‘You are going to get your keyboard warriors, but the genuine Wexford supporters came out today’

Rossiter’s side needed a first win to reignite their qualification hopes which had been dimmed by a draw and loss in the opening two rounds. In both matches they lost leads.

“Look, we didn’t mean to do what happened over the last couple of weeks,” he said. “We didn’t mean to draw with Dublin. We were probably unlucky. Up in Antrim we could have won it as easily as we lost it. The players are genuine honest guys. And in fairness I think the genuine honest supporters came out to support us today.

“The people who really have our backs. You are going to get your keyboard warriors, there was a lot of talk during the week but the genuine Wexford supporters came out today and I am delighted for them.”

Wexford won despite losing forward Cian Byrne to a red card 20 minutes from the end. A goal from the outstanding Rory O’Connor ten minutes earlier put them four points clear and they got stronger from there despite the Byrne dismissal.

“I don’t think it was a red card,” said his manager, referring to the incident, a high challenge by Byrne on Donal O’Shea who had to leave the field injured. “I think (he is) the smallest man on the field, there’s not a bad stroke in the chap. He’s heartbroken over it.

“To play 20 minutes without him was fair going and we kept the scoring ticking over. But you know it can go one of two ways for you, it went the right way for us today. We got a bit of energy out of it. We used the ball well and we dug deeper when he did get sent off. The players put in a performance.”

None more so than O’Connor with 1-6, while Lee Chin again contributed generously with 0-11. Liam Ryan returned to bolster a defence in which Damien Reck was a commanding presence and Galway couldn’t match the Wexford intensity, having trailed by just two points at half time, after playing into the breeze.

“I always knew it was in them,” said Rossiter, “we’d a couple of good performances throughout the league, got a couple of players back, like Liam Ryan, and I suppose you can’t see the future, but I always knew there was a performance in the lads.

“We had a point on the board before today, we’ve three now, and back in the hunt again. Carlow next, it’s nice to have a two week break, after three on the trot.”

He recalled the desolation of the journey home from Antrim.

“Coming down the road from Antrim last week, a four hour journey, I won’t forget that either.”

Henry Shefflin didn’t try to conceal his feelings after a poor display.

“It’s probably been the most disappointed I’ve been in a dressing-room since I took charge of this team. I suppose we didn’t see it coming, we didn’t see it coming at half time. I must give credit to Wexford again. In the first half I think it was a bit cagey, an error-ridden game, but once they got the goal then in the second half they really came to life and I must say they performed very well.

“On the flip side, a very poor (Galway) performance. We looked tired, we really struggled to get any flow in the game whatsoever so very, very disappointing.

“They were playing at championship pace I’d say. And even last week we struggled to get to that championship pace that Kilkenny brought. We were hoping we’d be better on the back of that game but unfortunately it wasn’t the case.

“We were very poor and it was hard viewing at the end of the game but at that stage the game was gone. But Wexford even when they lost their man they were starting to dominate the game. I thought they played very well and they were really hungry; the breaks, like, we turned over the ball so much. Even the first half when we had some possession we were turning it over too easily. Some of that was our mistakes and some of that was Wexford’s intensity.”

Asked what they needed to get their season going he said it wasn’t any single thing. “That’s the major problem for ourselves. It’s very hard to put your finger on it at the moment, we just need a spark from somewhere, we’re lacking that spark currently. And if I could get one thing that’s what I’d like to see.”

Galway have Antrim in their next match in Corrigan Park on Saturday week, before finishing with a home match against Dublin.