Hotel Kilmore Cavan Senior Football Championship final replay: Crosserlough 0-13 Kingscourt Stars 0-8
THE joy that winning a championship brings hadn't been felt in Crosserlough since their grandfathers' time.
Forty-eight years of hard-luck stories and near misses ended when a group of fresh-faced lads from the 'Lough won the biggest prize in football-mad Cavan.
Covid restrictions meant there was no pitch invasion but there was no restriction on the pride the players felt and the scenes in the Breffni battleground, after an intense replay, illustrated the immense value of this season's club competitions.
After he'd lifted the Oliver Plunkett Cup, captain Pierce Smith told his team-mates to savour the feeling and store it.
"Bottle this up," roared the delighted skipper, "Because boys, it's a great feeling..."
Crosserlough had got off the hook in the first game but made the most of their good fortune and were full value for their win.
"The boys believed they could win it," said manager Jimmy Higgins.
"They knew that they had the character to win it and you can see what it means to everyone."
Passions always run high in finals and go up a notch or two for replays. Tempers boiled over during heated sideline exchanges when the management teams jousted like rutting stags but there were no hard feelings after the final whistle.
"I played my whole life without winning anything at all," said Crosserlough mentor Phillip Smith. He had four nephews on the field - man of the match James, skipper Pierce and forwards Peter and Stephen.
"I played in a few finals, but I never won anything - league or championship. It's a great feeling for the boys; it was a brilliant performance with a great workrate and they're a great bunch of lads.
"They were up against a good, strong, seasoned Kingscourt team that didn't give us anything easy. We were glad to get out with a draw the last day but we proved we are good enough today."
As Crosserlough celebrated, Kingscourt displayed admirable sportsmanship which must have been difficult for them. They'd had the cup in their grasp first time out but were denied by a last-kick-of-the-game equaliser.
"They came out of the blocks fast again," said manager David Lennon.
"We had a couple of goal chances early on and we kicked nine wides and you can't miss two goals and kick that number of wides and expect to win a county final against a good side like Crosserlough.
"I wasn't happy last week, I felt we should have won the game last week. Yes, I thought we were favourites coming into the replay and the lads thought that too but you have to give credit to Crosserlough.
"They brought a serious hunger and more determination and they probably hit us as hard as any team has hit us all year which they had to do to win a county championship. You have to give them credit for that.
"We had a chat in the huddle and, although we're disappointed, there's no blame-game on anybody. We know we left it behind us last week and it was going to be a big task to get back up for this week.
"We knew Crosserlough were younger and fitter and they brought a serious challenge to us today."
And the challenge was obvious for the first whistle as Crosserlough dispelled any notions of a hangover from the drawn game. Kingscourt made a couple of personnel changes and started Alan Clarke at full-forward. Crosserlough did the same but they did it better, for longer and - bar one spell near half-time - they matched Kingscourt physically for the full 60-plus minutes.
It had taken them 30 seconds to get off the mark in the first meeting, on Saturday it took just 20.
David Shalvey was the scorer and, although Barry Tully equalised, Patrick Lynch, James Smith (after a stupendous one-handed catch and a superb finish on the run) and Stephen Smith all added scores.
Padraig Faulkner, battling with James Smith in midfield, pulled one back after Brian Malocca had saved Peter Corrigan's flick but Mark Stuart (the hero of the drawn game) and willing full-forward Lynch left Crosserlough 0-6 to 0-2 up at the water break.
Playing a classic brand of catch-and-kick football, they'd extended their lead to 0-8 to 0-3 when Kingscourt made their customary fightback and there were worrying signs of uncertainty in the Crosserlough defence as Cian Shekleton (twice) and Faulkner pulled three points back with a rat-a-rat salvo.
Shekleton really should have had a third but shot wide and, at the other end, James Farrelly made a superb save (his third of the half) to deny Brandon Boylan and, after Lynch hit the upright from the rebound, the teams went to half-time with just two points in it: 0-8 to 0-6.
The scores dried up as the tension mounted in the second half. Lynch nailed a free and defender Shalvey popped up again to register another valuable point.
The 'Lough missed three good chances but Kingscourt could not capitalise and Reilly (scorer of seven points in the draw but bypassed and quiet in the replay) and Faulkner both passed up opportunities to narrow the gap.
The game boiled down to a battle in the middle third. Crosserlough worked tirelessly to hoover up breaks. They had been out-fought in that sector in the first meeting but broke even on Saturday and Adrian Smith could have dealt Kingscourt a mortal blow when he raced through on goal.
Once again Farrelly saved but Stephen Smith scooped over the rebound to leave five points in it. Faulkner and Reilly (a free) managed points either side of James Smith's third of the game and, in a last roll of the dice, Kingscourt manager Lennon sent on Sean Burke and Darragh Gunne to form a physical inside forward line.
Ball after ball was kicked high and long towards them but Crosserlough matched the route-one tactic by sending Mark Stuart to full-back. The 24-year-old midfielder was quite superb, showing safe hands and a clear head to clear the danger.
Six minutes of injury-time were added and Kingscourt kept hammering at the door but they could not break it down and Lynch raced through in the closing moments to seal an impressive victory for a talented young Crosserlough side.
It shouldn't take another 48 years for them to bring the cup home again.
Crosserlough: B Malocca; J Cooke, P O'Reilly, D Shalvey (0-2); S McVeety, C Rehill, C Boylan; M Stuart (0-1), J Smith (0-3); S McManus, B Boylan, D Gaffney; A Smith, P Lynch (0-5, 0-2 frees, 0-1 mark, 0-1 45), S Smith (0-2)
Subs: Pierce Smith for McManus (41), R Galligan for D Gaffney (51), E Gaffney for A Smith (57), Peter Smith for McVeety (61), B McKiernan for B Boylan (65)
Blood sub: Peter Smith for Rehill (56&58)
Yellow cards: McManus (24), S Smith (27), McVeety (33)
Kingscourt Stars: J Farrelly; C McKeown, A Clarke, K Farrelly; S Duffy, P Meade, J Oates; S Gray, P Corrigan; B Tully (0-1), P Tinnelly, K Curtis; C Shekleton (0-2), P Faulkner (0-3), B Reilly (0-2 frees)
Subs: D Gunne for Curtis (38), O Cunningham for Oates (45), S Burke for Shekleton (45)
Yellow card: Tully (62)
Referee: Oliver Og O'Reilly (Mullahoran)
