Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Wexford 1-30 Antrim 1-26  

AT the final whistle at Wexford Park on Saturday, just four points separated Antrim from the hosts but this high-scoring affair was a strange one to say the least.

Antrim, who came into the game with momentum, took far too long to get going as the intensity and aggression that marked the draw against Dublin completely absent.

Instead, it was the hosts that tore into the game and looked bang up for it, forcing turnovers, hassling, harrying and pouring on the scores.

Antrim made it easy for them too as the marking was slack and the accuracy just not there as they got caught or gave away possession too easily at times and nine adrift at the break in no way flattered Wexford.

Yet the Saffrons improved greatly after the break, clearly stung by some harsh truths delivered at the break and worked their way into the game, but couldn't find a second goal to really ignite their challenge and ultimately will look back at this game with regrets due to the extremely slow start that would cost them.

There was talk of an Antrim win in the build-up and that seemed to fire up the hosts whose big men all stepped up with Rory O'Connor nailing seven points from play, younger brother Jack with five, while Lee Chin - initially named on the bench but to nobody's surprise, started - top-scored for the hosts with eight.

His haul was eclipsed by Conal Cunning who knocked over 13 points for the Saffrons and he had a good supporting cast with the substitutions making a big difference as three would get on the board: Rian McMullan, Paul Boyle and Seamie McAuley.

Had they started, who knows, but the fighting spirit in the second period was a positive even though the efforts came up short.

They improved greatly after the break, but had given themselves far too much to do although had they managed to find a second goal then perhaps the great escape may have been on, but Wexford did enough to see the game out to grab their first points of the competition.

"It's hard to explain the first 15 minutes," said Antrim manager Darren Gleeson.

"We got sucked everywhere we didn't want to go, looked very exposed. They turned us over a lot, maybe eight or nine when we had the ball and they turned it into 1-5 and could have been more.

"They didn't punish us early; we came back and created five or six goal chances but ended up only taking one, which when you look at four points in it at the end with 1-30 to 1-26, we were going to need a few goals to get us over the line and we didn't get them. It went very quiet there for a long time and we need to be taking those chances - that's the killer.

"Even a free and a 65 (wide) are simple two points we should have been getting and it ending up a four-point game is something we're extremely disappointed about.

"Wexford will be delighted as it gives them oxygen to get back into the competition."

Cathal Dunbar celebrates scoring the Wexford goal
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Cathal Dunbar celebrates scoring the Wexford goal

Wexford were bang up for this game and flew out of the traps with three early points, two of those from Rory O'Connor.

Antrim were much too slack, giving Wexford far too much time and space to do as they wished and there were countless times where they had their pockets picked in possession. 

Scores from Seaan Elliott and Gerard Walsh suggested they were growing into the game and although Wexford his three of the next four points, James McNaughton soloed in on the right and lashed to the net to level.

But the hosts quickly wiped this out with four points on the spin and on 15 minutes, they got the goal they had been threatening as Rory O'Connor got onto a long ball and popped it to Cathal Dunbar who was given the freedom of the park to cut inside and blast to the net.

This made it 1-10 to 1-4 but there was no let-up from the hosts as Oisin Foley, Jack O'Connor, Rory O'Connor, Dunbar and Lee Chin popped over the points.

Antrim got to within five thanks to Keelan Molloy and McNaughton, but Wexford kept their foot on the gas, reeling off five on the spin before Conal Cunning landed a free and then a 65 that resulted from a great stop by James Lawlor from Antrim substitute Rian McMullan at point-blank range.

A Chin free on the stroke of half-time put Wexford into a 1-19 to 1-10 lead and they were in no way flattered by that margin.

Antrim were much improved after the break with Neil McManus firing over within seconds and after Chin replied, a hat-trick of scores from Cunning, McMullan and Conor Johnston left just six in it.

But Wexford always had an answer with Chin plus the O'Connors leading the way and the gap was eight entering the final quarter.

Antrim were hoping for a second goal to ignite their challenge, but Keelan Molloy was off-target on the spin when off-balance and later, had a shot well saved by Lawlor.
Yet the Saffrons stuck to the task with Cunning continuing to knock over the frees to bring his personal haul to 13 for the evening as a little bit of anxiety began to creep into the home support.

Lee Chin gets away from Paul Boyle
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Lee Chin gets away from Paul Boyle

Richie Lawlor steadied them with a point in stoppage time and with Antrim now chasing goals, Neil McManus saw a late free whistle over as they fell short by four points.

Wexford are now on the board for the campaign while Antrim will reflect on this game with regrets of how they took much too long to get going and paid for it.

"We're going to have to look at conceding 1-30 as that's not good enough from us, especially when a lot of it comes from turnovers," Gleeson added.

"But I was very proud of them as they were gallant, stayed at it to the end. I have to say they showed great heart and I was delighted with the impact off the bench.

"I thought Rian (McMullan), Seamie (McAuley) and Paul Boyle made a big difference. There's positives from that, so we just have to get up on the horse against next week (against Kilkenny), get back into Belfast and give it a rattle again."

WEXFORD: J Lawlor; S Reck, L Ryan, C Devitt; M O'Hanlon, C Foley, S Donohoe (0-1); D O'Keefe, C Hearne; Jack O'Connor (0-5), L Chin (0-8, 4 frees, 1 65), O Foley (0-4); R O'Connor (0-7), L Og McGovern (0-2); C Dunbar (1-2)
Subs: Joe O'Connor for L Ryan (HT), C McDonald for C Hearne (45), K Foley for D O'Keefe (54), M Dwyer for Jack O'Connor (59), R Lawlor (0-1) for C Dunbar (69)

ANTRIM: R Elliot; P Burke, R McGarry, N O'Connor (0-1); G Walsh (0-1 free), E Campbell, S Walsh; M Bradley (0-1), S Elliott (0-1); K Molloy (0-1), J Maskey, J McNaughton (1-1); C Cunning (0-13, 9 frees,  3 65s), N McManus (0-2, 1 free), C Johnston (0-1).
Subs: R McMullan (0-2) for J Maskey (33), P Boyle (0-1) for S Walsh (33), E O'Neill for S Elliott (45), S McAuley (0-1) for C Johnston (55), D Nugent for E Campbell (64)

REFEREE: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)