'It was do or die' - Chin praises Wexford's resolve

Lee Chin was relieved Wexford managed to produce a winning finish to a disappointing year as they edged a thriller with Kilkenny to retain their top-flight status.

Wexford responded to a dreadful first quarter with a brilliant second to lead by a point at the end of a hectic first half, but they again found themselves trailing late on after Kilkenny found the net for a fifth time.

However, a rousing late rally saw Wexford score a flurry of points to snatch a remarkable 4-23 to 5-18 victory and remain in the Leinster Championship and Liam MacCarthy Cup.

"We all knew the situation and consequences today, of turning up and not performing," Chin told RTÉ Sport.

"Kilkenny were coming here already in a Leinster final, but for us it was do or die. We had to come here and perform.

"The game went back and forward, I think they went up by seven at one stage in the first half, second half we went up by seven, then they came back and were up by two. We just had to stay honest. We got the reward in the end."

Wexford were in danger of dropping out of hurling's top tier for the first time since 1923 following last week’s shock collapse against Westmeath, and Chin admitted they owed their supporters a performance.

"We know the potential we do have inside our camp," said Chin, who converted a first-half penalty and top-scored with 1-10. "Whether we get it out of ourselves every day is a question in itself.

"We let ourselves down a lot this year. It didn’t help with a lot of injuries throughout the National League, that didn’t give us any pattern or momentum going forward.

"We went into the championship and there were lads out there some days playing at 50-60%. That’s not a help. I know the whole of Ireland can say that as well about their panel.