Wexford 2-12 Laois 0-15: If they'd lost this then Wexford could have started their own vertigo tour, recalling all the moments they stood on top of various divisions of the league, and panicked when they started to look down. If Laois had caused them to freeze like last year it's a fear they may never have overcome.
They did hover nervously on the edge for most of this game, but in the end had just enough courage and determination to hold their position - and say hello to a semi-final meeting with Tyrone in two weeks' time.
Having lead Division One B for most of the past two months it would have been sickening for them to loose out.
It meant Wexford Park witnessed the first major pitch invasion of the season. What went before wasn't always pretty, and Wexford frequently struggled for possession, but they hit the last three scores in a game that never lacked excitement.
All Wexford needed to qualify was a draw, but Laois - whose league would end here no matter happened - weren't offering any goodwill. They played relaxed and unfussy football with the reckless abandon of the last day at school, and very nearly stole the show in the process.
What ultimately saved Wexford was a perfectly timed goal from substitute Darragh Breen on the stroke of half-time, and another 70 minutes of flawless football from Matty Forde. When the pressure was really applied as Laois drew level on 43 minutes, Forde could be seen in every corner of the field, covering back and moving forward with the sort of energy expenditure that is exhausting just to watch.
Most people have lost count of the number of times Forde has single-handed saved Wexford. On 15 minutes, with Laois threatening to run away with it, Forde made perfect use of a hopping ball to score Wexford's first goal. He ended up with 1-5.
Throughout the field Wexford's workrate was impressive, even if their passing and finishing weren't. Philip Wallace certainly helped hold the fort at full back, and Paddy Colfer chipped in one of the defining scores. Yet manager Pat Roe admitted the pressure was at times hard to handle.
"It was tense stuff," said Roe, "but I don't know if it was just nerves. We struggled at midfield for a large part of the second half, and found it very hard to get possession. We knew Laois had the quality to do that to us. But we battled right to the end, and finished strongly with the last few points. ."
By making the semi-finals for the first time in over 50 years Wexford have confirmed their arrival on the main stage of intercounty football. Laois gave them a real test, with Noel Garvan and later Padraig Clancy adding a lesson in midfield play. Roe knows they're not the complete team, and yet they survived an onslaught that would have broken most others.
"All we said before though was that this was a big test for us," added Roe, "and will show how far we've moved on from last year. So we have made that extra stride this year, and are very happy to progress."
While they led 2-7 to 0-9 at half-time thanks to the goals from Forde and Breen, Wexford were then hit with four unanswered points, including a gem from substitute Donie Brennan on 43 minutes. Moments after that Clancy was yellow-carded and that helped tip the balance back in favour of Wexford.
But on 55 minutes they were level for the sixth time, with Chris Conway converting his third free of the half. The teams were locked in battle from there until the end, but a brave point from Breen, then Colfer and finally Forde - fittingly enough - sealed off Wexford's victory.
Afterwards Wexford's first football All Star was typically gracious. "We took our eye off the ball a little bit last week," said Forde, "and maybe got a little bit carried away with the hype. But we trained very well this week, and we can be proud now at the way we came through this."
Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer will have plenty to ponder during the eight-week lay off before their championship start. Clearly his midfield is motoring, but the defence creaked under the more extreme moments of pressure, and the free-taking of both Conway and Ross Munnelly went a little askew in the second half.
"They were really up for it," he said, "but I'm still quite happy with the way we played. Winning or losing meant no difference to us, and we did knock Wexford out of the semi-finals this time last year. So I suppose they paid us back."
WEXFORD: J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy; R Mageean, D Murphy, S Cullen; D Kinsella (0-1), N Lambert; R Barry (0-1), P Colfer (0-2), J Hegarty (0-1); D Fogarty (0-1), J Hudson, M Forde (1-5, four frees). Subs: K Kennedy for Fogarty (16 mins, inj), B Boyle for Lambert (24 mins), D Breen (1-1) for Murphy (25 mins), PJ Banville for Kennedy (60 mins), S Sunderland for Morris (69 mins, yellow card).
LAOIS: F Byron; D Conroy, D Rooney, P Begley; P McMahon, P McDonald, A Fennelly; P Clancy, N Garvan (0-1); R Munnelly (0-3, two frees), C Conway (0-3, all frees), D Miller (0-2); S Cooke (0-3), S Kelly (0-1), B Sheehan. Subs: J Higgins for Conroy (22 mins, inj), C Begley (0-1) for P Begley (half-time), D Brennan (0-1) for Kelly (half-time), M Dunne for Clancy (45 mins, yellow card), I Fitzgerald for Sheehan (56 mins), P Lawlor for Miller (67 mins, inj).
Referee: S McCormack (Meath)
YELLOW CARDS: Wexford - C Morris (69 mins, replaced by G Sunderland); Laois - P Clancy (45 mins, replaced by M Dunne), C Conway (69 mins).
