By William Dunne

Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney has vast experience as a Gaelic Football manager. Despite guiding Wexford to promotion to Division 3 of the Allianz Football League in his debut season, he is anxious ahead of his opening Leinster Championship clash as Wexford boss.

Wexford will travel to Netwatch Cullen Park to take on Carlow this Sunday, McEnaney insists that they won’t be taking the game lightly.

“I'm very concerned about the Carlow match," McEnaney admits. "If we could beat Carlow by one point after a replay I would be a very happy man”, he said at the launch of the Leinster Championship.

“They are very well structured. They are really set up well defensively wise, they're going to be very difficult to break down.

“They've gotten the opportunity to play four or five challenge matches over the last few weeks, this is the best prepared Carlow team in the last 15 years.”

Wexford had already secured promotion from Division 4 when they suffered a 2-14 to 1-07 defeat to Carlow in the League.

McEnaney feels that registering a championship victory this Sunday will trump their success in this year’s national football league.

He said: “If we could win this match by the minimum after a replay, this will make our season. This will be more than Division 3, beat Carlow in the Championship that will be a brilliant season for us.”

Wexford’s form in the League dipped near the end of their campaign and they were comfortably beaten by Westmeath in the Division 4 decider, but McEnaney claims that when promotion was secured his side’s attention turned to focus on Sunday’s match.

“It was easy to park that (defeat to Westmeath) because when the final whistle went in the National Football League against London and we were promoted to Division 3 it wasn't the last game it was the third last game which was a great place to find ourselves in.

“So once that was over that was the National Football League really over for us and our concentration completely switched to Carlow then," McEnaney said.

McEnaney, who is still based in Monaghan, is travelling between the two counties for each training session and admitted that the journey isn’t enjoyable, but support from the County Board and the attitude from the players and making it worthwhile.

“I couldn't be with a better County Board, I couldn't be with a better group of players. The facilities couldn't be any better, the professionalism, the application all that has been absolutely top class. That part of it I'm really enjoying it. I'm not enjoying the journey.”