Dublin-Wexford as it happened

There it is. Mossy added another free just before the finish. Dublin win by seven after extra-time.

On the face of it, a haul of 2-16 looks healthy. They scored 2-13 in the final 40-odd minutes (of normal time and extra-time). It’s the first three-quarters of an hour that will worry all Dubs, though.

That’s all from me. I’ll be back somewhere else within the hour. Do join me, unless you’ve something better to do.

We’re in injury time. Not sure why there’s any injury-time. Wexford want to get off the field even more than Dublin do.

Brogan just been announced as Man of the Match. Man of The Last 20 Minutes and Extra-Time would be more accurate. Too long-winded, though.

Quinn adds another one, his third of extra-time. It was his shot which came back off the post for Bernard Brogan’s game-killing second goal too.

There mustn’t have been a Wexford player within 30 yards of Mossy Quinn. Mossy can be flaky, but not when you give him that kind of space.

Wexford still in complete disarray. You’d think they were the ones down to 13 men for part of this game. Kevin Nolan chips an easy score.

Clear goal chance missed by Mossy Quinn. Bernard Brogan put him through on goal but Masterson was quickly off his line to save. That’s my ten-point prediction gone up in smoke.

The margin is back to four points. If PJ Banville looks like a soccer player it’s because he used to be a soccer player. But he took that point well for Wexford.

But there’s five in it again. Mossy Quinn curls one over with the aid of the upright. I’m still predicting a ten-point margin.

Well, Wexford do get the first point of the second period of extra-time. Adrian Flynn, socks pulled up to his oxters, delicately knocks one over the bar.

Some pointless guff from David Brady in the TV3 studio.

“If that goal hadn’t gone in there would still only be two points in it.”

Aunties, balls and uncles.

Peter Canavan hopes Wexford don’t throw in the towel.

“If they don’t get the first score here, it’s game over,” he says. Peter, are you not listening to me?

Half-time in extra-time. Dublin lead by five. The game isn’t over but it’s game over.

Alan Brogan with a dream point from the sideline. It’s the kind of point Dublin score when they’re winning by five. Credit to them for coming back earlier on, but no matter what they win by here there will be lots of questions to answer.

Bryan Cullen, one of the old guard who have been introduced in dribs and drabs for the Dubs today, dips one over from the left wing. Four in it now. I’ll bet they’ll win by eight or nine by the time it’s over.

Shane Roche has added to Wexford’s wides tally. If this was a boxing match it would be stopped. Dublin can’t lose this now…

Goal Dublin!

And that could well be that. Mossy Quinn’s shot came back off the post, Bernard Brogan (who else?) snaffled up the bouncing ball and hammered it into the roof of Anthony Masterson’s net from six yards.

Couple of wides in the first minute or two. One at each end.

They’re back on. My third extra-time of the day. I bet there’s about 40 minutes of injury-time in Germany-Australia later on too.

The Dubs will be back to 15 for extra-time, so they should fancy themselves in extra-time. But it’s Dublin, so you never know. And Wexford battled very gamely when the game looked to be going away from them.

Dublin down to 13!

Ger Brennan, who was sent off in the Leinster final a year ago, gets a second yellow and walks the long walk. A minute of injury time left – Mattie has a half-chance from distance but it goes well wide. Extra-time???

And he slots it. Never a doubt. Into stoppage time. Three minutes of it, to be precise.

Thirty seconds left, and it’s a free to Wexford, 35 yards out in front of goal. Mattie it is…

Red Barry had one or two frees like that in the first half and they sailed over, but this one – with the pressure on – drops short. And a few seconds later Mattie Forde goes for a sideline but also misses. It was a sideline, but it was Mattie so it has to go down as a chance.

Conal Keaney has a chance to double the lead from a 45, but it drifts left. That’s 10 wides for Dublin today, according to the TV3 lads.

It’s all Dublin. Wexford out on their feet. Impossible to see them throwing this away now.

Wexford have managed just 0-3 in the second half so far. Dublin managed 0-2 in the first. I’m told there’s not a breath of wind at Croker, though.

And Dublin lead for the first time. Keaney again, with his third of the day, put the Dubs in front. Six minutes left.

Conal Keaney with a booming point to level the scores again.

Then, big goal chance. Brogan with a soccer finish, but Masterson got down well to his right to save.

But wait – Wexford are back in front. Shane Roche makes a yard for himself with a fine dummy, and slots it over Cluxton’s bar.

That’s 1-4 in 11 minutes for Dublin. They scored 0-3 in 48 minutes before that. That’s a turnaround and a half.

Goal Dublin!

Bernard Brogan gets through on goal and Anthony Masterson is unable to keep out his low strike. Sides level, and Dublin on their way to getting out of jail.

Straight red card!

Denis Bastick sent off for Dublin. Not sure about that one, will have to see it again, but it’s Bastick so maybe he deserved it.

Incidentally, the official attendance was a little over 49,000. The place looks half-empty. Which I suppose it is.

Four in a row for Dublin. Michael Dara McAuley ran straight at the Wexford defence, popped a hand-pass to Bernard Brogan and he did the rest. Three in it with 15 minutes left.

It was three points in a little over three minutes for Dublin but the momentum could be broken by that one. Eoin O’Gara it was, but he sliced it wide from about 25 yards.

Goal chance for Dublin!

Direct running from Eoin O’Gara created the opening, goalkeeper Anthony Masterson blocked it. Bernard Brogan pulls on the loose ball. Could easily have found the net but it goes over the bar.

And maybe they’re finally finding their feet. Alan Brogan is given too much space and raised another white flag. Two in a minute for the Dubs.

Paul Flynn throws a leg at one. Didn’t look convincing, but it went over.

They’re completely clueless. It’s like Pat Gilroy grabbed 15 lads from Quinns before the game. Who had each drunk 15 pints.

It gets worse, and worse, and worse. Conal Keaney, from a free, hits Dublin’s eighth wide of the day. For a long time this looked – to me at least – like a bad blip that Dublin would eventually overcome.

But they’re getting worse, not better.

This could go down as one of the most humiliating days in the history of Dublin football. In the history of sport, actually. Mattie chips over another point to extend the gap to seven.

Looked like a very wayward attempt at a score by Red Barry. It dropped well short, and Shane Roche jinked and turned and curled it over with his left. Six in it again.

Dublin sub, and it’s a big one. Centre forward and captain David Henry is off, replaced by Michael Dara McAuley. Not much of a show of faith in the skipper, that.

Anything Brennan can do, Bernard Brogan can do better. Tight angle, but a bad wide. Dublin have owned the ball in the first seven or eight minutes of the second half.

An improvement, but not much. Ger Brennan, with as much direction as a blind beggar, has driven a bad wide from 35 yards.

Conal Keaney and Bernard Brogan have just given two of the biggest hospital passes I’ve ever seen. Still, Dublin are getting on a good bit more ball. They can’t be any worse than they were in the first half, that’s for sure.

We’re back on. Eoin O’Gara is on for the Dubs. Corner forward Kevin McManamon is off.

Horrendous stuff from Dublin so far. Wexford making fools of ’em.

Back in a tick. Or a few ticks.

Wexford are so confident that Mattie has the ball in his hands for a free but lets Redmond Barry take it. Doesn’t matter. From outside the 50, Barry slings it over. Half-time, and “the boos rain down on Dublin from Hill 16,” says Mike Finnerty.

You don’t see, or more accurately hear, that every day.

Paul Earley: “Two points in 34 minutes of football. It’s an extraordinary performance from Dublin. There’s no other way to describe it.”

Here’s one, Paul: Shite.

Paul Flynn has a go for Dublin. No better than most of his team-mates’ efforts, though. Actually, it was a good bit worse. From 45 yards out he drops it so short that Wexford goalkeeper Anthony Masterson has to come well off his line. To catch it on his chest. And Conal Keaney gets a yellow.

Mike Finnerty is the TV3 commentator I believe. He’s joined by Paul Earley. The pair of them are a lot easier on the ear than Ger Canning. Come to think of it, a vuvuzela is a lot easier on the ear than Ger Canning.

Red “Pole Vault” Barry hits a 45 over. These points are sailing over so comfortably that it looks like Wexford are playing with a gale. But I’m not sure they are.

Mattie goes for his fourth free of the game. It’s the easiest of the four but it’s still 40 yards out. Same result.

Mattie Forde adopts an assassin’s approach – shoot on sight. He’s off target with that one but all you Dubs out there must be worried at the amount of space which has presented itself for virtually every Wexford player. PJ Banville and Ciaran Lyng have also enjoyed plenty of it.

If anyone’s interested in World Cup stuff, Ghana lead Serbia 1-0 after 90 minutes. In Game 7 of the tournament, Asamoah Gyan has become the first striker to score.

Twenty minutes in and Pat Gilroy has seen enough. Of Eamonn Fennell. The big midfielder, who was booked a few minutes ago, is off and Alan Brogan is on. Back to the future, eh?

And just to prove that was no fluke, he’s repeated the trick from virtually the same plot of the Croke Park pitch. Wexford, and 30 other counties, dare to hope.

Mattie Forde was a major doubt for Wexford for the last few weeks but he’s shown no ill-effects so far. Just scored a free from the 50-yard line, out of his hands, with the outside of the boot. There were some fine scores in Cork today but that was just as good.

Bernard Brogan doesn’t even need to beat his man. Just has a look at the posts and curls one over from a tight angle. But Wexford are working hard – if they can limit Brogan’s influence they could actually have a real chance today.

Dublin have been horrid so far. Have the supporters finally lost faith too? Croke Park sounds all echoey – which should suit Wexford, strangely enough.

Eamonn Fennell and Ross McConnell are the midfield pairing for Dublin today, but they’ve been overshadowed by Bradley. This is a first Championship game in a long time when JOE’s own Ciaran Whelan hasn’t been available. He’s sitting in the stands – we’ll have his verdict tomorrow.

Mattie Forde strokes over a free to give Wexford the lead again. And Eric Bradley tears through from midfield to add a third.

It’s taken Dublin 11 minutes to get off the mark. Bernard Brogan has an easier free and he finds the range this time. Redmond Barry, the Wexford centre forward, is a former Wexford hurler. Not only that, but he’s a former school All-Ireland schools pole vault champion. He also sounds like he shoulda been in Shawshank. Bit of an all-rounder, is Red.

It’s a surreal atmosphere at Croker, according to the TV3 lads. Not much of a crowd, and anyone who is there is wet. There are lights on as well. Midwinter, in midsummer.

It’s a new look for Dublin today but there are a few familiar old failings. Bernard Brogan scuffs a relatively straightforward free wide and Kevin McManamon carries the ball over the sideline. Wexford have been fairly comfortable so far.

Dublin have suffered an early blow with centre back Cian O’Sullivan forced off with a hamstring injury after just three minutes. Ger Brennan is in.

Ciaran Lyng puts Wexford into an early score.

They’re under way at Croke Park where Dublin face Wexford in the Leinster SFC quarter-finals. Follow it live here.

The teams are as follows:

Dublin: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, Rory O’Carroll, P McMahon; D Bastick, C O’Sullivan, B Cahill; E Fennell, R McConnell; N Corkery, D Henry, P Flynn; C Keaney, B Brogan, K McManamon.

Wexford: A Masterson; J Wadding, G Molloy, B Malone; C Morris, D Murphy, A Doyle; D Waters, E Bradley; S Roche, R Barry, A Flynn; C Lyng, PJ Banville, M Forde.

Referee: Martin Higgins (Fermanagh).