Wexford FC staged a comeback in a frantic 3-3 draw with Cobh Ramblers at Ferrycarrig Park as spoils were shared in this playoff rehearsal.
Cobh left back Cian Browne had the chance to make a hot start in the afternoon chill for the away side, but his sweetly struck volley flew just a tad too high to call Wexford keeper Charlie Heffernan into action 8 minutes in.
Kian Corbally could have done better in the 12th minute, presented with the ball and a two on two situation after a stray Cobh pass, but he took the shot on himself and only found Lee Steacy’s gloves.
Wexford then completely shot themselves in the foot. Cian O’ Malley, usually so reliable, sent a usual routine header back to his keeper wayward, leaving Heffernan scrambling to keep the ball out of the net. The Wexford keeper did just that but could only flick the ball onto the post and into the path of the waiting Mickie Rowe, who tapped into an empty net to give the away side the lead 17 minutes in.
Two minutes later Rowe again found himself in the Wexford penalty area, this time being brought down by Brandon McCann as the referee pointed to the spot. Jack Doherty stepped up to roll the ball into the bottom right corner to make it three in three against his old side as Cobh doubled their lead.
Wexford should have pulled one back on the half hour mark, but Thomas Oluwa couldn’t direct his header past Steacy from six yards out.
Oluwa then had his cross in the 38th minute blocked by the arm of Dean Larkin, and Wexford earned themselves a penalty of their own, which Oluwa cooly dispatched into the bottom corner to pull one back for the home side.
Just four minutes after the restart Cobh had restored their two goal lead however, a wonder goal by Wilson Waweru, curling a sublime effort from 25 yards into the very upper reaches of Heffernan’s net.
Wexford pulled one back through substitute Conor Levingston 72 minutes in, the ball ricocheting straight to his feet off the post and he slotted home to make the deficit one.
On 77 minutes it was the other Levingston brother, Darragh, with the golden touch to draw Wexford level, coming onto a chipped pass with a wonderful touch and a delightful dinked finish over Steacy to match.
Neither side could find a winner in this helter-skelter affair, but that won’t bother either team, who both have the playoff games against one another to focus on in the coming weeks.
