Davy Fitzgerald says he has no vendetta against Wexford as he sends his Antrim side into battle against his former charges.
Fitzgerald managed Wexford for five seasons, bringing them their first Leinster title in 15 years in 2019 and within a whisker of an All-Ireland final as they narrowly lost the semi-final to eventual champions Tipperary.
After stepping down in 2021, he has had a stint with the Cork camogie team as coach and then two years as Waterford manager, but tomorrow’s clash at Chadwicks Wexford Park will be his first time since leaving Wexford to face them in the Championship.
“Is it hard to come across Wexford? I’ll be honest with you, it is,” he said. “One of the most happiest times I’ve had in my hurling career is in Wexford. That’s being honest and there’s a three-pronged reason for that.
“One, the players and myself would have been pretty tight. Would I have been friendly with every one of them? Would they all have liked me? No, because you’re not going to keep everyone happy but a large majority of them would still be on to me and I’d still be close to them and I have great time for them.
“Number two, I had an unbelievable county board that I worked with under Derek Kent. I’ve been very lucky with my chairmen and my secretaries, they’ve been all good and I had great relationships, be it in Waterford, Wexford and Clare.
“I’ve worked with unbelievable county boards. Derek Kent, a visionary and incredible to work with, and the third one was the supporters. I felt it. I felt the love from Wexford and I loved it down there.
“Am I going out with a massive vengeance against Wexford? No, and I don’t think I ever could no matter what the story is.
“Will I be trying to make sure we can beat them or put in a result? Yeah, I will be trying everything but I’ve nothing bad against Wexford whatsoever, absolutely nothing, and their supporters and players, definitely not.”
Wexford star Lee Chin, meanwhile, admits that it will be strange going up against Fitzgerald after the success they enjoyed together.
He said: “There is a weirdness in it I suppose but that's just the game. And look I fully respect Davy and everything that he did in Wexford and we've had some great years with Davy.
“We'd be welcoming him into Wexford Park and we'll have that respect for him, we'll have that respect for Antrim and we'd be fully prepared for the battle that would be ahead of us.”
Chin says that he’s not necessarily in regular contact with with Fitzgerald but says “it's just one of those type of friendships where you don't always need to be in touch”.
He added: “Obviously, we know what's coming down the line and we respect each other that much that we don't need to be in contact at the moment.
“But I'd always be thinking of him and hoping that he's doing ok and his family's doing ok and all the lads that are with him during his time at Wexford, you'd meet them now and again.”
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