NFL Wexford 3-15 Limerick 1-11: Despair was Limerick's constant companion as a free-flowing Wexford side delighted the home support in the sunshine at Wexford Park yesterday.  Pat Roche reports from Wexford Park

Unbeaten after three matches, Wexford played with verve and imagination to such an extent that the opposing team manager Liam Kearns predicted: "They (Wexford) are championship ready. If the championship was to start tomorrow I would fancy them to win it."

He added: "I was very impressed by the way they used the ball at speed. They were sharper and fitter and outplayed us in most areas of the pitch."

Not surprisingly Matty Forde was again a main cog in this smooth, machine-like Wexford performance. Despite going into the game with dead leg problems, the Kilanerin player scored 1-5 and set up numerous scores for his team-mates.

His last-quarter goal, which comprehensively dispatched the jaded Limerick challenge to its inevitable fate, was a quality score for, having split the Limerick cover off a Colm Morris pass, he cheekily rounded replacement goalkeeper Mike Jones before planting the ball casually into the net.

Forde proved almost impossible to mark and he was up to all sorts of tricks, like taking short frees and indeed a 45 to create scores.

A distance of 50 metres with the placed ball caused him no problems when Wexford's first-half tally needed topping up.

Midfielder Diarmuid Kinsella epitomised the hunger of the Wexford players as he always seemed anxious to get forward for scores. He had a field day with a personal tally of 1-3, the same tally chalked up by full forward and team captain John Hudson.

Full back Phil Wallace and wing backs Robert Mageean and Shane Cullen were other, along with Morris, attack-minded defenders who impressed on the day.

Forde was particularly happy with Wexford's first-half display. "It was great for once to have a half-time cushion," he said after the victory.

Wexford led by 1-7 to 0-6 at the break. The wide count also reflected the pattern of play and Limerick's restricted opportunities. Wexford shot 10 wides while Limerick were restricted to two.

The Munster team's opportunities to shoot at the Wexford posts in the first half were especially limited for during that opening 35 minutes they had no wides.

It must be said, however, that Limerick are currently plagued by injuries and after only 22 minutes they had late replacement wing back Mike O'Brien yellow-carded.

"I am not happy the way things are going for us" said a clearly disappointed Kearns. "We have lost three matches. At the same stage last year we had won three."

Limerick's deterioration had accelerated alarmingly by the time Conor Mullane had their goal out of nothing 14 minutes into the second half.

Most of Limerick's scores came from placed balls with Johnny Murphy having five points from frees before he eventually retired from the game.

Second-half substitute Muiris Gavin scored three of his five-point tally from frees.

WEXFORD: J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy; R Mageean, D Murphy, S Cullen; D Kinsella (1-3), B Doyle; D Fogarty (0-2), P Colfer (0-1), J Hegarty; R Barry (0-1), J Hudson (1-3), M Forde (1-5, 0-3 frees). Subs: J D'Arcy for Doyle (55 mins), K Kennedy for Fogarty (55 mins), K Deely for M Forde (70 mins), P Forde for Barry (70 mins).

LIMERICK: S Kiely; M O'Riordan, D Sheehy, J McCarthy; P Browne, S Lavin, D Reidy; J Quane, J O'Donovan (0-1); C Mullane (1-0), J Murphy (0-5, frees), M O'Brien; C Fitzgerald, J Galvin, M Reidy. Subs: S Buckley for O'Brien (22 mins), M Gavin (0-5, frees) for M Reidy (45 mins), M Jones for S Kelly (42 mins), D Ahern for D Reidy (55 mins), M Crowley for J Murphy (53 mins).

YELLOW CARD: Limerick: M O'Brien (22 mins) replaced by S Buckley.

Referee: P Finnegan (Louth).