Ulster Intermediate Club Championship final: Kinawley (Fermanagh 1-8) Steelstown Brian Ogs (Derry) 1-7
A ROISIN O’Reilly injury time winning point saw Kinawley finally land their first Ulster Intermediate Club title at the expense of Steelstown Brian Ogs in a dramatic finish at Augher on Saturday.
The scenes at the final whistle firmly banished their previous three provincial final defeats, that included the last two finals, while Steelstown were certainly left to ponder what could have been. The Derry champions, despite missing two key forwards in Orla McGeough and Aoife Collins, went six points up two minutes into the second half when full-forward Leah McGonagle fired home on the rebound after Ciara McGurk had hit the post for a dream start to the half, 1-7 to 0-4.
They looked in control even this early in the half after taking in a deserved 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead. Wet, heavy underfoot conditions made this a battle of attrition for both teams with defences on top with both sets of forwards also guilty of missed chances.
The sides exchanged the first four scores of the afternoon, Megan Devine, one of those replacements in starting line-up, giving Steelstown the lead twice only for Keelan Murphy and Kinawley captain Joanne Doonan to respond and in an edgy first quarter it was 0-2 apiece.
Steelstown hit three points in as many minutes from Emma Doherty (free), Dara McKeever and Ella Rose Sainsbury to move 0-5 to 0-2 ahead. Howver, Kinawley especially with Doonan on the ball always looked dangerous and she and O’Reilly brought it back to one, before Eimear O’Doherty volleyed the ball over the bar in the 30th minute to give her side a two point half-time lead.
It got better for Steelstown on the resumption with McGonagle pointing in the first minute and almost immediately she struck for the game’s opening goal. That, however, turned out to be their last score.
Doonan got an important point from a free straight away to keep her side in touch, but the tide suddenly turned when she found the back of the net in the 39th minute, finishing from a tight angle. That reduced the deficit back to two while in the aftermath of the goal Steelstown wing half back Enya Doherty was sin-binned for an off-the-ball incident. With the numerical advantage Kinawley grew in confidence and Aine McGovern, who had put Doonan in for the goal, pointed to leave the minimum between them at the water-break, 1-7 to 1-6.
Doonan levelled the game seven minutes from time and then O’Reilly found that winning score. There was still time for Steelstown to find the equaliser but some tenacious tackling from Kinawley kept them out and they held on for victory.
Kinawley captain, Doonan was full of emotions as she collected the trophy and finally they were able to put those previous final heartaches behind them.
"I can't describe it, it's such an phenomenal feeling to win, and your whole club here and with girls who you have grown up with," said Doonan.
"We have been trying for so many years. The first year we got here it was probably bonus territory and then the last few years it was so heart breaking, so to get back and to win by a point it was phenomenal. It's an unreal feeling, I just want to bottle it up. It's the top moment in my footballing career. Seeing how much it means to everyone, it's unreal."
