Wexford FC earn point on tough Monday trip to Limerick
On the flip side, it was a first clean sheet in nine, Limerick is a tough journey to make on a Monday evening, and the hosts have been in a strong run of form of late, leapfrogging their visitors into the play-off spots in recent weeks.
The reality is somewhere in between. The point was clearly a good one in the circumstances but Wexford were very lucky to get it, with the home team creating the vast majority of the chances.
Treaty had the first sighter when Lee Devitt broke over the halfway line and powered towards the box but was yanked off balance as he was shooting, and the effort was blocked behind for a corner that came to nothing.
The Limerick side really should have taken the lead in the fourth minute. Joe Hanson got away on the right wing and sent a succulent ball across the face of goal where Karl O'Sullivan fired low, only for Paul Martin to get down and push it away one-handed.
Wexford had very little sight of Corey Chambers' goal in the opening nine minutes, but Calum Flynn did send an inviting ball across the six-yard box that had no takers.
O'Sullivan played Devitt into the clear in the 13th minute but the ball bounced awkwardly. The Treaty attacker headed it but Martin pushed the effort over the bar.
Corey Chambers was out quickly to force the ball away from Aaron Dobbs when he got away on the left in the 16th minute. Robbie Lynch headed a Lee Devitt corner over the crossbar in the 25th minute as the game navigated a lull.
Treaty looked dangerous again a minute later when Lee Lynch got to the byline on the left and crossed for Devitt, but the United attacker saw his swivelled volley fly over the top.
O'Sullivan sent in another daisy-cutter that Martin swept up in the 35th minute as Wexford struggled to make an impact.
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Treaty had another great chance when Lee Lynch crossed from the right in the 39th minute but Ben Lynch's unchallenged volley was too weak to trouble Martin. After seeing his initial effort blocked, Devitt crashed off the inside of the post in the 42nd minute.
Treaty were screaming for a penalty when Devitt's shot collided with an arm right on the stroke of half-time but it appeared to hit high up on the jersey, not too far from the shoulder, and referee Ryan Maher probably got that call correct.
Having survived playing second fiddle in the opening half, Wexford were on the back foot after the resumption, with James Crawford forcing his own 'keeper into a diving save, preventing what would have been one of the most bizarre own goals for many a year.
Treaty were screaming for a penalty again in the 53rd minute when Joe Hanson went down under pressure when running into the box.
There was some contact with the torso but probably not enough to see the Canadian hit the deck, and referee Maher again waved away appeals.
Devitt fired across the goal and wide in the 56th minute when squaring the ball was the better option. The game went through another mid-half lull, which suited the visitors just fine in the circumstances.
Lee Devitt went down in the Wexford box in the 74th minute but again Maher wasn't interested. Mikie Rowe kept Crawford's deep cross alive at the back post three minutes later, but he was only able to direct it onto the top of the crossbar and behind from an acute angle.
The game was a more even contest at this stage, with both teams looking for a winner. Ryan Kelly forced Chambers into a save from the edge of the box in the 81st minute, while Mikie Rowe was unable to beat the Gorey man from close range with two minutes left as the sides finished deadlocked.
Wexford are back in action on Friday when they host Kerry FC in Ferrycarrig Park. The Munster club have the opportunity to move ahead of their hosts into sixth with a win so it's a massive game for both sides in the hunt for play-off berths.
Wexford FC: Paul Martin, James Crawford, Robbie McCourt, Dean Larkin, Mikie Rowe, Darragh Levingston, Aaron Dobbs, Calum Flynn, Conor Levingston, Ryan Butler, Ryan Scanlon. Subs. – Zayd Abada for Larkin (65), Ryan Kelly for Flynn (71), Josh Lyons for Scanlon (85), also Alex Moody, Mark Imiren, Harry Sherlock, Darragh Kinch.
Treaty United: Corey Chambers, Ben Lynch, Lee Devitt, Steven Healy, Lee Lynch, Joe Hanson, Connor Wilson, Evan O'Connor, Robbie Lynch, Eoin Martin, Karl O'Sullivan. Subs. - Yousef Mahdy for Healy (76), Trpimir Vrljicak for Hanson (76), Nikodem Kozlowski for L. Lynch (85), Colin Conroy for Wilson (90+1), also Carl Williams, Richkov Boevi, Mark Walsh, Roy Lawlor, Christopher Horgan.
Referee: Ryan Maher (Offaly).
SSE AIRTRICITY FIRST DIVISION
P W D L F A Pt
Dundalk 20 12 7 1 31 14 43
Cobh Ramblers 20 13 3 4 36 18 42
Bray Wanderers 20 11 1 8 32 29 34
Treaty United 20 8 5 7 33 20 29
UCD 20 7 5 8 18 21 26
Wexford FC 20 6 5 9 22 26 23
Kerry FC 20 6 3 10 20 27 21
Longford Town 20 5 6 9 19 36 21
Finn Harps 20 4 7 8 22 26 19
Athlone Town 20 3 6 11 15 31 15
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