Wexford grind out ‘ugly’ win

Wexford 1-12 Clare 1-10

Certainly, in terms of what had happened already this season — a heavy loss to Waterford in the league, beaten again last Sunday, by Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup final — this one meant a lot more to Wexford yesterday than it did to Clare, a fact quite apparent during and after the game.

On the field, Wexford looked far more committed; they hunted in packs, chased and harassed Clare from one end of the park to the other, celebrated as if winning a championship match at the end; off the field, manager John Meyler was as pumped up afterwards as any of his players.