Offaly ‘grind out’ victory
Much to Baker’s relief, his custodian James Dempsey held his ground defiantly to stop Fanning’s strike, and when Joe Bergin gathered possession from the rebound and cleared his lines, it meant Offaly had secured their first victory in Division 1B of the Allianz Hurling League.
It certainly wasn’t pretty stuff in blustery O’Connor Park, Tullamore yesterday, with referee Shane Hourigan issuing eight yellow cards and blowing for almost 50 frees. But Baker didn’t care. “It was all about the result. I can’t fault the players for their honesty and work rate. They really had to grind it out. We played lovely hurling against Wexford in the league last year down in Wexford Park. We led by nine points with five minutes to go and lost. It would have been a long, long season if we had lost again. I’m delighted with the win. We’ve three games to go now and everything to play for.”
