Injury-time points from Rory O'Connor (2) and Harry Kehoe helped Wexford to a battling 0-22 to 2-14 victory over Dublin at Wexford Park.

The Dubs seemed to have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when Paul Ryan netted on the hour and points from Liam Rushe and Danny Sutcliffe edged them ahead with seven minutes left - and they still led approaching full time - only for the hosts to reel off the last three scores.

Wexford have thus opened their round-robin campaign with a great win, despite coming in cold, while Dublin have slipped to a second luckless defeat on successive Sundays. They were pipped by Kilkenny in stoppage time last weekend and it was deja-vu today in the south east.

An injury-time O'Connor free handed the Model County a 0-10 to 1-6 lead at the end of a tightly-contested opening period. Points from Jake Malone and Paddy Smyth had edged the Dubs ahead but a brace of late O'Connor frees meant the hosts had the narrowest of advantages at the short whistle.

The Model County reeled off five of the first seven points only for Rian McBride to pull on the sliothar after a block on Ryan to bulge the net in the twelfth minute, 1-2 to 0-5. O'Connor (free) and Paudie Foley nudged the Slaneysiders two clear but back came Pat Gilroy's men with a brace of Ryan frees.

A brilliant Alan Nolan save two minutes from the break ensured that Dublin remained very much on Wexford's heels when the half-time whistle sounded.

Jack O'Connor doubled the difference at the start of the second half but the Dubs were soon level again courtesy of Ryan (free) and McBride. Aidan Nolan, Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Foley (free) and O'Connor (two frees) pointed to leave Davy Fitzgerald's men five clear with 50 minutes played.

Ryan replied from a '65' and Cian Bolan's point ensured that just three points separated the teams going past the three-quarters mark., only for quickfire points from Lee Chin and Kevin Foley to make it a five-point game again with 16 minutes left.

Ryan's free kept the Dubs ticking over and the game exploded back to life on the hour when Ryan netted after good work by Fiontán McGibb. Seven minutes from time, Rushe took a pass from Sutcliffe to equalise - 2-12 to 0-18.

Sutcliffe completed the comeback and David Treacy supplied another lead point on 68 minutes after an O'Connor free had brought Wexford level. A 21-metre free in the first of three added minutes brought the Model County back on terms again and O'Connor (0-12) then smashed one over from tremendous distance before substitute Kehoe closed the scoring as the home side prevailed and Dublin fell to another agonising, last-gasp defeat.

Wexford - M Fanning; D Reck, L Ryan, S Donohoe; D O'Keeffe (0-1), P Foley (0-2, 1f), M O'Hanlon; A Nolan (0-1), K Foley (0-1); L Chin (0-2), S Murphy, J O'Connor (0-1); P Morris (0-1), C McDonald, R O'Connor (0-12, 11f). Subs: H Kehoe (0-1) for C McDonald, C Dunbar for P Morris.

Dublin - A Nolan; P Smyth (0-1), C O'Callaghan, B O'Carroll; C Crummey, S Moran, E O'Donnell; J Malone (0-1), S Barrett; R McBride (1-1), F MacGib, D Sutcliffe (0-1); F Whitely, L Rushe (0-1), P Ryan (1-7, 0-6f, 0-1'65). Subs: T Connolly for S Barrett, C Boland (0-1) for F Whitely, D Treacy (0-1) for B O'Carroll, R Hayes for E O'Donnell, P Winters for F MacGib.

Referee - C Lyons.

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