Wexford FC have the tools to pull off a Sports Direct FAI Cup semi-final upset this weekend and coupled with enticing future plans off the pitch, progression to the final would spur on a potentially exciting time for the club and area, according to former Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic goalkeeper Barry Murphy.
James Keddy's side are the only SSE Airtricity Men's First Division team left in this year's competition and will face Drogheda United in the semi-final on Sunday (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 2.45pm) with the prize being an Aviva Stadium showpiece against either Bohemians or Derry City on 10 November.
The club, whose only season in the Premier Division came back in 2016, nine years after they were founded as Wexford Youths, will be heavy underdogs against a Drogheda side who have made real headway in putting daylight between themselves and beleaguered Louth derby rivals Dundalk in the battle to avoid automatic relegation from the top flight.
Wexford, meanwhile, beat UCD 2-0 on Friday to tighten their grip on a promotion play-off spot, having also finished comfortably inside the First Division top five last season.
Off the pitch, in conjunction with Wexford County Council and South East Technological University (SETU), last November the club announced plans to build a new stadium in Wexford town, with a capacity of 4,000 to 6,000. It would mean moving in closer proximity to Wexford town in comparison to their current Ferrycarrig Park ground. Funding of €373,841 has also been recently allocated through the Sports Capital Grants.
While the prospect of Wexford playing at a new venue is still years away, with the club also applying for €5.5 million in funding from the Department for Sport, putting the club up in lights via the FAI Cup would be a significant boost.
Overcoming a stronger Drogheda side is a significant obstacle however, although Wexford do have weaponry of their own, with the front three of Aaron Dobbs, Thomas Oluwa and Mikie Rowe providing a cutting edge with 29 goals between them in the First Division this season.
"They do (have threats) and Aaron Dobbs is probably the biggest finisher of the lot of them," 2021 FAI Cup winner Murphy told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
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"I would have seen him years ago when he was coming through the (Shamrock) Rovers academy and he was going to be the next big thing. Gary Twigg was still around at the time. He was that type of mould, just a goalscorer.
"But he's bagged goals again and (Wexford play) really offensive football, they play some really good stuff and you marry that with Wexford also getting that allocation from the Government as well towards the new stadium and you've got that sort of momentum about getting to a cup final and suddenly you've got a new stadium on the horizon.
"It would be great for the area to go and build it up down there as well and as Keith (Treacy) said, they've got a great chance. It's a one-off game, semi-final, anything can happen in these games and it's just to go and enjoy it and get something from it."
However, Drogheda will provide a daunting hurdle. The Louth side, who are hoping to return to the final for the first time since 2012, come into the game off the back of an impressive 2-1 win over Derry City in the league which was spearheaded by their potent front two of Frantz Pierrot and Douglas James-Taylor, backed up by the creativity of Darragh Markey.
Also speaking on the podcast, former Republic of Ireland, Blackburn Rovers and Drogheda winger Keith Treacy said the multi-faceted approach of Kevin Doherty's side will make it even more difficult for Wexford.
"You can go and say, 'We won't let Drogheda play out from the back, we'll press all over', (but) Drogheda will be happy enough to clip one up to the two front boys and go from there," he said.
"And if you sit off and say, 'We're not going to give you the big ball and get around the two big lads and compete from there', then Drogheda will try and play through you.
"There's the likes of Darragh Markey in the middle of the pitch, (Shane) Farrell as well in there to make things happen.
"So Drogheda can go about this a few different ways but I think if you're Wexford, you just go and enjoy yourself. (Wexford) are there on merit, they beat Treaty, they beat Ballyfermot, Wayside Celtic to get here, not the toughest of opposition but they ended up scoring ten goals in those three games. So Wexford will be thinking, 'We have goals in us, we will score a couple of goals'.
"But as you say, that front two of Drogheda, they're such a physical handful, they can run the channels, they're not bad finishers if they get half a chance as well. I'm saying Wexford have scored ten goals in their three games, Drogeda have scored 15 in their three - I know nine of them came in the one game - but they've been scoring goals in the FAI Cup as well."
Whether Drogheda go through to the final or Wexford manage a giant-killing, the favourites to win the trophy stand in the other semi as 2022 winners Derry visit a Bohs side (also live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, Friday from 7.35pm) that have been losing finalists in two of the last three seasons.
However, neither side has been in glittering form in the league, including a Derry side that are in the title race despite some poor results recently.
"The way the league has been going at the moment you wouldn't be surprised if Bohs go and win this cup and that fourth place everyone's fighting for at the moment is gone. That's the way the league has been going," said Murphy of a hard-to-call semi.
"They both have pedigree of late. Bohs have been in the last couple of finals and Derry have gone and won it against Shels in a final.
"But the pressure is on Derry I think really for this game because are they going to put up that title challenge to the final day?
"This can really ease some pressure if Ruaidhri Higgins goes there and gets a win and you have a final to look forward to because it's such a massive thing for a club like Derry to bring down a huge amount of supporters.
"It eased that pressure the last time there was a little bit of pressure on (Higgins) when they weren't doing so well in the league and they might need that little outlet again.
"And for Bohs, they just really need something to galvanise behind because they've had a couple of good results against Shamrock Rovers but they were expected to go and win in Dundalk and bar that, they've had nothing to really cheer about so if they had a cup final on the horizon, that would be huge.
"On form, you wouldn't fancy either of these teams to go and beat what would probably be Drogheda from the other semi-final. But there have been goals in the last couple of games between these two teams so you would expect more on Friday."
Watch the FAI Cup semi-finals, Bohemians v Derry City on Friday from 7.35pm and Drogheda United v Wexford on Sunday from 2.45pm. Both game on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
Watch Shamrock Rovers v Shelbourne in the League of Ireland on Sunday from 5.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
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