Darragh Egan said getting his Wexford players up for their final Leinster Hurling Championship round robin match against Kilkenny will be "a massive challenge".
On Sunday, despite leading by 17 points late in the first half, and by 16 at the break, Wexford lost to Westmeath. It leaves them sitting on just two points and in serious danger of relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup going into this weekend's visit of Kilkenny to Wexford Park.
"But the sight of the black and amber jersey is going to hopefully tick a few boxes during the week," Egan told RTÉ Radio 1.
"Ultimately, we have to start looking at ourselves because what we showed out there all throughout that game, to be honest, was not good enough."
21 May 2023; Joseph Boyle of Westmeath celebrates after team-mate Niall Mitchell scored their side's fourth goal during the Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 4 match between Wexford and Westmeath at Chadwicks Wexford Park in Wexford. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
Wexford's only points of the championship so far came in a victory at home to Antrim three weeks ago.
If Wexford lose to Kilkenny this Sunday and Antrim beat Westmeath, then Egan's side would be relegated the second tier of the hurling championship.
"You can't dress it up any other way only that it was simply not good enough," said Egan.
"It was lacklustre throughout the first half as well as the second half. We got punished for it and rightly so.
"It's as simple as we're fighting for our lives. That's exactly it, and we knew that was the case before today, we knew we needed to get a win here. We knew Westmeath were going to be troublesome for us. They were obviously troublesome for us up in Mullingar last year.
"We just didn't perform in the second half, and for good stretches of the first half. While we scored well, we just didn't perform.
"It's a huge game coming but we're going to need to look within ourselves now and see can we find anything and go after Kilkenny next Sunday."
The #LeinsterSHC Table after Round 4
Kilkenny 0-27 v 0-21 Dublin
Galway 5-29 v 1-22 Antrim
Wexford 2-22 v 4-18 Westmeath#gaa #hurling #gaaleaguetables pic.twitter.com/PByQdJOAYd— GAA League Tables (@GAALeagueTables) May 21, 2023
See Also: 'Spineless' Wexford Slammed For Second Half Capitulation To Westmeath
