Wexford 0-18 Laois 0-12: ON A WEEKEND when Division Three stock soared, its title holders duly reached a first Leinster final in 52 years.
Wexford were thoroughly superior for much of the match but, as the team's upbeat young manager, Jason Ryan, pointed out afterwards, Laois spent most of the match in a position where a goal would have opened up the contest and it took a couple of injury-time points to give the scoreboard a reasonably reflective look.
That of course isn't unusual for a team contesting a fifth successive provincial semi-final but still awaiting its first success in the penultimate round.
Credit goes to the winners for a sustained performance of energy and commitment that only briefly dipped in its conviction around the hour mark, when Laois cut the margin to three, before Wexford emphatically outscored them 0-4 to 0-1 in the time remaining.
Laois manager Liam Kearns must have been disappointed with how poor a challenge his team mounted, particularly in the face of opposition that would have been jumpy in a tight finish, given the historic achievement within their grasp. It must also have been particularly frustrating to watch Wexford drive on even though their star forward Matty Forde had a mixed day, landing six points including four from play, but also running up eight wides and dropping another chance into the keeper's hands.
But Wexford kept going, maintaining momentum through a nervy first quarter and keeping their composure when the gap briefly narrowed towards the end.
Ryan name-checked nearly his entire team when handing out the bouquets and there was a lot to admire in the consistency of performance throughout the field.
The defence held out against the goal threat although Colm Parkinson, a late replacement at full forward for Colm Kelly (St Joseph's), threatened just that when firing a goal chance for a point in the 51st minute and fisting an inviting ball across goal 10 minutes later for Colm Kelly (Stradbally) to knock over the bar.
At full back Philip Wallace struggled at times with Parkinson's mobility, which cost four points from play, but drew praise from his manager for the manner in which he marshalled the defence in the second half.
Defenders from both sides were able to make penetrating runs into attack but Wexford's Adrian Morrissey was the stand-out performer in that regard and he kicked two points himself.
Wexford's attack these days amounts to more than Forde and a cast of extras and that withstood the scrutiny of yesterday, PJ Banville and Redmond Barry ending up with three points each from play and Barry also using the ball very well as a play maker.
Ciarán Lyng might have scored just one point but he was a constant menace to Laois and but for a couple of slips would have added to his total.
The big problem for Laois rapidly developed at centrefield. By the resumption of play after the interval, Kearns had installed his first-choice pairing, the convalescent Pádraig Clancy (who would be red carded in the 69th minute for a tussle with Eric Bradley) and Brendan Quigley, in place of Kevin Meaney, who had impressed against Wicklow but here was substituted after a quarter of an hour, and John O'Loughlin, deemed more necessary at centre forward to add some strength and ball carrying to an ailing attack.
But for most of the 70 minutes it was Thomas Howlin and Brendan Doyle, supplemented by Bradley at centre forward, who quarried the necessary reserves of possession and kept Wexford moving forward. In the early stages, with Wexford's wides total already climbing, Laois took the lead but lacked conviction in trying to make their greater experience tell on the scoreboard and the sides were level after the first quarter, by which stage Wexford started to settle.
The defence was doing the hard work with great blocks going in from David Murphy, rock-solid throughout at centre back, and corner back Brian Malone. They survived a raid from Laois wing back Pádraig McMahon - who was just off target with a goal opportunity just after the half-hour - and led by 0-8 to 0-6 at the break.
Within five minutes the margin was four, as Barry hit one of two excellent points from the left wing and found Bradley unmarked for another. Through the third quarter the margin expanded to six and minutes later Lyng nearly took the ball around the keeper but was blocked for a 45, which Forde kicked to make it 0-14 to 0-8 in the 58th minute. Laois replaced four of the attack and Colm Kelly made an impact kicking a couple of frees and adding a point from play but Wexford never panicked.
Their workrate at the back held steady and they continued to press forward even when Laois rattled off three quick, unanswered points minutes around the hour mark.
Momentum was restored with a fabulous dispatch from the left sideline by replacement Shane Roche to stretch the difference back to four, 0-15 to 0-11.
The final margin could have been bigger but in the last play of the game Forde elected to make sure of a point rather than set up a goal chance inside, where two colleagues waited unmarked. By that stage six was as good as eight.
WEXFORD: 1 A Masterson; 4 B Malone, 3 P Wallace, 2 N Murphy; 5 A Morrissey (0-2), 6 D Murphy, 7 C Morris (capt); 8 T Howlin, 14 B Doyle (0-1); 11 R Barry (0-3), 9 E Bradley (0-1), 12 A Flynn; 13 C Lyng (0-1), 15 M Forde (0-6, two 45s), 10 PJ Banville (0-3). Subs: 18 D Walsh for N Murphy (46 mins); 27 S Roche (0-1) for Flynn (56); 25 R Stafford for Howlin (63); 30 C Byrne for Doyle (68). Yellow cards: N Murphy (6 mins); Howlin (55 mins).
LAOIS: 1 M Nolan; 3 M Timmons (0-1), 4 J Higgins, 2 C Healy; 5 T Kelly, 6 D Rooney (capt), 7 P McMahon (0-1); 8 K Meaney, 9 J O'Loughlin; 10 R Munnelly (0-1, free), 11 B McCormack, 12 B Sheehan; 13 M Tierney (0-2, one free), 20 C Parkinson (0-4), 15 P Lawlor. Subs: 17 P Clancy for Meaney (15 mins); 18 P O'Leary for McCormack (27); 30 B Quigley for Sheehan (half-time); 25 D Brennan for Tierney (54); 24. C Kelly (0-3, one free) for Lawlor (57). Yellow cards: Quigley (42 mins); Lawlor (53 mins). Red card: Clancy (69 mins).
Attendance: 25,555.
Referee: R Hickey (Clare)
