The night U20s put Kildare hurling on the map with Wexford knockout

“It’s not about today,” said manager Pat English. “It’s about the 10 years of work that is after going in.”

“Teams hate coming to Newbridge and we have to keep it that way,” said manager Pat English. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile

It took Kildare almost 70 minutes, including injury time, to defeat Wexford and cause the shock of this year’s U20 Hurling Championship — but it took the best part of a decade to get the team in a place to compete with the best players in Leinster.

This was no ordinary Wexford team. They started with eight players who were part of the team that beat Kilkenny in the 2019 Leinster minor final to bring a first Leinster title at that grade back to their county since 1985.