Wexford ran out convincing winners of this Leinster senior hurling championship round four tie with a ruthless display which swept last year's Joe McDonagh Cup winners aside at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday.
In the opening exchanges, the home side were the authors of their own misfortune. Even though Rory O’Connor opened the scoring with a point for Wexford, Richie Coady and Chris Nolan, also raised white flags to put Carlow in front.
Then it all went wrong. When Carlow keeper, Brian Tracey had his attempted clearance blocked down, Conor McDonald stroked the sliotar home.
As Wexford upped the ante, a series of Carlow mistakes gifted possession back to the Model County and they punished Carlow severely.
The entire starting full-forward line all featured on the scoreboard for Wexford in the first half while Lee Chin continued to demonstrate that he is one of the finest hurlers in the land. He amassed 0-9 in the opening period from both placed balls and play.
Rory O’Connor also prospered with four points from play while McDonald added two points to his three-pointer.
The Carlow goal was well taken when Paddy Boland won a tussle for possession, off-loaded to Conor Kehoe and he fired into the bottom left-hand corner of the net on 25 minutes.
Marty Kavanagh missed two frees which he would normally score, but the Carlow forward atoned with a brace before the half-time whistle. Ahead 1-21 to 1-7 at the interval, Wexford had the points in the bag.
It was all about how Carlow would react or whether the eventual winners would rub the expected victory in with an even more powerful display in the second half.
It was a little bit of both as it transpired.
By the end all the Wexford substitutes featured on the scoreboard and when Chin left proceedings with time running out, he got a standing ovation.
The second Wexford goal came with nine minutes to go when McDonald sliced through the Carlow defence and found the net. Home misery was complete when they lost John Michael Nolan to a second yellow.
The winners will be licking their lips at the prospect of a meeting with Kilkenny. On the other hand, it is back to the Joe McDonagh Cup for the Barrowsiders if they don’t beat Antrim in Corrigan Park next Sunday.
Wexford: Mark Fanning 0-01; Shane Reck, Conor Foley, Eoin Ryan; Liam Ryan 0-01, Damien Reck 0-02, Matthew O’Hanlon; Conor Hearne 0-02, Mikie Dwyer; Richie Lawlor 0-01, Lee Chin 0-13 (10fs), Liam Óg McGovern 0-01; Cathal Dunbar 0-02, Conor McDonald 2-02, Rory O’Connor 0-05.
Subs: Seamus Casey 0-01 for Dwyer (42), Kevin Foley 0-01 for Lawlor (56), Charlie McGuckin 0-01 for McGovern (60), Simon Donohoe for L Ryan (65), Tomás Kinsella 0-02 for Chin (67).
Carlow: Brian Tracey; Paul Doyle, Dion Wall, Niall Bolger; Tony Lawlor, Kevin McDonald, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; Conor Lawlor, Richard Coady 0-01; John Michael Nolan, Jack McCullagh, Conor Kehoe 1-02; Chris Nolan 0-04, Marty Kavanagh 0-05 (5fs), Paddy Boland 0-01.
Subs: Ciaran Whelan for Coady (h/t), James Doyle for McCullagh (h/t), Jack Kavanagh for Fitzpatrick (44), Scott Treacy for J Doyle (60), Jake Doyle for M Kavanagh (69).
Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)
