Longford ... 4-4 Wexford ... 0-12 Wexford extended the Christmas mood well into the New Year at Gorey yesterday in the O'Byrne Cup semi-final. Some of the four goals they gifted Longford were wrapped in fancier ribbons than others, but the spirit of giving inspired them all.

As new Wexford manager Dom Twomey put it ruefully afterwards: "When you concede four goals you have to score 13 points to win".

It wasn't clear whether this was a simple statement of arithmetic or subconscious reference to how unlikely his own team were to cut the point-scoring burden by scoring a goal or two themselves.

It was all very frustrating for the home team given how utterly in control they looked in the first half.

Granted, they should have had more than the five points on the board by the 27th minute, but, with only one conceded and the ball almost permanently at their disposal, Wexford were cruising.

Then, in little over a minute, the roof fell in and Longford never lost the resulting initiative.

Firstly, Paul Ross slipped the ball to Enda Ledwith, on a run up from centre back.

A shot for a point caught Wexford goalkeeper Jason Russell a little off his line and, as he tried to scramble back, the ball bounced off the crossbar to Trevor Smullen standing there completely unmarked and his tap-in cut the deficit to 1-1 to 0-5.

Seconds later and Russell was again in the frame when he eschewed a simple pass to Colm Morris at right corner back and belted the ball long.

It went to Longford replacement David Barden and his shot at the empty goal came again off the bar and into the net via Morris who was trying to cover on the line.

You got the feeling Wexford might struggle to get over this rapidly administered double blow as they came to terms with the evaporation of all their hard work.

So it proved. The goals woke up Longford and they began to take a grip on proceedings. Up until that point they had looked sluggish and uninterested. On a marshland surface Wexford's players left footprints up and down the field as they ran the ball intelligently and with purpose out of defence.

Late call-up Rory Mallon looked the most accomplished player on the field. The dual player lined out at right wing back from where he won a stack of ball, made himself constantly available and made a number of draining runs up the flank.

It might be said in retrospect that the arrival of David Barden helped turn things around in this sector and allowed his brother Paul get more involved and demonstrate his class.

The soft pitch appeared to inhibit Wexford more than their opponents. Their quick short-passing game got bogged down up front and that combined with a reluctance to take on shots so that the total at half-time didn't reflect the home possession.

Trailing 0-5 to 2-2 at the break, Wexford laboured to get the margin back to one by the 50th minute only to concede another goal.

Padraig Shanley's hopeful punt didn't look to pose great danger, but Russell could have been quicker off his line and Smullen was there to slap the ball into the net.

Although the half was proving a lot more competitive with Longford's Liam Keenan disrupting the centrefield domination of Willie Carley and Robert Hassey, Wexford made a decent effort to save the match. With nine minutes left they pulled the margin back to a point with scores from Mattie Forde, who had nearly got a goal earlier through a dropping ball from Mallon.

But, in the 66th minute, it was over. Colm Morris who had played well in defence had the misfortune to spill the ball around his half line.

Paul Barden picked it up and sped through to carve out a chance for Padraic Davis. His clinical finish set up Longford for another crack at the O'Byrne Cup, which the county won so memorably three years ago.

LONGFORD: G Tonra; D Brady, C Conefrey, D Ledwith; M Mulleady, E Ledwith, A O'Connor; L Keenan, J O'Callaghan; M Lennon, P Barden (0-3, one free), P Ross; T Smullen (2-0), P Shanley (0-1), P Davis (1-0). Subs: D Barden (1-0) for Lennon (21 mins); R Clyne for O'Callaghan (59); N Sheridan for Shanley (62); J Martin for D Barden (67).

WEXFORD: J Russell; C Morris, R Mageean, M Gahan; R Mallon (0-1), P Wallace, P Curtis; W Carley, R Hassey; J Hudson, D Breen, R Barry; P Carley, D Kinsella (0-2, one 45), M Forde (0-8, six frees). Subs: P Colfer for Hudson (34 mins); T Howlin for Barry (40); T Mahon (0-1) for Gahan (45); J Levingstone for P Carley (54); N Murphy for Kinsella (57).

Referee: P Devlin (Kilkenny).