand. 11 May 2020.
  50. ↑ "Leinster JFC final: Model men stun Royals with last-gasp goal". Hogan Stand]. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  51. ↑ "Leinster JFC final: nice Wee win for Model". Hogan Stand. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  52. ↑ Russell, Adrian (7 April 2011). "WATCH: Wexford relish first U-21 Leinster football title". The42.ie.
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