Oisín McConville Reveals Tremendous Show Of Faith In Wicklow Match-Winner

Oisín McConville says he never doubted Mark Jackson despite criticism earlier in the season, and believes the Wicklow goalkeeper's remarkable performance against Offaly showed exactly why.

Jackson was one of the standout performers as Wicklow produced a sensational second-half comeback to defeat Offaly 2-26 to 4-15 and book their place in a first-ever Tailteann Cup final.

The Garden County trailed by eight points at half-time after conceding three goals and looked to be heading out of the competition.

Instead, they exploded into life after the interval, outscoring Offaly by 1-17 to 1-4 over the final 35 minutes.

Jackson played a central role in that turnaround.

The goalkeeper nailed all three of his long-range free attempts, including one effort from well beyond 50 metres that sucked the life out of Offaly just as Wicklow were beginning to gather momentum.

It was a moment of redemption for the shot-stopper.

Only two months ago, Mark Jackson endured a difficult afternoon against Dublin in Leinster, failing to convert any of his six attempts from distance in a narrow two-point defeat.

Some questioned whether Wicklow should have turned elsewhere for those frees.

Oisín McConville never considered it.

People said to me after the Dublin game, ‘Would you not have switched him off the frees, would you not have liked someone else hitting them?'

But no, if we had 10 more frees, he would have hit the 10.

The Wicklow manager believes Jackson's value to the team goes far beyond the scores he contributes.

You have to back your man and we consistently back him because he's took us out of more holes than people would realise.

Jackson finished with six points, matching the tally of man-of-the-match Chris O'Brien, who was outstanding from play.

Goals from Eoin Darcy and Oisín McGraynor proved equally crucial, while Dean Healy once again excelled at midfield and Eoin Murtagh's spectacular two-pointer in the closing stages will feature prominently on the highlights reels.

Offaly had built a commanding advantage by the break and looked in complete control.

At half-time, Wicklow decided to remove the shackles.

The response was extraordinary.

The victory represents another significant milestone in Wicklow's steady rise under McConville.

They failed to emerge from their Tailteann Cup group in his first season, reached a quarter-final in 2024 and a semi-final in 2025.

Now they are preparing for the biggest game in the county's recent history.

Standing in their way will be Down in the Tailteann Cup final.

The Mourne men will likely start as favourites, but after the resilience Wicklow showed against Offaly, few will be willing to write off McConville's side.

And if they do pull off another shock, don't be surprised if Mark Jackson has a major say in it.