Wexford’s rousing response as Galway given a lesson in Leinster hurling championship clash

It must have been a tough week for Keith Rossiter and his charges as they listened to the fall-out from our first-ever loss to Antrim at this level, but what a way to respond!

After an inspired afternoon from the home side, the pervading doom and gloom has been replaced by a renewed optimism, although this is very much a game-by-game exercise for arguably the most unpredictable team on the hurling scene.

The break next weekend will be warmly welcomed as Wexford freshen up and watch the other four counties do battle, and then they must approach the visit to Carlow for the next round on May 19 with the same savage drive and focus that yielded such rich rewards on Saturday.

Our first championship win against Galway since 1996 was enough to have ‘Dancing at the Crossroads’ blasted out over the PA system directly after the final whistle, and the welcome sunny weather added to the gaiety of the occasion.

It was a result that few truly saw coming, certainly not by such an emphatic winning margin at any rate. Having lost four and drawn two of the successive meetings between the counties in the last six championships, home supporters would have been thrilled with a one-point win, but to end that long barren streak on such a high was music enough to the ears even before The Wild Swans let rip.

Considering that Wexford played the last 20 minutes plus additional time with 14 men, after Cian Byrne saw red for a mistimed challenge on Donal O’Shea, it makes this success all the sweeter.

They led by 1-20 to 0-17 at that stage but, rather than losing their way, the loss of a young colleague so highly thought of within the camp spurred them on to even greater heights. Outscoring Galway by 0-8 to 0-6 down the stretch highlights that fact, and it was wonderful for a change to be able to enjoy the last few minutes, safe in the knowledge that Wexford weren’t going to be caught.

Just as criticism was deserved after a dark day in Belfast, it’s entirely fitting that we heap praise on the team and mentors for turning things around in such a short space of time.

The 17 hurlers deployed on Saturday were heroic to a man, on an afternoon when Liam Óg McGovern – a wonderful servant who has given so much to the cause since his 2012 debut – capped his one-hundredth Senior appearance with a second-half point.

That admirable amount of games would be even higher were it not for a couple of debilitating long-term injuries along the way, but the St. Anne’s man is a warrior and his response to those major setbacks has been truly inspiring.

As for the other Liam on the squad, his mere presence after such a long lay-off was enough to lift everyone around him on the field, not to mention his legion of followers in the stand.

Forget about ‘Roy of the Rovers’ for a minute, because this was all about ‘Ryan of the Rapps’ as his return to action for the first time this year added immense solidity to an excellent back line.

He was beside Conor Cooney on the edge of the Clonard end square – back to his familiar stomping ground – for the throw-in, and it probably played into his hands when his direct opponent drifted outfield because it ensured he was constantly involved around the middle third and was able to shake off any rustiness and quickly work himself up to match sharpness.

With Matthew O’Hanlon and Shane Reck limiting Brian Concannon and Conor Whelan to one and two points respectively, and Mark Fanning landing two long-range frees along with keeping a clean sheet, the Wexford backs weren’t nearly as accommodating to those surging runs from Antrim that had gone a long way towards causing the upset seven days earlier.

Damien Reck was also back to near his best in a largely sweeping role, while Conor Foley hit a peach of a second-half point and Eoin Ryan was an assured presence at left half-back on his first championship start.

Conor Hearne excelled at midfield while Richie Lawlor worked himself to a standstill, and the graft of Jack O’Connor was also a big asset before he was forced off early in the second period through injury.

As for his younger brother, when Rory is on song he can be unstoppable, and happily Saturday was one of his best-ever days. Scoring 1-6 from play against such highly-rated rivals is a remarkable accomplishment, and I get the feeling there’s even more to come.

Everyone stepped up from the Antrim debacle, with Conor McDonald also looking a lot sharper on an afternoon when his two-point haul was matched by the unfortunate Cian Byrne, who certainly didn’t intend to do any damage in the challenge that led to his dismissal.

Captain Lee Chin had to contend with an early injury to his left eye that hampered his vision, but that didn’t stop him from ending with another double-digits points haul, this time featuring eight placed balls and three from play.

He’s performing out of his skin this year, and the best thing about Saturday was that he had ample support to rip the Galway challenge apart.

He had converted two early frees to counter a four-point haul from the visitors before showing his class in the ninth minute with Wexford’s opener from play, a classy finish from the left flank after a Shane Reck pass.

Conor Hearne – who had raced through but shot low and wide after 67 seconds – latched on to the puck-out and added the equaliser, with Wexford showing their intent with a quick run of five points on the trot after Conor Whelan edged Galway 0-5 to 0-4 clear in the eleventh minute.

Chin was off the field receiving treatment – replaced by Mikie Dwyer – when Fanning split the posts for the first time, and McDonald quickly added another point after grabbing a Damien Reck delivery.

He returned just in time to make it 7-5 from a free that McDonald earned tight to the left sideline, and Wexford were really motoring well at that juncture.

Richie Lawlor teed up Damien Reck to score from distance, and a sublime reverse flick of the wrist by Cian Byrne resulted in Rory O’Connor’s first point and a 0-9 to 0-5 advantage.

Galway did halt that momentum by drawing level via Ronan Glennon (settling for a point from a goal chance), Evan Niland (free), Conor Whelan and Gavin Lee, but Chin restored Wexford’s lead from Fanning’s restart in the 26th minute.

A long free by the netminder led to Rory O’Connor registering again, with Tom Monaghan hitting back from the puck-out before Chin added another brace, the first from a free secured by Jack O’Connor when he got a slap on the finger for his troubles.

After receiving treatment, the St. Martin’s man got a vital touch on an attempted handpass by Evan Niland that resulted in a third point from play for Chin (0-13 to 0-10).

And it was 15-13 in favour of the home side at the break, responding to three more Niland frees with scores from McDonald and Cian Byrne, the latter after Rory O’Connor had turned over possession in the left corner.

Whatever was going to unfold in the second-half, there was widespread satisfaction at the interval with Wexford’s renewed zeal for sheer hard work. It was certainly more in keeping with what we demand from our flagship hurling team, and full marks to everyone concerned because their approach didn’t slacken thereafter – if anything, that hunger for graft heightened, particularly after Byrne’s dismissal.

The second-half started on a bizarre note, with referee Seán Stack throwing the ball in before Shane Reck returned to the field – the first time I can remember such an occurrence since Offaly whistler Gerry Kirwan did the same in the 1988 semi-final against Kilkenny, when netminder Paul Nolan had to dart from the old Croke Park dressing-rooms into the Canal End goal after the game had resumed.

We won on that occasion too, so perhaps it was a good omen, although more significance must be attached to the excellent response after Evan Niland made it a one-point game again from a free.

Richie Lawlor raced on to the break from the puck-out and fed Rory O’Connor, with his low shot nestling in the left corner of the Clonard end net and Conor McDonald in close proximity (1-15 to 0-14).

That goal was a mighty boost, and it was followed by a gradual extension of the lead as Wexford hit five of the next seven points, with Galway restricted to a couple of Niland frees.

Fanning nailed another free before Liam Óg McGovern got on the end of a super move that featured Damien Reck, McDonald and Chin in the 45th minute.

Cian Byrne, Chin (free) and Rory O’Connor stretched the gap to 1-20 to 0-16, with Niland responding with Galway’s first point of the second-half from play before the former was sent-off.

Tensions were high in the minutes that followed, with Galway manager Henry Shefflin joining the list of yellow card recipients, but that was the least of his worries as his team never seemed capable of utilising the extra man to their advantage.

Chin kept Wexford ticking over from a free and a ’65, with the latter score arriving after Galway goalkeeper Darach Fahy made a stunning save from a Rory O’Connor pull.

That was followed by an example of working the ball short at its very best, with Fanning, the two Ryans, Matthew O’Hanlon and Damien Reck all involved before Conor Foley was left with ample space on the left flank to rifle over a beauty that made it 1-23 to 0-20 after 64 minutes.

A defiant Wexford had an answer to every Galway score, with another Chin free followed by a prime example of the home team’s approach.

Rory O’Connor hunted down Adrian Tuohey from the puck-out and hooked him before firing from under the stand and over the bar amid a tumultuous roar.

He still had time to add another brace of points in a display for the ages, and substitute Cathal Dunbar closed the scoring on a day of redemption for a team under siege. Now it’s all about adding consistency, and that starts with the Carlow challenge on Sunday week.

Wexford: Mark Fanning (Glynn-Barntown, 0-2 frees); Matthew O’Hanlon (St. James’), Liam Ryan (Rapparees), Shane Reck (Oylegate-Glenbrien); Conor Foley (Horeswood, 0-1), Damien Reck (Oylegate-Glenbrien, 0-1), Eoin Ryan (St. Anne’s); Conor Hearne (Shelmaliers, 0-1), Richie Lawlor (Faythe Harriers); Jack O’Connor (St. Martin’s), Liam Óg McGovern (St. Anne’s, 0-1), Rory O’Connor (St. Martin’s, 1-6); Conor McDonald (Naomh Éanna, 0-2), Lee Chin (Faythe Harriers, capt., 0-11, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ’65), Cian Byrne (Fethard, 0-2). Subs. – Mikie Dwyer (Fethard) for Chin, temp. (13-17), Cathal Dunbar (Naomh Éanna, 0-1) for O’Connor, inj. (38), Dwyer for McDonald (69), also Aaron Duggan (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Niall Murphy (Ferns St. Aidan’s), Kevin Foley (Rapparees), Séamus Casey (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Darragh Carley (Glynn-Barntown), Conor Devitt (Tara Rocks), Jack Doran (Naomh Éanna), Tomás Kinsella (Askamore), Charlie McGuckin (Naomh Éanna).

Galway: Darach Fahy; Jack Grealish, Fintan Burke, Pádraic Mannion (0-1); Gearóid McInerney, Cianan Fahy (0-1), Daithí Burke; Ronan Glennon (0-1), Tom Monaghan (0-2); Gavin Lee (0-2), Evan Niland (0-11, 10 frees), Joseph Cooney; Conor Whelan (0-2), Conor Cooney (0-1), Brian Concannon (0-1). Subs. – Donal O’Shea for Glennon (47), Adrian Tuohey for Grealish (47), Jonathan Glynn for O’Shea, inj. (51), Jason Flynn for McInerney (65), Declan McLoughlin (0-1) for Concannon (69).

Referee: Seán Stack (Dublin).

LEINSTER SHC ROUND-ROBIN

P W D L F A PTS

Kilkenny 2 1 1 0 74 42 3

Wexford 3 1 1 1 81 75 3

Dublin 2 1 1 0 51 46 3

Galway 3 1 1 1 83 84 3

Antrim 2 1 0 1 41 71 2

Carlow 2 0 0 2 42 58 0