WIT 0 Carlow IT 3
WIT suffered a disappointing home defeat last week at the RSC when they were beaten by an extremely strong Carlow IT team.
Having lost one previous home game this season to UCC the side managed by Paul O’Brien were keen to get back to winning form at home but the double champions of last season proved they will be the outfit to catch once again this term.
Top man for them was the Wexford Youths player Dean Broaders who scored two goals and he was unlucky not to go on a complete a hat-trick.
WIT created the first chance of a first half dominated by the strong cross field winds on six minutes when Kevin O’Connor whipped in a right-wing corner kick that fell at the feet of Manuel Gensheimer but his close range was superbly kept out by visiting keeper Seamus Houghton.
Kevin Burns, the WIT goalkeeper was called into action to keep the visitors at bay on 17 minutes when he tipped a direct in-swinging wind assisted corner kick from the right taken by Andy Mulligan onto the crossbar.
The only other chance of the opening 45 minutes came in the shape of a IT Carlow goal on 29 minutes when Thomas Croke sprayed a brilliant ball out to the right for Dean Broaders and he beat keeper Burns with a crisp low drive to the corner of the net.
With only three minutes on the clock in the second half the visitors grabbed their second goal to leave WIT leaving a mountain to climb as Eric Molloy raced with ease down the right to cross to the near post for Broaders to notch his second goal with a daft flick past Burns at his near post.
Gary Dunphy did go close to pulling a goal back for the hosts on 51 minutes when he tried his luck from distance but his right-footed shot flew to the left of the goal guarded by keeper Seamus Houghton before IT Carlow put the game to bed less than three minutes later.
After winning a corner kick out on the right-wing Andy Mulligan sent in a cracking ball into the penalty area and central defender Ross Kenny rose unchallenged to power a header past a helpless Kevin Burns from eight yards. There was no way back from their point of view and Kevin Burns had to be at his best to deny Dean Broaders his hat-trick with four minutes remaining.
WIT. Kevin Burns, Conor Morrissey, Paul Fitzgibbon, John Frost, Killian Cantwell, Brian Nolan, Gary Dunphy, Kevin O’Connor, Mustafa Mohsurudeen, Manuel Gensheimer, Ian Dowling, Conor Coad, Cormac O’Driscoll, Ben Duffy, Keelan Hickey, Sean Roche, Caolan O’Reilly, Dean Gibbons, Brandon O’Callaghan
Carlow IT. Seamus Houghton, Marc Keeley, Mitchell Kelly, Stephen Last, Ross Kenny, Shane Dunne, Eric Molloy, Thomas Croke, Dean Broaders, Sean Skelly, Andy Mulligan, Rob Sweeney, Conor O’Brien, Robbie Hughes
Referee: Gary Fitzgerald.
Assistants: Johnny Matthews, Ian Paul.
