Clare staring down relegation after Wexford pick up lifeline win

Clare welcomed back All-Ireland winners Tony Kelly, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald and Mark Rodgers for their first starts of the league campaign.

CRUCIAL: Séamus Casey scored a vital second half goal for Wexford against Clare. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

AHL Division 1A: Wexford 1-23 Clare 1-17 

Wexford grabbed a Division 1A lifeline when brushing aside the defending champions to finally get off the mark in front of 4,641 in Cusack Park, Ennis.

With both sides still searching for their first win of 2025, the visitors would recover from a sleepy start to lead for the final 40 minutes of the contest. 

Led by the return of talisman Lee Chin who along with Cian Byrne’s placed balls kept Wexford’s noses in front for the majority, a Seamus Casey goal at the turn of the final quarter proved the timely jolt to push on for what could yet be a valuable survival victory.

All that after Clare welcomed back All-Ireland winners Tony Kelly, John Conlon, David Fitzgerald and Mark Rodgers for their first starts of the campaign, with five-time All-Star Kelly raiding for a goal after only 90 seconds of the throw-in.

Good work from Rory Hayes, David Reidy and a Mark Rodgers surge carved open the Wexford defence for Kelly to finish, adding three more first quarter points to put the hosts 1-5 to 0-4 clear.

A four point unanswered rally through Cathal Dunbar, Lee Chin and a brace of Cian Byrne frees finally reeled in the home side enter the second quarter but it took until Byrne’s fifth placed ball in the 28th minute for Keith Rossiter’s side to edge in front for the first time at 0-11 to 1-07.

Wind-assisted Wexford also finished with the last four points of the half from Kevin Foley, Seamus Casey, Chin and Byrne to hold a 0-15 to 1-09 interval lead.

Aidan McCarthy’s frees chipped away at the deficit on the restart but Clare were fortunate to survive a goal scare when Cian Byrne’s free rebounded off the upright to the waiting Kevin Foley, only for Rory Hayes to block his shot.

The decisive goal did finally arrive in the 51st minute when Cian Byrne and Damien Reck combined to offloaded to Seamus Casey who was also blocked by Hayes, only to make no mistake with the rebound at 1-17 to 1-13.

A buoyant Wexford only grew in confidence thereafter while there would be little resistance from a warweary Banner who are now starring down the barrel of relegation, only twelve months on from winning the national league.

Scorers for Wexford: C Byrne 0-9 (6f, 2’65); S Casey 1-3; L Chin 0-5 (2f); R Lawlor, C Dunbar 0-2 each; J Redmond, K Foley 0-1 each 

Scorers for Clare: A McCarthy 0-8 (7f, 1’65); T Kelly 1-4; R Taylor, I Macnamara, P Crotty, D Reidy, R Mounsey 0-1 each 

WEXFORD: M Fanning; C Foley, S Donohue, E Ryan; R Lawlor, D Reck, C McGuckin; C Hearne, C Dunbar; J O’Connor, J Redmond, L Chin; K Foley, C Byrne, S Casey 

Subs: S Roche for Redmond (51), S Reck for Roche (68), T Kinsella for Casey (74) 

CLARE: E Quilligan; R Hayes, D Lohan, I Macnamara; C Galvin, J Conlon, A Hogan; C Malone, R Taylor; D Fitzgerald, M Rodgers, P Crotty; T Kelly, A McCarthy, D Reidy 

Subs: R Hayes for Conlon (40), P Donnellan for Malone (45), R Mounsey for Fitzgerald (56), A Shanagher for Rodgers (62), C Leen for Lohan (67, inj) 

Referee: T Gleeson (Dublin)