Second-half goals from Kevin Foley and championship debutant Cian Byrne propelled Wexford to a dominant 2-24 to 0-19 win over Antrim in Saturday’s opening round of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship at a chilly Chadwicks Wexford Park.
The victory was a crucial one for Wexford, not only as a response to their shock defeat to Antrim at Corrigan Park last year—their first-ever championship loss to the Ulster side—but also ahead of tough upcoming away fixtures against Dublin and Galway in the coming weeks.
Wexford had to overcome early nerves after Antrim’s Seaan Elliott won a penalty just two minutes in. Fortunately for the home side, Gerard Walsh’s effort sailed over the bar, sparing them an early setback.
Antrim started stronger, with scores from Walsh, Keelan Molloy, James McNaughton, and both Nigel and Seaan Elliott giving them a 0-6 to 0-2 lead by the ninth minute. But Wexford, driven by the accuracy of Lee Chin—who landed three frees, one from his own half—rallied to level the game by the 17-minute mark.
Rory O’Connor added two quick points to put Wexford in front, but momentum was briefly threatened when Jack O’Connor was shown a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident with Joe Maskey. Despite being reduced to 14 men, Wexford regrouped well and led 0-14 to 0-10 at the break, with Chin contributing nine first-half points, five of them from placed balls.
Antrim closed the gap to two early in the second half, with scores from McNaughton and Walsh, but Wexford reasserted control. Chin continued to punish Antrim with frees, while Rory O’Connor and Cathal Dunbar pushed the lead to 0-19 to 0-13 by the 47th minute.
Antrim had a golden opportunity to make their numerical advantage count when Keelan Molloy broke through, only to see his goal attempt brilliantly tipped over the bar by Wexford goalkeeper Mark Fanning.
Moments later, Wexford landed a hammer blow. Kevin Foley plucked a puck-out from the air and blasted home his third career championship goal, giving his side a 1-20 to 0-16 lead. Antrim’s hopes were further dashed when defender Conor Boyd was sent off for a second yellow card following a foul on Foley.
The game was effectively sealed in the 60th minute when defender Cian Molloy surged forward and set up Cian Byrne, who calmly finished to the net to make it 2-21 to 0-16. Byrne was substituted immediately after, having made a memorable impact on his championship debut.
Wexford now head into a challenging stretch with renewed confidence, while Antrim will need a major turnaround as they prepare to host Kilkenny and Dublin in their next two fixtures.
