Farragher makes the difference

National Hurling League Division One/ Galway 0-19 Wexford 2-10: For the last few minutes at Wexford Park yesterday the home side tantalised their support as they scavenged desperately for the goal which would make the afternoon worthwhile.

Recent history confirmed the possibility of salvation through a green flag raised from the embers but the harsh truth was Wexford should never have been in such need anyway.

Galway took the game without ever playing to their full potential and if the 12-point contribution of Ger Farragher was the principal difference between the sides Wexford's squandering of four scoreable second-half frees was just as influential.

The first half smelled like good value so long as the weather held and there was little enough between the sides which suggested they'd hold our interest for the duration. Galway began with a wind and a light jaunt in their step. Eugene Cloonan presented himself for duty again after a long winter from Athenry and offered the credential of an opening point on to which Farragher tacked two quick frees.

Galway more or less kept that three-point margin until the 16th minute when they hit a little reef of controversy. Wexford have high hopes for Nigel Higgins who had gorged on 5-6 in his last three league games (including 2-4 in the dismemberment of Down) but yesterday his touch went unappreciated until a nice take and turn which saw him in on goal.

Liam Donoghue advanced. There was a tangle. Higgins essayed a weak left-side shot. The referee blew for a penalty and flashed a yellow at the Galway captain.

Damien Fitzhenry made the long journey upfield and thumped to the net. Now the rafters were rattling.

Galway, playing with a helpful wind on their backs, kept in touch, their use of the ball into space and the handpass sharper than Wexford's. Just before half-time Rory McCarthy made a fine burst and hit a grand point off the stick to keep Wexford just in front as they went to the break.

Early in the second half Farragher - whose lack of pace renders him, some say, a dead man walking in terms of championship selection - made an eloquent case for reprieve with a free, a glorious sideline cut and a sweet point from play to convert a single-point deficit into a two-point lead. Farragher is worth keeping for the aesthetic beauty of his sideline cuts alone.

Early on yesterday he struggled, as many do under the ministrations of David "Doc" O'Connor, but when he was let free from the full-forward spot and allowed to feed on the odd loose ball his intelligence made him a threat from play as well.

Wexford took up the challenge which Farragher's burst of scoring offered. Paul Carley with a free and Nigel Higgins with a point from the right and Michael Jacob scooting through for a lovely score brought them back to level, but it was one of those days, it seemed. Paul Carley blew two scoreable frees. Farragher, not as slow as he looks, perhaps and certainly a yard ahead in his brain, scored two from play.

So it went. Galway always just in front and desisting at last from lobbing high ball into the square for O'Connor to live off. For Wexford, Higgins burned Colin Coen and forced a fine save from substitute goalkeeper Paul Dullaghan. You couldn't quite sense a Galway collapse but Wexford had a nice unpredictability about their full-forward line.

Duly, Wexford did pull out the goal which made it interesting to the end. Higgins, taking a long ball from midfield, lobbed something of a Hail Mary hand pass in the general direction of Des Mythen, whose hand found the ball amid a thicket of hurleys.

A quick turn and it was done. The home partisans in the crowd of 5,223 got excited but Galway were quick to throw a wet blanket on things.

Cloonan hit his second point of his generally run-of-the-mill afternoon. Wexford wasted another couple of free chances through Declan Ruth and Rory Jacob. Higgins had a bad wide. Farragher with two points and Damien Hayes with one in between finished the afternoon off.

No surprise really. Galway have presented themselves with their usual avid interest in league success this winter and haven't lost a league game to Wexford since 1992.

They travel to Cork next Sunday for a more searching test of their ambition.

GALWAY: L Donoghue; D Joyce, T Óg Regan, C Coen; D Hardiman, L Hodgins, O Canning; D Collins, R Murray; E Cloonan (0-3), D Forde (0-2), N Healy (0-1), Damien Hayes (0-1), G Farragher (0-12, 0-2 sideline cuts, 0-7 frees), K Broderick. Subs: P Dullaghan for Donoghue (yellow card, 16 mins), K Hayes for Forde (50 mins), D Tierney for K Hayes (yellow card, 61 mins), David Hayes for Cloonan (63 mins), A Kerins for Healy (67 mins).

WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry (1-0 pen); M Travers, D O'Connor, K Rossiter; D Ruth, D Stamp, D Lyng; R McCarthy (0-1), M Jacob (0-1); P Carley (0-4, three frees), W Doran, E Quigley (0-1); D Mythen (1-0), N Higgins (0-1), R Jacob (0-2). Subs: C Kehoe for Rossiter (yellow card, 36 mins), R Barry for Carley (53 mins), M Jordan for M Jacob (58 mins), B Lambert for Doran (69 mins).

YELLOW CARDS: Galway: L Donoghue (16 mins), K Hayes (61 mins). Wexford: K Rossiter (36 mins).

Referee: E Kinsella (Laois).