Wexford determined to avoid another ‘kick in the teeth’ from Antrim

At some point last week a television outside broadcast unit pulled into Wexford Park. The Sky Sports logo, unmistakably recognisable, might as well have been a great flashing warning sign.

Because, while they were there to locate the best camera positions ahead of the Leinster hurling championship semi-final on June 14th – the second of Sky’s 14 live broadcasts – there is no guarantee Wexford will actually be there themselves on that date.

Standing in their way is Antrim, in Portlaoise, on Sunday, and unless they win that, Wexford won’t be playing Dublin and Sky Sports will need to scout another venue.

The Wexford hurlers have their own little reminders of why they can’t look past Antrim. Forward Jack Guiney finds one in a bag of Pick ‘n’ Mix, because that, he says, was possibly one reason why Antrim stunned Wexford in last year’s All-Ireland under-21 semi-final.

For Wexford, freshly crowned Leinster under-21 champions, there was a similar expectation they only had to turn up to beat Antrim, but then – as Guiney recalls – came a “kick in the teeth”.

Indeed, as he later discovered, Antrim’s victory was fuelled at least in part by the sweet tooth of one of their players.

Preparations

“I was talking to one of the Antrim players, who was telling me about their preparation, and that one the Antrim players stopped into a garage for a massive bag of Pick ‘n’ Mix sweets. Now, this was very hard to listen to, when they’re after beating you in an All-Ireland semi-final.

“But he was eating Pick ‘n’ Mix sweets the whole way down on the bus. And he must have had a sugar overdose by the time he got into the dressing-room. He said they didn’t realise they could win until they got into the dressing- room at half-time and he was still going around . . . telling the lads to eat some sweets.

Solid bunch

“But I wouldn’t begrudge Antrim their win. They’re a very solid bunch and you could see how much it meant to them . . . If we weren’t focused going into the game, we didn’t deserve to win. Simple as that.”

The memory of that defeat is still fresh in Guiney’s mind as Wexford seniors prepare to face Antrim. There is further motivation in that last summer Wexford ran Dublin (subsequent Leinster champions) and Clare (subsequent All-Ireland champions) very close.

“A lot of people would pat you on the back and say ‘you were this close’. But actually, our performances in those games were very poor. I know we were in with a shot of winning the game. But our performances were way under par.

“I think this year, if we can get the performances, the results might go a different way. Liam Dunne is kind of doing a Brian Cody on it, putting the emphasis on the panel more so than the team . . . The competition for places is what’s going to bridge the gap for us.”

Wexford recently beat Tipperary in a challenge game, and while they will be fancied to win on Sunday , Guiney only has to think again about that bag of Pick ‘n’ Mix . . .