Fermanagh 2-18 Longford 1-17
Longford’s fine league campaign ended in disappointment at Avant Money Pairc Sean MacDiarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday last, as they lost a pulsating, action packed, Allianz National Hurling League Division 3B Final to Fermanagh, with the Ernesiders winning by four points on a final score-line of 2-18 to 1-17.
Longford made just one change from the starting fifteen that defeated Leitrim in the semi-final, as a fully fit Niall Moran replaced Evan Tully.
Fermanagh were without the services of the injured John Duffy and Francie McBrien, and they also lost Daniel Teague before the throw-in.
The Midlanders made a dream start when they scored a goal in the second minute. Cian Kavanagh’s perfectly weighted pass found Joe O’Brien in space, he lifted the Sliotar, brilliantly turned his marker, and fired home a powerful diagonal shot to the roof of the Fermanagh net.
Sean Corrigan slotted over a free from 45-yards out to register the Ulster side’s first point in the sixth minute.
O’Brien converted a free a minute later to restore Longford’s three point cushion, only for Caolan Duffy to reply for Fermanagh within sixty seconds.
The next two scores were both brilliantly converted, one for each side. In the eighth minute, Johnny Casey converted from a very tight angle on the right for Longford, and a minute later, Caolan Duffy slotted over his second of the contest for Fermanagh with a clever shimmy and execution.
Longford then slotted over two frees, one from Paddy Lynam and another from O’Brien to increase the lead to four points.
Lynam with a free, Cathal Mullane, and O’Brien from the left, after skipping past Ciaran Breslin, added Longford’s next three points, while Sean Corrigan responded with three points for the Ulster side, as Longford were 4-points up on the twenty minute mark.
Adrian Moran’s charges then increased their advantage to six points just a minute later, with two scores from Emmet Corrigan, to put Longford ahead by 1-09 to 0-06 after twenty-one minutes.
However, Fermanagh then clicked into gear as the tactic of feeding the Sliotar to Tom Keenan and Sean Corrigan paid dividends.
Keenan raised the white flag twice within a minute and Sean Corrigan knocked over his fifth point of the match on twenty-five minutes to reduce the arrears to just three points.
The Fermanagh come-back continued when they drew level just a minute later with a Shea Curran goal. Sean Corrigan lobbed the ball towards goal from the right and corner-forward Shea Curran had an aerial tussle with Longford keeper Conor Gallagher, and Curran got a slight touch on the ball to direct it to the Longford net.
Keenan and Sean Corrigan continued the blitz with two more scores to finish their side’s scoring spree of 1-05 without reply in a hugely rewarding ten minute spell. That put Fermanagh ahead by 1-11 to 1-09 after thirty-one minutes.
Longford then regained their composure as an O’Brien free and a fine score from Emmet Corrigan levelled the contest at 1-11 each on thirty-four minutes.
Sean Corrigan got the final score of the half just before the interval with his seventh point of the match to leave the half-time score, Fermanagh 1-12 Longford 1-11.
However, Longford almost scored two goals in stoppage time. Firstly, Mullane charged in on goal with two defenders snapping at his heels, he managed to keep them at bay and spotted O’Brien unmarked close to goal, but his hand pass lacked accuracy and keeper Mark Curry just about cleared the danger ahead of the Longford forward. Then moments later, Mullane pulled his shot wide from a good goal scoring position.
The second-half began with a Luca McCusker point for the leaders, but scores from O’Brien (a free), and Emmet Corrigan (after brilliant play from John Mulhern) brought Longford level in the forty-fifth minute.
Midfielder Conor McShea restored Fermanagh’s lead with a forty-sixth minute point, but Longford responded in brilliant fashion to fire over the next four points courtesy of a Lynam brace, David Buckley, and an O’Brien free.
Buckley’s score was brilliantly worked as a quick thinking Cian Kavanagh played a side-line cut to the advancing centre-half back and he split the uprights from distance.
That purple patch catapulted Longford into a 3-point lead, 1-17 to 1-14, with fifteen minutes remaining.
However, Longford would not score again and were reduced to fourteen players on sixty-one minutes when midfielder Lynam was sent-off.
Ryan Bogue from a free and Caolan Duffy had reduced the Longford lead to just a point when Lynam tussled with Duffy, and having been yellow-carded on fifty-six minutes, the midfielder was always going to receive his marching orders, but crucially, he was shown a straight red, and not a second yellow first.
Fermanagh used their extra man to maximum effect and scored 1-02 in the last five minutes to run-out four point winners.
Bogue with his second free equalised on sixty-five minutes, Keenan edged them ahead on sixty-seven minutes, Caolan Duffy added another, and then McCusker finished Longford off with a goal deep in stoppage time.
Longford have no time to reflect on their disappointment as they are back in Carrick-on-Shannon next Sunday, April 10th, to face Leitrim in the Lory Meagher Cup Championship.
Longford: Conor Gallagher, Niall Moran, Enda Naughton, Keelan Cox, Adam Quinn, David Buckley (0-01), Karl Murray, John Mulhern, Paddy Lynam (0-04, 3f), Johnny Casey (0-01), Cian Kavanagh, Reuben Murray, Joe O’Brien (1-06, 5f), Cathal Mullane (0-01), Emmet Corrigan (0-04).
Substitutes: Aidan Sheridan for Moran (68 minutes), Ronan Sheahan for Quinn (70 minutes plus).
Fermanagh: Mark Curry, Ciaran Breslin, Rory Porteous, Ciaran Duffy, Aidan Flanagan, Ryan Bogue (0-02, 2f), JP McGarry, Caolan Duffy (0-03), Conor McShea (0-01), Luca McKusker (1-01), Sean Corrigan (0-07, 4f), Tom Keenan (0-04), Shea Curran (1-00), Dylan Bannon, Ronan McGurn.
Substitutes: Ben Corrigan for McGurn (43 minutes), Odhran Johnston for Flanagan (57 minutes), Ultan O’Reilly for Curran (57 minutes), Thomas Burns for Bannon (70 minutes plus).