Late, late Sean Moran goal secures draw for Dubs against Wexford
Dublin defender Sean Moran proved to be a last-action hero yet again for boss Mattie Kenny with a late, late goal at Parnell Park to secure a dramatic Leinster SHC draw.
Talented Moran memorably netted a 20m free at nearby Croke Park while playing for Cuala, then managed by Kenny, in the 2018 drawn All-Ireland club final, securing extra-time.
He reprised those heroics for his county this afternoon with a converted free seven minutes into additional time to secure a precious draw against Wexford.
Dublin will have mixed feelings about the result because while they plundered the draw in the end, they'd led by five points after 55 minutes only to cough up that advantage and find themselves three behind.
Moran's free, which appeared to be slightly miscued and flew in low below a group of Wexford defenders and goalkeeper Mark Fanning, was the very last puck of the game.
The draw keeps Dublin's hopes of a top-three finish in Leinster alive having lost to Kilkenny in Round 1 and they will travel to Carlow next on June 2 before hosting Galway in their last game.
As for Wexford, this was their campaign opener so all is not lost and they will hit the road again next weekend when they play Galway in Salthill.
Davy Fitzgerald will be frustrated that his side didn't hold on after 56th and 65th-minute goals from Liam Og McGovern and Rory O'Connor that put them in a winning position.
But a draw was perhaps the fairest result considering the sides were level on 11 occasions throughout a highly entertaining contest.
They were level five times in the first-half with Wexford taking the lead on four different occasions in those 35 minutes and they went in tied at 0-11 to 0-11 at the break.
Lee Chin was terrific for Wexford and struck 0-11 in total though the visitors struggled in the third quarter as Dublin took over with their own free-taker Paul Ryan in excellent form.
Dublin led 0-18 to 0-14 after 47 minutes and stretched the gap to five when they surged 0-20 to 0-15 ahead.
But it was all Wexford from there on with McGovern and O'Connor netting and the likes of Chin and Jack O'Connor coming strongly into the game.
Chin punched the air in delight in the 72nd minute when he pointed from the left wing, leaving three points in it.
That margin remained between them in the seventh minute of additional time when Damien Reck fouled Liam Rushe and Moran strode forward from defence to plant the free to the net.
Scorers for Wexford: L Chin 0-11 (0-8f, 0-2 65), L Og McGovern 1-1, R O'Connor 1-0, C McDonald (0-2 s/l), S Murphy 0-3 each, A Nolan 0-1.
Scorers for Dublin: P Ryan 0-10 (0-7f, 0-1 65), S Moran 1-2 (1-1f), C Boland 0-3, C Keaney, T Connolly 0-2 each, C Crummey, E Dillon, F Whitely 0-1 each.
Wexford: M Fanning; D Reck, L Ryan, S Donohoe; P Foley, M O'Hanlon, A Nolan; S Murphy, D O'Keeffe; K Foley, L Og McGovern, L Chin; C McDonald, J O'Connor, R O'Connor.
Subs: C Dunbar for Nolan 54, D Dunne for McDonald 66, H Kehoe for J O'Connor 68, S Reck for Murphy 73.
Dublin: A Nolan; P Smyth, E O'Donnell, T Connolly; S Barrett, S Moran, C Crummey; S Treacy, D Sutcliffe; C Boland, C Keaney, E Dillon; F Whitely, L Rushe, P Ryan.
Subs: D Treacy for Keaney 49, J Malone for Boland 60, C Conway for S Treacy 63, R Hayes for Whitely 67.
Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).
Anthony Daly, Ger Cunningham and TJ Ryan review the weekend's hurling.
