Lory Meagher Cup final Fermanagh 3-22 Longford 2-20
FABULOUS Fermanagh earned their third Lory Meagher Cup title in a thriller against gritty Longford at Croke Park yesterday.
Two goals from outstanding full-forward Brian Teehan and another from Danann McKeogh were the key scores for the Ulster side.
Delighted Erne boss Joe Baldwin said it was a “dream come true.”
“But this is all about the players and if we did not have them there would be no stories to tell,” he said.
“Those players are unbelievable and we have not been beaten in the Championship and it is all credit to them.
“It was just magnificent and I was so humbled that team captain Ryan Bogue asked me up to share the Lory Meagher Cup with him as I was not that standard of a hurler.
“If I live to be 100 I will never have a gesture like that in my life.”
“Longford came back at us as we knew they would but we held on and we got those late scores to clinch it.”
Tipperary native Teehan finished with 2-2 and he had a scoring duel with fellow Tipp man Cian Darcy who landed 0-13 with 0-12 points coming from placed balls for the losers.
It looked grim for Longford after McKeogh’s goal on the resumption put the Ernesiders into a 2-14 0-9 lead a minute into the second half.
But Longford dug deep and hit back with two goals of their own from David Buckley and Joe Rabbitt.
Fermanagh’s discipline slipped in the second half and D’Arcy was deadly accurate from placed balls.
Longford cut Fermanagh’s lead to three points, 3-20 to 2-20, in the final moments.
And it took a near miss from Buckley and a superb save from Erne ‘keeper Chris McKernan to ensure glory for Fermanagh.
As it was, a pressure free converted by Luca McCusker and a JP McGarry point from play settled the winners’ nerves.
Fermanagh opened the scoring though a Teehan point which Haw-Eye confirmed. But Longford responded in a heartbeat when Evan Tully angled over a fine response for the Midlanders.
The Ernesiders were well on top, and Aidan Flanagan and Luca McCusker made it 0-3 to 0-1.
Fermanagh then had a goal disallowed in bizarre circumstances when full forward Brian Teehan reacted quickly to a Sean Corrigan shot that came back off the upright and first-timed the ball to the net. However, the goal was chalked off by referee James Judge, with the reason unclear.
John Duffy and Tom Keenan made it 0-5 to 0-1 before Joe Rabbitt registered Longford’s second score.
However, Fermanagh were gobbling up all the breaks and Ciaran Duffy and McKeogh from a free stretched their lead out to 0-7 to 0-2 by the 15th minute.
Longford’s ex-Tipperary senior player D’Arcy got his first point of the match and Cathal Mullane added another fine effort from distance to narrow the gap to 0-7 to 0-4
Fermanagh struck for a goal as Teehan again found space inside the Longford defence and coolly first-timed the sliotar to the net to put give them a 1-7 to 0-4 lead
The lively Sean Corrigan made it 1-8 to 0-4 before Longford shook themselves and responded with two points from Paddy Lynam and David Buckey to leave Fermanagh leading 1-8 to 0-6.
Corrigan and D’Arcy swapped points before the Ernesiders finished strongly with points form McKeogh, John Duffy, Corrigan and Caolan Duffy to leave them leading by 1-14 to 0-9 at the break.
They got a huge fillip when Teehan pressurised Longford ‘keeper Pat Burke and McKeogh pounced to goal and put them into a 2-14 to 0-9 lead.
But Longford rallied well as the Erne discipline faltered and D’Arcy landed the points.
Teehan’s final goal – a superb volleyed effort – put Fermanagh into a 3-19 to 1-16 lead in the 52nd minute in response to Buckley’s goal in the 48th minute.
Fermanagh could only manage three more points in the final quarter but deservedly hung on for victory.
Fermanagh C McKernan; S McKendry, R Porteous, O Johnston; A Flanagan (0-1), R Bogue, D Bannon; C Duffy (0-1), C Duffy (0-1); L McCusker (0-4, 0-1 free), T Keenan (0-2), J Duffy (0-2); S Corrigan (0-4), B Teehan (2-3), D McKeogh (1-3, 0-1 free).
Subs J Tormey for J Duffy (46), R McGurn for McKendry (51), JP McGarry (0-1) for McKeogh (62), B Corrigan for Flanagan (64), D Teague for Keenan (70+2).
Blood sub D Teague for Keenan (60-62)
Longford P Burke; J Casey, E Allen, S Lancaster; A Quinn, K Murray, E Tully (0-2); P Lynam (0-1), C Mullane (0-2); O Gately, D Buckley (1-1), J Rabbitt (1-1); R Murray, Cian Darcy (0-13, 0-12 frees), R Courtney.
Subs: C Flynn for Gately (48), M Mulcahy for R Murray (51), D Caslin for Buckley (59), D Crossan for Courtney (70).
Referee J Judge (Mayo)
