It has been the ideal start for Cork manager Donal O'Grady as his charges handed him his second successive league victory.
While it may have taken them time to put away the Wexford challenge at Wexford Park yesterday, they look totally focused with full points from their opening two outings.
Wexford forced to line out with full back David O'Connor were made pay for a dreadful opening 35 minutes when, despite the assistance of a very strong wind, they were only able go in level at the break. Indeed, but for the tremendous goalkeeping of Damian Fitzhenry, Cork would have been well clear at the break.
Fitzhenry was later to turn villain. After making two tremendous saves from Eoin Fizgerald in the second and 10th minutes, he was eventually beaten when he pulled down a high Timmy McCarthy ball only for Alan Browne to be on hand to tap the breaking ball to the net, the goal arriving after 27 minutes.
Amazingly the opening 15 minutes failed to produce a score with Cork striking four wides to Wexford's three during this spell. Eventually Wexford broke the deadlock through a 16th minute Barry Lamber pointed free, and he followed this up with a further point.
Cork seemed happy to contain Wexford and the visitors had to wait until the 26th minute for their opening score, a Joe Deane pointed free.
The home-side introduced Paul Codd and he immediately made his presence felt with a point before Alan Browne's goal helped Cork go in level 1-2 to 0-5 at the break.
While Wexford were finding it difficult to settle, Michael O'Connell and Joe Deane created a two point gap for Cork within four minutes of the restart. Cork had more of a pattern to their game and Timmy McCarthy worked his way through two defenders to beat Damian Fitzhenry from close range giving his side a five point cushion, 2-4 to 0-5, after 41 minutes.
Suddenly Wexford sprang to life responding immediately for Anthony O'Leary to flick a high ball out of the grasp of keeper Donal Óg Cusack, handing his side a lifeline.
But all over the pitch it was Cork who were playing the quality hurling, and it was only the point taking of Michael Jordan, which was keeping Wexford in the game.
With nine minutes remaining just two points separated the sides, 2-9 to 1-10, but it was in the closing exchanges that the continuous pressure eventually paid off for Cork, and they finished with five unanswered points through three long range John Gardiner frees and further points from team captain Alan Browne and Joe Deane.
"Our main priority was to get two points. We contained Wexford very well in the first-half, struggled for a period in the second but we still had seven points to spare despite striking 14 wides", said O'Grady afterwards.
CORK: D Óg Cusack; W Sherlock, P Mulcahy, B Murphy; S Óg Ó hAilpin, R Curran, J Gardiner (0-4, frees); M O'Connell (0-1), D Barrett; N McCarthy, T McCarthy (1-1), J O'Connor; E Fitzgerald, J Deane (0-5, 4 frees), A Browne (1-1). Subs: S Ó hAilpin for O'Connor (50 mins); B O'Connor for T McCarthy (58 mins); K Murphy for Fitzgerald (65 mins)
WEXFORD: D Fitzhenry; M Travers, C Kehoe, D Guiney; D Stamp, D Ruth (0-1), K Rossiter; A Fenlon, M O'Leary (0-1); R McCarthy, M.J Furlong, M Jordan (0-4); R Jacob, A O'Leary (1-0), B Lambert (0-2 frees). Subs: P Codd (0-2) for Furlong (27 mins); L Murphy for McCarthy (35 mins); l Dunne for Lambert (45 mins)
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).
