Starlights 1-11
Castletown 1-9

Injury-time points from Alan Tobin saw Starlights dethrone Castletown and seal their first Wexford senior football championship success in three years.

Two points separated the sides at the finish at Wexford Park, where Dylan McVeigh’s goal eight minutes from time and the late points of Tobin worked the oracle for the winners.

Ben Brosnan’s goal in first-half injury-time saw Castletown control this decider for long periods and the former Wexford forward looked to have won it for them late on before Tobin’s intervention.

Castletown notched the first three points of this final via Jonathan Bealin and Brosnan (2 frees) before their counterparts got off the mark through a 21-metre free from Ricky Fox in the 14th minute.

A converted Robbie Brooks mark restored the three-point advantage for the holders, but Starlights looked like they’d finished out the half in decent fashion when points from Darragh Pepper and Dillon Redmond flew over.

However, some sloppy defending saw the trailers give a way a penalty right on the eve of half-time which Brosnan tucked away with expertise, leaving it at 1-4 to 0-3 for the interval.

Pepper floated over a superb point in the opening minute of the restart to make it a one score game and back-to-back points from Tobin (free) and Jack Kelly trimmed the difference down to the minimum with 35 minutes on the clock.

Brosnan (45) and Tobin (free) traded points before the latter put Pepper through to square the sides for the first time.

Brosnan nudged Castletown in front by the water break and their opponents saw chances go by the wayside in the minutes that followed, until McVeigh found the net on 52 minutes with a pass from Kevin Foley.

To their credit, Castletown responded well with points from Brosnan (free) and Bealin to level things up at 1-8 apiece on 54 minutes and they’d take back the lead on the hour through that man Brosnan prior to Tobin levelling in the first minute of injury-time.

From there, it was Starlights that dug deepest as Tobin (free) shot them into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish and the club held on for their 11th senior championship success.

Starlights - Pa Doyle; James Peare; Rory O’Connor, Ben Edwards; Dillon Redmond (0-1), Jack Kelly (0-1), Nathan O’Connor; Liam Ryan, Nick Doyle; Alan Tobin (0-4, 3f), Kevin Foley, Dylan McVeigh (1-0); Darragh Pepper (0-3), Ricky Fox (0-2, 1f), Ryan Mahon. Subs: James Carty for Mahon (36mins, inj), Dayle Donohoe for McVeigh (60).

Castletown - Anthony Masterson; Ross Cody, Danny Gardiner, Frank Roche; Killian Pierce, Colm Morris, Conor Carty; Rory Heffernan, Liam Coleman; James Holmes, Jonathan Bealin (0-2), Jody O’Shaughnessy; Brendan Halpin, Ben Brosnan (1-6, 2f, 2 '45s, 1pen), Robbie Brooks (0-1, 1m). Subs: Donnacha Holmes for J Holmes (37mins), Joe Ahern for O’Shaughnessy (47).

Ref: Fintan O’Reilly (Kilmore)

SFC 64 mins Castletown 1-09 Starlights 1-11 and its all over @RappsStarlights are the 2020 Wexford Senior Football Champions What a second half brilliant entertainment here in @ChadwicksIE Wexford park

— Wexford GAA (@OfficialWexGAA) October 4, 2020

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