Harps reach the Holy Grail

Derrygonnelly Harps 2-12 

Kinawley 3-5

For dazzling Derrygonnelly Harps made history after taking their first ever Fermanagh county title against a great Kinawley team in a superb encounter at Brewster Park under lights on Saturday night.

When referee Shane Connolly blew for time after 65 minutes of an action-packed affair, there was an explosion of elation and sheer joy from the team and their long-suffering fans after staging the mother of all comebacks - coming from a seven-point deficit to win by four.

For Dermot and Lynne Carroll’s girls had supped sorrow from the rusty spoon of defeat in six county finals at the hands of a star-studded Kinawley team.

But whenever they talk of this memorable final, the name of the wonderful Eimear Smyth will loom large, as she controlled the last fifteen minutes of the game - hitting 0-8 and being at the heart of everything that was good.

She had been very well contained by her county colleague Courteney Murphy for 45 minutes, but showed all her star quality when it counted.

And spare a thought for Kinawley’s Joanne Doonan, who hit 3-4 of her side’s 3-5.

But the sin-binning of Kinawley midfielder and county star Roisin O’Reilly was a huge factor ten minutes from time, as it allowed an increasingly rampant Derrygonnelly to press forward and get the clinching scores.

It looked grim for the Harps as the Joanne Doonan-inspired Kinawley led by 3-5 to 1-4 midway through the second half.

They had a great chance of a clinching goal, but Niamh McManus somehow scrambled the ball past the Harps’ post and wide.

Kinawley inexplicably missed three scorable chances as the Harps hit a point and then a goal from Sarah Jane Jones and Aoibhinn Jones after Smyth found her with an exquisite pass to spark a comeback that will be long remembered in the storied west Fermanagh village.

Derrygonnelly had a brighter start, sparked by Eimear Smyth, who put midfielder Aoibhinn Jones through on goal.

She could have pointed, but decided to go for goal — and her rasping shot was very well saved by Kinawley’s county keeper Aine Haren.

The Harps also had another great chance of a goal in the fourth minute as a swift move unlocked the usually cast-iron Kinawley defence, but Bronagh Smyth’s rocket cannoned off the crossbar and over for a point.

On reflection, had those two early goal chances been taken, we would have had a much closer contest.

A relieved Kinawley countered with a Joanne Doonan pointed free in the seventh minute.

Doonan, who accounted for all her team’s scores in the opening half — was a constant thorn in the Harps’ defence.

But the Harpettes had most of the play, and midfielder Aoibhinn Jones powered through and hit a fine point to put them back in front.

However, champions Kinawley were growing into the game and began running at the Derrygonnelly defence, as Doonan converted another free.

And then we had a bit of Doonan magic — on the double — in the space of two minutes.

It came just after an unusual wide from Smyth at the other end.

Kinawley wing forward Niamh McManus speared her way through the Harps’ defence and was pulled down for a penalty after referee Shane Connolly consulted with his umpires.

Doonan calmly stroked the ball home.

A bad kick-out seconds later was ruthlessly punished by Doonan, who calmly lobbed the ball into the Harps’ net.

But that six-point lead was halved when Sarah Jane Jones hit a sublime low drive to the Kinawley net in the 18th minute.

Doonan made it a four-point game from a free and should have had another goal, only for a miraculous save from Harps keeper Louise Dundas, who somehow deflected the ball over the bar.

But crucially, Smyth converted a very tricky free to leave Kinawley leading by 2-4 to 1-3 at the break.

It got even better for Kinawley when the quick-thinking O’Reilly spotted Doonan in behind the Harps’ defence, and the latter coolly netted.

Smyth and Keelan Murphy swapped points as Kinawley led by 3-5 to 1-4 midway through the second half.

But Aoibhinn Jones’s goal left the score at Kinawley 3-5, Derrygonnelly 1-5.

And cometh the challenge, cometh Smyth — who came deep and hit four points on the spin to put the Harps in front by a point.

When O’Reilly went off on a yellow card, the huge Harps crowd scented victory as Smyth and Sarah Jane Jones got the winning points.

After some eloquent and emotional speeches, the conquering heroines headed back to Doogies to celebrate their greatest night.