A general view of Echelon Park, Aughrim. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship, preliminary quarter-finals
Wicklow 3-9 Offaly 1-7
Wexford 3-7 Meath 0-14
By Paul Keane
Tom Funge won't forget this evening, that's for sure.
The young Wexford midfielder blasted a stunning hat-trick of goals including a stoppage time matchwinner to see off hosts Meath in Ashbourne, securing an Electric Ireland Leinster MFC quarter-final place.
Funge's first two goals were cracking solo efforts that arrived in the 10th and 17th minutes to leave Wexford in pole position with a four-point half-time lead.
The visitors stretched that gap to six points following a strong third quarter and led the Royals by 2-6 to 0-6 with 13 minutes remaining.
Remarkably, they almost had victory whipped from their grasp as Meath staged a thrilling revival to take a one-point lead in stoppage time.
Cormac Nugent was at the heart of Meath's revival with four late points as they outscored Wexford by 0-8 to 0-1 between the 48th and 62nd minutes.
Senan Duffy scored the very last of Meath's points to put them one ahead, 0-14 to 2-7, and they seemed destined for a quarter-final outing next Wednesday evening.
But joint-captain Funge, from the Naomh Eanna club, was happy to shoulder the responsibility for Wexford and he slammed in his third goal of the evening in the 64th minute to leave the home supporters stunned.
Wicklow enjoyed a more straightforward win in this evening's other Leinster preliminary quarter-final, seeing off Offaly with eight points to spare.
Offaly didn't score until the 24th minute of the game, when Dylan Dunne pointed, and Wicklow had already put 1-4 on the board at that stage.
Patrick Small slotted a goal from a 21st minute penalty for the Garden County and they hit the interval with a 1-6 to 1-1 lead, Cian McNamee just about keeping Offaly in it with their stoppage time goal.
Mark Kinsella added a second goal for Wicklow early in the second-half and Small struck back to back points in the 46th and 47th minutes to open up a seven-point lead.
McNamee, Dunne, Shane Horkan and Sean Wyer pulled back points for Offaly to keep them in it.
But a 54th minute red card for Offaly, allied to a fortuitous third goal for Wicklow soon after, when the ball was carried across the goal-line by an Offaly defender, put the game to bed.