Allianz National Football League Division Two: Fermanagh 0-13 Derry 2-8
AS Carlus McWilliams raised his right hand to the skies to celebrate, he and his team-mates thought he had kicked Derry to the most dramatic of safeties.
But instead, they found themselves the GAA equivalent of Manchester United when Sergio Aguero won the 2012 Premier League for Man City. Standing on the pitch thinking they had done it, word filtered to the Oak Leaf players that events in Páirc Úi Rinn had transpired against them.
And so, just two years after they reached a Division One final, the Oak Leafers will start next year from the third tier for the first time since 2005.
Fermanagh’s supporters railed against referee Martin McNally at the end as it looked as though McWilliams’ score had condemned them.
Having added three minutes to the 70, there were four-and-a-half of injury time gone when the Ballinascreen man secured the win for the visitors. But as it turned out, it wouldn’t have mattered. A draw was no good to Fermanagh in the circumstances.
And, ironically, it should be they who are sorest about their relegation. They go down behind a Down side they hammered on the opening night, and this was a game they should have won.
Caught cold by conceding the first of Conor McAtamney’s two goals inside 15 seconds, they dominated the entire middle portion of the game but could never put Damian Barton’s side away.
Three chances in particular stand out. Lee Cullen stormed through in first half injury-time, rounded Thomas Mallon but somehow Danny Heavron managed to claw the ball away from the Belnaleck goal with a last-ditch tackle.
Fermanagh questioned the legality of it but there was no penalty. Sean Quigley, though, nailed the 45 and they went off a point up (0-7 to 1-3) and to a rousing ovation.
In a spell of dominance where they pushed three up on the restart, Paul McCusker found himself in on goal. Whether it was just enough pressure from Neil Forester that forced his mind, McCusker fisted the point.
From the botched kickout, Eddie Courtney stole the ball in front of goal. With Sean Quigley screaming in behind for the ball, Courtney went himself from the 21 – and kicked it wide.
Even still, Fermanagh led by 0-10 to 1-4 at that stage. Barry Mulrone had been a superb driving force from centre-back, while Ché Cullen behind him manned the square brilliantly.
Once they started to run at Derry and draw frees, Sean Quigley became an influence. Some of the scores he landed from the ground were ridiculously sublime, but Brendan Rogers had him in open play.
They held their lead intact at 0-12 to 1-6 heading into the final five minutes, by which stage the heavyweight attacking talents of James Kielt, Mark Lynch and Ryan Bell had been on for 15 minutes.
It was strange that Benny Heron was one of those withdrawn.
But playing with a breeze, they spent the first while producing pot-shots from range that Thomas Treacy largely watched sail wide of his goal.
Then Gavin O’Neill, also sprung from the bench, provided the incision that opened Fermanagh up down the left. Mark Lynch and James Kielt combined off it to feed Conor McAtamney, who rattled home a second major with a similar jackhammer finish at the near post.
Enda Lynn kicked Derry in front before Quigley equalised from a soft free that was brought in to the 21 for dissent.
Level, that looked like enough for Fermanagh and they did their level best to keep James Kielt out of the scoring zone. Paddy Reihill ripped him to ground and took a black card, but their 20-second scuffle resulted in a red card for the Kilrea man.
Ryan Lyons was also black-carded but it wasn’t enough to prevent Derry working one last chance that Carlus McWilliams nailed with a brilliant winner.
It made for wonderful drama for the 2,515 fans in Brewster Park, but there wasn’t a smile between them as both counties paid the price for their defensive woes throughout the season.
“It’s hugely disappointing. League tables don’t lie,” said Derry coach Brian McGuckin.
“We’re in Division Three and that’s the realism of it all.
“It was an extremely inconsistent campaign. I’d look at positives but there were games where we didn’t perform anywhere near our potential.
“You can make excuses and talk about bleeding young fellas – and that has worked in our favour moving forward – but it’s a results business,” he said having seen Derry finish level on points with Down and Clare but found the points difference that kept them up last stacked against them this time.
There was an equally sombre tone to Pete McGrath as he emerged from the Fermanagh dressing room, but as ever the Mourne legend took it on the chin.
“I think the winning and losing of the game, for long periods of the second half, was in our own hands. We didn’t put it to bed and we have nobody to blame but ourselves.
“A tight game, you’re going to look at decisions that didn’t go your way, and you could point to a number of decisions, particularly in the first half. I thought for example there was a marvellous tackle made and a free was given [Barry Mulrone on Enda Lynn].
“But you can’t blame the referee for what happened over the seven matches. We knew what we had to do today, and we fell short.”
MATCH STATS
Fermanagh: T Treacy; M Jones, C Cullen, K Connor; D McCusker, R McCluskey, B Mulrone (0-1), A Breen; E Donnelly (0-1), L Cullen; P McCusker (0-1), R Jones, D Keenan; E Courtney, S Quigley (0-8, 0-7frees, 0-1 45)
Subs: J McMahon for P McCusker (46), R Lyons for D Keenan (56), CP Murphy for Breen (61), T McCaffrey for Courtney (63), P Reihill for D McCusker (67)
Black cards: P Reihill (73) replaced by A Breen; R Lyons (74) no replacement
Yellow card: R Jones (38), M Jones (72)
Derry: T Mallon; K McKaigue, B Rogers, C Nevin; N Forester, C McKaigue, D Heavron; C McAtamney (2-0), P Cassidy; E Lynn (0-2), E McGuckin, C McWilliams; D Tallon, N Loughlin (0-1f), B Heron (0-1)
Subs: J Kielt (0-3, 0-2frees) for Tallon (h-t), M Lynch for McGuckin (49), R Bell for Heron (49), G O’Neill for Heavron (61)
Yellow card: B Heron (15)
Red card: J Kielt (73)
Referee: M McNally (Monaghan)
Attendance: 2,515
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