Fermanagh Senior Football Championship Final

St Joseph's Ederney 2-8 Derrygonnelly Harps 1-6

By Declan Bogue at Brewster Park

St Joseph's Ederney laid to waste Derrygonnelly's bid to win a six in a row of Fermanagh titles, in the process abolishing 52 years of hurt to history.

They had to do so with the concession of a goal in the ninth minute, the opening score of the game from Harps' Miceal Glynn. It was to be the only time Derrygonnelly scored from play in this decider.

A penalty from Mark McCauley helped Ederney go level on the quarter hour mark.

St Joseph's kept working hard and by half time had gained a 1-5 to 1-1 lead, the most impressive of those coming from Marty McGrath that raised the roof of the John Vesey Stand.

In the second half St Joseph's retreated into a massed defence and while the champions were forcing a lot of turnovers high up the pitch, they could not get the right men on the end of moves. Ederney also had Connor McGee perform an excellent man marking job on Harp's main leader, Ryan Jones.

The decisive play came on 54 minutes. Again it was McGrath that got a vital touch to break down a move and from a counterattack at serious pace, finished by Sean Cassidy capped their mammoth effort, epitomised by man of the match, the 39-year-old former All-Star, Marty McGrath.

Derrygonnelly narrowed the gap as the end approached, but Ryan Morris put a final gloss with the last score of the game deep in injury time.

Scorers for Ederney: S Cassidy 1-1, M McCauley 1-1 (1-0 pen), C Snow 0-2 (2fs), R Morris, M McGrath, J Britton, P McCusker 0-1 each.

Scorers for Derrygonnelly: M Glynn 1-2 (2fs), C Jones 0-3 (3fs), Stephen McGullion 0-1 (1m). 

EDERNEY: C Snow; M Maguire, S McElrone, P Maguire; D McCusker, FGillen, J Britton; M McGrath, L Harron; P McKervey, M McCauley, P McCusker; C McGee, S Cassidy, R Morris

Subs: E Cassidy for Britton (20), D Deazley for McKervey (57), E Ferris for Morris (63), O McGee for C McGee (65), Darren McCusker for S Cassidy (67).

DERRYGONNELLY: J Kelly; A McKenna, T Daly, M Jones; L Jones, Gareth McGovern, G McGinley; Stephen McGullion, R Jones; E McHugh, C Jones, D Cassidy; M Glynn, Gavin McGovern, G McKenna

Subs: J Love for Gareth McGovern (41), K Cassidy for Gavin McGovern (41), Shane McGullion for G McKenna (52), R McHugh for Garvin McGinley (55), S Gilroy for Cassidy (59).

REFEREE: Niall Cullen (Erne Gaels).