Donal Burke keeps his nerve to give Dublin a vital edge in win over Wexford

Dublin 1-22 Wexford 0-23

Donal Burke plucked triumph from disaster for Dublin in their high-stakes Leinster encounter at Croke Park on Saturday before a small crowd of 9,125.

The match expected – but not guaranteed – to decide the third qualifying spot in the province swung in injury-time, as Wexford rallied and appeared to have secured a draw that would have given them the edge after Rory O’Connor swung over a 74th-minute free.

Burke and Dublin had the last word however, with two frees, the last a monster from about 90 metres. Micheál Donoghue, who was yellow carded for taking issue with referee Thomas Walsh’s awarding of frees against his team, still had to endure a late siege as Dublin finally claimed a pinballing free dropped in on their square.

Donoghue pointed out afterwards that he had no intention of taking third place for granted given his experience with Galway four years ago when they lost out on scoring difference. But right now Dublin are three points ahead of Wexford, who now need to beat both Westmeath and Kilkenny, but given that they beat the latter last year, nothing is finalised.

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It was a fair result overall but Wexford manager Darragh Egan was dismayed by the inaccuracy that left them with 19 wides by the end and which he said had deflated the team. By contrast Dublin hit just six.

Having started sluggishly in their opening two matches, Dublin looked sharp from the start. Their defence was alert and cut out most of the ball hit hopefully into the Wexford forwards. The possession was well played out and some good passes, struck into space for the forwards to run out to, stretched the Wexford defence.

The problem was that it at times appeared to pose as much of a challenge to the attackers and good forward possession got turned over, allowing Wexford relaunch attacks. Just Danny Sutcliffe looked comfortable under the high ball until the arrival of Paul Crummey.

They did suffer disruption when the unfortunate Ronan Hayes had to depart after just eight minutes with an injured hamstring.

Donoghue’s team nonetheless had their chances and with Burke’s free-taking consistently accurate they built three-point leads at 0-3 to nil, 0-4 to 0-1 and 0-6 to 0-3.

Lee Chin was conducting a one-man resistance, converting frees and providing assists to keep Wexford afloat.

In the 19th minute, Dublin appeared to make the decisive break. Burke’s free dropped in invitingly for Cian O’Sullivan to get the vital touch into the net. Within a minute Burke was on to a line ball cut into him for a point and a double-scores lead, 1-7 to 0-5.

They could have kicked on and made life very difficult for the visitors but instead, Wexford rallied and retrieved the goal in three minutes – Chin threading a ball through for wing back Conor Devitt to point and then hitting a free from around 90 metres.

Rory O’Connor, who was beginning to pose big problems for the Dublin defence danced past Eoghan O’Donnell for another.

Hayes’s replacement Crummey made his mark, winning a good ball and powering in for a point. At the break Dublin led by just two, 1-9 to 0-10.

Wexford had levelled within three minutes but they never got ahead in a high-scoring second half. Dublin always rallied just as their opponents caught up on the scoreboard.

Centrefielders Mark Grogan and Chris O’Leary, who had been quiet in the first half emerged as influences and each had a point to keep a buffer between the teams. By the 58th minute it looked as if the match was settled when O’Sullivan landed a terrific point to put five between them, 1-18 to 0-16.

Chin was unable to replicate the heroics of the first half and Rory O’Connor took on some of the frees. The captain is one of the Wexford players managing injuries and hasn’t been able to train according to Egan afterwards.

Yet again, Wexford responded with four points on the spin. They were beginning to abandon the structured defence and throw everything at Dublin. Conor McDonald had come on and was causing major problems, scoring two points.

Mikie Dwyer, another replacement ran at the defence and drew a great save from Seán Brennan in the Dublin goal but Oisín Foley clipped a point off the rebound and clearance.

Burke, who was an uncontentious man-of-the-match intervened to hit a brilliant point from out on the right wing.

In the end, though Wexford had threatened to salvage something. The influential Kevin Foley ran through for a chance in the dying moments of ordinary time but Brennan somehow blocked it out.

On they go, Dublin with a daunting run-in of favourites Kilkenny and Galway when fixtures resume in a fortnight and Wexford with Westmeath and Kilkenny at home. It’s not over until it’s over but Dublin are in poll position.

DUBLIN: Seán Brennan; Paddy Doyle (0-1), Eoghan O’Donell, Paddy Smyth; Conor Donohoe, Conor Burke (0-1), Daire Gray; Mark Grogan (0-1), Chris O’Leary (0-1); Danny Sutcliffe (0-1), Donal Burke (0-13, 10 frees), Cian Boland; Ronan Hayes, Cian O’Sullivan (1-1), Alex Considine.

Subs: Paul Crummey (0-2) for Hayes (8 mins), Seán Currie (0-1) for Considine (51), Darragh Power for Grogan (60), Fergal Whitely for Boland (63), Dara Purcell for O’Sullivan (74).

WEXFORD: James Lawlor; Matthew O’Hanlon, Shane Reck, Simon Donohoe (0-1); Conor Devitt (0-1), Liam Ryan, Damien Reck; Kevin Foley, Richie Lawlor (0-1); Oisín Foley (0-2), Cathal Dunbar (0-2), Jack O’Connor (0-1); Liam Óg McGovern, Rory O’Connor (0-5, three frees), Lee Chin (0-8, six frees).

Subs: Joe O’Connor for Damien Reck (42 mins), Conor McDonald (0-2) for Lawlor (44), Mikie Dwyer for Jack O’Connor (49), Ian Carty for Ryan (56), Ross Banville for Dunbar (71).

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford).