Defending champions Waterford came a cropper on the first day of the 2008 NHL as Wexford picked up a morale-boosting Division 1A win at Walsh Park.
The south-east rivals swapped five goals during an absorbing first half – Stephen Nolan and man-of-the-match Eoin Quigley netted for Wexford, while Shane Casey, Eoin Kelly (penalty) and Dan Shanahan contributed the Deise's goal.
Waterford led 3-04 to 2-06 at half-time but despite a penalty miss from Nolan, Wexford pulled through thanks to late points from Nolan and Rory Jacob.
Seamus Prendergast popped over the game's opening point in the first-minute as Waterford started well.
Prendergast was a lively presence out around the forty for the Deise, who had Casey, centre-back Richie Foley and wing forward Brian Farrell making their first league starts.
Wexford levelled two minutes later through Quigley, their star man throughout, and they edged ahead in the eighth minute when Nolan's close-range free was blocked but the ball squirmed its way over the goal line.
Waterford were back level just seconds later when Casey came in off the right wing and rifled a shot past Wexford net minder Dermot Flynn.
Waterford then nosed into a 2-02 to 1-02 lead when Kelly smacked a penalty past Flynn and his defenders Malachy Travers and Paul Roche.
Centre-forward Quigley was next to find the net in the 26th-minute when he gathered the ball 35 metres out and ran at pace towards Clinton Hennessy's goal before unleashing a fierce shot which rippled the net.
There was another goal just two minutes later as Waterford replied through Shanahan, their championship goal-getter supreme. He was in the right place at the right time to dribble home after the Deise had hit the post.
That score gave Justin McCarthy's men the edge for half-time, although they were only in front by the minimum as Quigley fired over a neat point in injury-time.
There was a sluggish start to the second half and both sides lost their scoring touch until Nolan pointed for Wexford, a full eight minutes after the resumption.
John Mullane, on as a substitute, quickly replied but Wexford missed out on a gilt-edged chance when Nolan had a penalty blocked by Hennessy on the goal line.
There was a big roar for a point from the visitors' league debutant John Breen, however Shanahan quickly replied and Mullane also answered a well-taken score from Rory Jacob.
All that meant the sides went into the final ten minutes locked level at 3-07 to 2-10. It was truly anybody's game but having picked off two crucial scores through Nolan and Jacob, Wexford had the defensive steel to see out a deserved win.
