Gaelic Games/ National Football League Semi-final: On a weekend of historic and groundbreaking events in GAA circles, Wexford stole the show. They can now rightfully claim to be a fully fledged football county after edging out Tyrone to progress to their first national league final since 1946.

The fear beforehand was they could receive a trouncing if Mickey Harte's men came out all guns blazing. The weather took care of that with neither side able to adapt their natural style. The phrase "war of attrition" was mentioned a couple of times.

But the wet, soggy conditions failed to ruin a high-octane contest that was settled deep in injury time by David Fogarty when he stepped inside his man, glanced up and pointed from 25 yards out. An outpouring of unbridled joy duly followed from the sizeable Wexford contingent.

It could have been any one of Pat Roe's players on a day when they showed what footballers from the southeast are made of.

What really raised eyebrows, though, was the calmness of Roe and his players in the aftermath. All focus remained on the championship opener on June 5th against Carlow and a long-overdue outing in Croke Park.

They will now get there even earlier, on May 1st - the date for the league finals rescheduled due to the other semi-final, between Armagh and Mayo, being washed out at Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon.

There were heroes on the day. Not surprisingly, one was the great Mattie Forde. Midway through the first half Tyrone were settling into some sort of rhythm until Forde rolled off his marker Shane Sweeney before side-footing to the net with trademark nonchalance.

The lead was held until the final stretch, when Tyrone reeled them back in like only a heavyweight county can. But then came the real crunch as Wexford came back off the ropes with Fogarty's late, late score.

"Hunger, ambition," stated Roe. "They're an ambitious group of players. We have been here before in the league. Playing into the breeze in the second half with a narrow lead.

"When Tyrone got the equalising score it looked like it was going to extra time but my lads just kept on attacking and looking for the winning score."

Continue this momentum and the type of football romance Fermanagh experienced last year will be replicated by the, now official, Dual County of Wexford.