Five-goal Kilkenny come to life post-interval to end Wexford threat
TOP OF THEIR LIST: Young supporters surround Kilkenny legend TJ Reid for autographs after the Cats' vital Leinster SHC group game win against Wexford at UPMC Nowlan Park. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Crisis averted. For now. Kilkenny rolled up their sleeves, tightened their jaws and put points on the board.
A limp Wexford performance, described as “not acceptable” by manager Keith Rossiter, helped but Kilkenny’s vastly superior appetite for work made the difference and eased the pre-match tensions in UPMC Nowlan Park.
It had been a chastening week for Kilkenny having lost by an aggregate 33 points to Galway over league and championship games.
There was uncertainty in a lot of their first-half play and their four-point lead, 1-11 to 1-7, was fragile but they burned off Wexford early in the second half.
Wexford were so often caught on their heels if not in attack where they were often isolated then in defence where they sat off Kilkenny.
Martin Keoghan for his 2-3 haul and TJ Reid for breaking the all-time championship scoring record deserved plaudits and their half-back line were immense.
By the conclusion, Paddy Deegan was probably sore, not by the amount of physical challenges he won but the amount of striking he did.
Derek Lyng wouldn’t have expected perfection after Galway rocked them the previous Saturday but he would have insisted on a response and he got it.
“Everything went right but I was really pleased with just our attitude to keep going and look for the next ball. We knew that we obviously left a few score behind us, particularly in the first 10 minutes of the game, and we kind of struggled to just settle down a little bit. But we're really pleased that we just kept going, every ball we were contesting and I thought their application was outstanding.
“We probably could have been a little further ahead (at half-time) and sometimes that can make you a little bit anxious and I just thought, even at the start of the second half, Wexford picked off a score or two, worked their way back into the game. That's the most pleasing thing I think, (we) just kept going, the energy was really good.”
Wides and some over-elaborate short passing early on frustrated Kilkenny supporters in the 13,576 crowd, but there was no question that they were behind their team when required. They had to be after the 15-point tanking to Galway.
“Obviously, we know that our expectations, our standards are quite high and there would have been a lot of disappointment to last week,” said Lyng. “It was massive to hear and see the huge crowd there behind us tonight. That means an awful lot to the players because as I said before, they're a fantastic group and they're giving everything to it. It's about putting in performances now.”
Wexford matched fire with fire when Kevin Foley’s goal in first half additional time immediately cancelled out Keoghan’s virtuoso effort in the 35th minute, catching Jordan Molloy’s delivery, falling, rising, running and finishing.
But Liam Moore and Cian Kenny’s blasts within five minutes of each other in the third quarter put them on their backsides.
When Keoghan rounded the Wexford defence for his second in the 55th minute, the only question remaining was the margin, which Reid augmented with an additional time goal.
Rossiter agreed Wexford’s marking was far too loose. “It wasn't the plan, to be honest. Be it (too much) respect or not, it wasn't the plan to have that much space between the players.
“I thought it was happening an awful lot. Or to feel we gave them too much room, too much time on the ball. They'll punish you every time. We're a young side. People say, 'Yeah, you're young, you're going to learn.' But that's a fair learning curve tonight now.”
But Wexford’s problems extended to the other half of the field where support play was shoddy. “Diarmuid O'Leary broke off midfield, and I don't think anyone came off his shoulder. I think there were five Kilkenny lads around him and no Wexford man and he was going down a dark tunnel and had to turn around. I think they might have got a score off it. So, energy, hunger, fight. We lacked in a couple of those areas today.”
What made it all the worse was Rossiter had sensed Kilkenny were vulnerable. Saturday week’s clash with Dublin in Chadwicks Wexford Park now becomes hugely significant for his “hurting” charges.
“We're back to the traditional old format of knockout hurling,” Rossiter remarked. “We still have eyes on Leinster but it's back to the old format now. If you get bet again, you're going to struggle to get to third position.”
Kilkenny won’t be reading more than they have to in this performance but there is a chance Adrian Mullen, Harry Shine and Eoghan Lyng may be in the mix for the Offaly game in Tullamore on Sunday week.
“Offaly have top-class players and obviously a lot of their younger team are coming through and that's going to be a huge battle up there,” said Lyng.
: T.J. Reid (1-8, 0-6 frees, 0-2 65s); M. Keoghan (2-3); C. Kenny (1-3); L. Moore (1-0); T. Phelan, J. Molloy (0-2 each); D. Blanchfield, K. Doyle, P. Deegan (0-1 each).
: L. Chin (0-6, 4 frees); K. Foley (1-2); S. Roche, C. Byrne, D. Reck (0-2 each); C. Hearne, R. Banville (0-1 each).
: E. Murphy; M. Butler, M. Carey, I. Bolger; D. Blanchfield, D. Corcoran, P. Deegan; K. Doyle, J. Molloy; T. Phelan, C. Kenny, L. Moore; M. Keoghan, T.J. Reid (c), E. Cody.
: S. Donnelly for T. Phelan (56); T. Clifford for K. Doyle (62); S. Murphy for I. Bolger (70); R. Reid for C. Kenny (70+2); G. Dunne for M. Keoghan (70+6).
: M. Fanning; S. Reck, L. Ryan, D. Carley; D. Reck, R. Lawlor, C. Foley; C. Hearne, D. O’Leary; J. O’Connor (c), S. Roche, R. Banville; K. Foley, L. Chin, J. Redmond.
C. Byrne for J. O’Connor (39); S. Rowley for S. Roche (51); D. Clarke for L. Ryan (57); J. Byrne for D. O’Leary (60); T. Kinsella for J. Redmond (70+5).
: J. Murphy (Limerick).
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