Fantastic Longford minor hurlers crowned Celtic Challenge champions

Longford . . . 3-13   Fermanagh . . . 2-10

On a glorious occasion in Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday last, the fantastic Longford minor (U-17) hurlers were crowned Celtic Challenge champions after a six-point victory over Fermanagh with goals from Darragh O’Reilly, Ciaran Browne and substitute Evan Lyons clinching the All-Ireland ‘C’ title. 

This is the fourth time for Longford to win an All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship but the first since 2000, and it completed a marvellous week for underage GAA in the county after the All-Ireland Minor Tier 3 success for the U-17 footballers the previous week.

As a result, James Flynn, Diarmuid O’Brien, Ciaran McEvoy, and Oisin McHugh savoured All-Ireland success for the second time in the space of a week.

Longford were a point up at the break (0-9 to 1-5) but they could have been out of sight after shooting 11 wides to Fermanagh’s 3 and also missed a couple of good goal chances.

Dara Donnelly fired over Fermanagh’s first point but Longford responded immediately with a James Flynn point. 

Sean McEvoy restored the lead for the Ulster side only for Longford to reel off the next three points as Senan Neilan, Flynn, and a free from Ciaran Browne put Longford up by 0-4 to 0-2 with eleven minutes gone on the clock

Fermanagh narrowed the gap to the minimum margin with a point from Daire Donegan and almost hit the Longford net on 17  minutes. Conal McGrath struck a powerful low shot that produced an excellent save from Longford keeper Conor Tiernan.

A brilliant Longford move two minutes later put them ahead by five points to three. Diarmuid O’Brien and James Flynn combined brilliantly to find Darragh O’Reilly who fired over an excellent score. 

Fermanagh responded with a goal and a point within a minute of each other. Donegan pointed and they raised the green flag as Dara Donnelly blasted the ball to the Longford net to give Fermanagh a 1-4 to 0-5 advantage.

Ciaran Browne added his second point for Longford with a great score from play despite being put under serious pressure from two Fermanagh defenders while McGrath scored an equally impressive point for Fermanagh.

Longford finished the first half very strongly by scoring three unanswered points as Browne with a free, Oisin McHugh, and Browne again, this time from play after receiving a pin-point hand pass from Flynn to lead at the break by 0-9 to 1-5.

A McEvoy free levelled the contest at the start of the second half and the sides were still level after both teams scored a goal within a minute of each other.

 A superb pass from Senan Neilan put Darragh O’Reilly in on goal and he made no mistake in powering the ball  to the back of the net before Fermanagh scored their second goal when Ferguson arrowed a shot that curled into the top right corner of the Longford net.

With the sides level (1-9 to 2-6), a decisive moment materialised  in the 36th minute when the Ulster side were reduced to 14 players as Donegan was shown a straight red card for a foul on Longford captain Adam Dunsworth on the ankle with his hurl.

Browne for Longford and Fermanagh’s McEvoy then swapped frees before Fermanagh edged two points clear with scores from Donnelly and Maguire.

Man-of-the-match Browne then blasted the ball to the roof of the Fermanagh net on 49  minutes to put Longford ahead by a point and as the confidence soared through the Longford team, Diarmuid O’Brien and substitute Evan Farrell slotted over points to send the boys in blue and gold three clear with five minutes remaining.

McEvoy reduced the arrears to two points with a free but the knockout blow was delivered by Longford substitute Evan Lyons in the 57th minute as he rattled the Fermanagh net for the killer third goal after brilliant set-up play from Wolfe Tones trio Evan Farrell,  Patrick Connell and Ciaran Browne.

Longford nearly scored two more goals but Lyons had a shot cleared off the line and Farrell had an effort saved by Fermanagh keeper Joey Britton.

Browne completed the scoring with a free from the last play of the match.

Despite Diarmuid O’Brien’s late, late red card, there was no coming back for Fermanagh as the Longford team managed by John O’Brien, John Newman and Bart Hanley were crowned Michael Feery Cup champions.

LONGFORD: Conor Tiernan (Longford Slashers); Sam Elliott (Clonguish Gaels), Ryan Murphy (Clonguish Gaels), Odhran Foley (Longford Slashers); Conan Rawle (Wolfe Tones), Adam Dunsworth (Longford Slashers), Darragh O’Reilly (Wolfe Tones, 1-1); Thomas Finn (Wolfe Tones), James Flynn (Clonguish Gaels, 0-2); John Burke (Clonguish Gaels), Ciaran Browne (Wolfe Tones Mostrim, 1-6, 3 frees), Diarmuid O’Brien (Longford Slashers, 0-1); Patrick Connell (Wolfe Tones), Oisin McHugh (Longford Slashers, 0-1), Senan Neilan (Wolfe Tones, 0-1).

Subs:- Evan Lyons (Clonguish Gaels, 1-0) for J Burke (half-time); Ciaran McEvoy (Wolfe Tones) for S Neilan (40 mins), Evan Farrell (Wolfe Tones, 0-1) for D O’Reilly.

FERMANAGH: Joey Britton; Cian Martin, Tiernan Quinn, Ronan McCann; Niall Smyth, Ronan Fitzpatrick, Eoghan McManus; Ben Palmer, Michael Cleary; Sean McEvoy (0-4, 4 frees), Daire Donegan (0-2), Aodhan Maguire (0-1); Matthew Ferguson (1-0), Dara Donnelly (1-2), Conal McGrath (0-1).

Subs:- James Mullen for A Maguire (45 mins); Tiarnan Fitzpatrick for E McManus (53 mins); King for McEvoy (53 mins); Miller for Ferguson (56 mins); Maguire for Donnelly (59 mind); McEvoy for Cleary (59 mins).

Referee: James Clarke (Cavan).