NHL DIVISION TWO Wexford 4-18 Antrim 1-12:THERE WILL be tougher days ahead for Wexford than this onesided second half as they steamrolled Antrim at Wexford Park yesterday afternoon.

Just before the interval, Antrim, with wind advantage, were three points clear when they had wing-forward PJ O’Connell straight red-carded for an alleged wild pull under a dropping ball but referee Séamus Roche’s call was harsh.

Whatever Wexford manager Colm Bonnar had to say during the half-time break had the desired effect for the home side who trailed by three points. They came storming out of the blocks with 1-4 inside 10 minutes of the restart, the goal from corner-forward Peter Atkinson leaving 14-man Antrim facing a real struggle.

Having played some quality hurling through the opening 35 minutes, Antrim were unable to recover from Wexford’s early second-half scoring blitz. The visitors had to wait until the 60th minutes for their opening second-half score, a Paul Shiels pointed free.

Earlier a PJ O’Connell point put Antrim in front inside two minutes. Wexford responded with points from Atkinson, Diarmuid Lyng, Eoin Quigley and Rory Jacob, but a Shiels pointed free stopped the rot for Antrim. By the 10th minute Wexford added a Colm Farrell point and a Rory Jacob goal to lead 1-5 to 0-2.

But Neil McManus’s pointed free and his goal from a 21-metre free helped send Antrim in with a 1-9 to 1-6 interval lead.

Within one minute of the restart, Wexford’s Atkinson found the net from close in, and they added four points without reply through two apiece from Rory Jacob and Stephen Banville to lead 2-10 to 1-9..

Further goals from corner forwards Atkinson and Jacob extended the lead to 4-15 to 1-9, as Antrim’s challenge wilted and Wexford went on to book their place in the final against Clare.

WEXFORD: N Carton; L Prendergast (0-1), K Rossiter, E Doyle; R Kehoe, C Kenny (0-1), M Travers; M Molloy, C Farrell (0-1); A Shore, E Quigley (0-1), D Lyng (0-5, three frees); R Jacob (2-3), S Banville (0-2), P Atkinson (2-4). Subs: T Waters for Quigley (43 mins); M. Jacob for Banville (54); H Kehoe for Molloy (56); P Kenny for Shore (61); E Quigley (Rapparees) for Kehoe (64).

ANTRIM: C O'Connell; B McFall, C Donnelly, A Graffin; N McAuley, J Campbell, C Herron; P Shiels (0-6, 3 frees), E McCloskey (0-1); C McFall, N McManus (1-1 frees), PJ OConnell (0-1); C McAlister (0-2), D Hamill, S McCrory. Subs: J McKeague for McFall, M Devlin (0-1)for McAlister (63), T McCann for McManus (64); K McKeegan for Graffin (67).

Referee: S Roche(Tipperary).