EuroHockey Championship: Wales beat Ireland 4-0 in relegation battle
- Published
Alexander Cox's Ireland will feature in the second tier of European hockey next season
Wales retained their top-flight status as they condemned Ireland to the second tier of European hockey with a 4-0 win in the EuroHockey Championships.
The result also sends Scotland down, after they were beaten by England earlier on Saturday in Antwerp.
A Gareth Furlong double put Wales 2-0 up at the break before Dale Hutchinson's solo effort.
Ben Francis struck the final blow in the last quarter as a torrid campaign ended for Ireland.
After putting Wales ahead with a fine strike, the influential Furlong put his side firmly in the ascendancy from a penalty corner.
Shortly after the break Hutchinson weaved his way through a tired Irish defence before finishing with aplomb to end any hopes of a second-half revival.
Francis' late effort was the final nail in Ireland's coffin, with Alexander Cox's side relegated for the first time in a decade.
"We didn't perform how we could have performed at this tournament," said Cox.
"We need to assess what happened, we need to assess with the group because the Olympic qualifier is coming up so it's important for the group that we know exactly why we didn't perform, especially today. There was still a chance and we underperformed."