Leinster SHC Semi-finals/Wexford 0-9 Offaly 0-8: A meagre match on a beautiful, mid-summer's day in Nowlan Park ended in volcanic excitement, as Wexford and Offaly scrabbled like hungry strays in front of 15,720 spectators for the point that would win the significant spoils on offer in yesterday's Guinness Leinster semi-final.
In the end it was Wexford debutant Stephen Doyle, drifting around the 45, who rifled off his third point of the match in injury-time to nail the verdict and all that goes with it.
A draw might have been a fairer result if only to allow the teams another opportunity to find better form ahead of next month's provincial final against champions Kilkenny. But the winners will be quite happy to pocket the advancement and try to effect some improvement on their own.
There was more at stake in this than a prospective trimming from Kilkenny. By reaching their sixth consecutive final Wexford have assured themselves of an All-Ireland quarter-final place whereas Offaly must hit the road almost immediately in the qualifiers to try to stave off the unwanted status of ninth team in the country, a niche they currently occupy.
For John McIntyre's team the possibility of edging out Wexford as Kilkenny's nearest challengers in the province would have represented real improvement.
Instead a year of no real improvement beckons: progress in the National League, yes, but not when it really counted.
Despite the almost perfect conditions for hurling it was a day when defences were on top and both teams struggled horribly to do themselves justice. A diagonal wind appeared to disrupt the side with it at their back, as the wides' tally indicated with two and three misses shot into the breeze compared to 11 and nine with it.
Offaly should have been well ahead by half-time instead of only two up, 0-6 to 0-4, and although Wexford shot their quota of inexplicable wides in the second half, the Faithful County will have the greatest cause for regret looking back on their marksmanship.
With the teams locked together at 0-8 apiece from the 59th minute even the most fastidious hurling afficionados in the crowd were enthralled as chance after chance went a-begging and a stalemate loomed.
Rory Jacob and Darren Stamp shared three wides for Wexford. Then Brian Carroll didn't get the length on a 65 and from the clearance Kevin Brady wound up for a pop only to put it wide. Offaly captain Brendan Murphy dropped one short from the wing before Doyle put a stop to it all after another opposition break-out from defence had broken down.
Offaly started nervously and took 16 minutes to score, a long-range free launched by teenage full back Paul Cleary. Wexford had only managed two by this stage - although it took a smart save from Brian Mullins to keep out Rory Jacob - but it was indicative of what was going wrong.
Wexford's defence was well on top. With Offaly dropping puck-outs down the middle Declan Ruth was in his element and Mick O'Hara was switched after the first quarter. It was little different on the inside. Rather than line out David O'Connor on the imposing youngster Joe Bergin, Wexford switched O'Connor and captain Keith Rossiter.
The move worked and Bergin had little joy, apart from a fine 17th-minute point, and ended up on the wing before the match was out and whereas Brian Carroll scored two points in the first half, they were his only chances.
At the other end Offaly's defence was also in control. Cleary was sufficiently on top of Micheál Jordan to enforce the latter's early withdrawal while the Wexford half forwards failed to register a score in the game.
By the end of the match manager Séamus Murphy had used all of his five substitutions to replace forwards but to little effect. Paul Codd made his anticipated return after two years but failed to find a purchase on the Offaly defence.
Going into the final quarter, there was only one point in it, 0-8 to 0-7 for Wexford. Carroll and Joe Brady then got involved in a shoving match with Doc O'Connor after the referee had already awarded Offaly an eminently scoreable free in the 57th minute. But the equaliser came a couple of minutes later after Joe Brady had forced a good save out of Fitzhenry only for Alan Egan to pick up the rebound and point. It was Egan's last act on the field as he was replaced immediately.
The frantic conclusion was jubilantly received by the large Wexford contingent and they head for Croke Park knowing a huge improvement is needed if Westmeath aren't going to end up ranked number two in Leinster.
WEXFORD: 1. D Fitzhenry; 2. M Travers, 4. K Rossiter (capt.), 3. D O'Connor; 5. R Kehoe, 6. D Ruth (0-2, one free and one 65), 7. D Lyng; 11. E Quigley, 9. D Stamp; 10. M Jacob, 8. T Mahon, 12. R McCarthy; 13. S Doyle (0-3), 14. M Jordan, 15. R Jacob (0-3). Subs: 22. D Mythen for Jordan (30 mins), 25. P Codd for Mahon (43 mins), 24. PJ Nolan (0-1) for Mythen (48 mins), 23. S Nolan for for McCarthy (60 mins), 21. MJ Furlong for M Jacob (67 mins). Yellow cards: R Kehoe (30 mins), D Stamp (52 mins), D O'Connor (57 mins), S Nolan (62 mins).
OFFALY: 1. B Mullins; 2. B Teehan, 3. P Cleary (0-1, a free), 4. D Franks; 5. K Brady, 6. R Hanniffy, 7. G Oakley; 8. G Hanniffy, 9. D Hayden (0-1); 10. M Cordial (0-1), 11. M O'Hara, 12. B Murphy (capt.); 13. B Carroll (0-3, one free), 14. J Bergin (0-1), 15. A Hanrahan. Subs: 19. A Egan (0-1) for O'Hara (24 mins), 20. E Bevans for Cordial (46 mins), 21. J Brady for Hanrahan (52), 25. S Brown for Egan (59). Yellow cards: B Carroll (57), J Brady (57).
Referee: P O'Connor (Limerick).
