STROKESTOWN 0-11 BOYLE 0-10
Boyle waited 95 years to contest a Roscommon senior football final, but Tony Lavin needed only three minutes to win it for Strokestown.
Elation and heartbreak in those frantic moments of injury-time at Dr Hyde Park. All was won and all was lost in a county final where nerves had for the most part held both sets of players in its tight grip, a fear of losing suppressing the thoughts of possibly winning.
The sides were tied on 0-6 apiece at the turnaround and after 25 minutes of the second half they had only managed to tag on a couple of points each, 0-8 to 0-8. And then the paralysing tension finally snapped, giving way to manic drama.
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A half that produced just four points up until that stage would see five fired over in a frenetic coda at the Hyde – culminating in Strokestown winning their first title since 2002, and 11th in total.
Boyle, appearing in a first county senior final since 1927, edged in front in the 56th minute when Donie Smith capitalised on a messy short free by Strokestown to make it 0-9 to 0-8.
In a game where there was never more than two points separating the sides, it felt like a massive score. However, Strokestown refused to see it thus and in the last minute of normal time Colin Compton brought them level again.
Both defences had been on top for most of the contest so with four minutes of added time announced you would have been forgiven for expecting extra-time. And then Strokestown were awarded a free, which was brought forward for dissent, allowing Diarmuid McGann to pop over from close range, to make it 0-10 to 0-9.
Around the same time, Lavin was introduced off the bench as a 62nd minute substitute for Strokestown. Having missed much of the campaign because of a quad injury, it was his first appearance in the 2022 senior championship.
Moments after coming in Lavin found himself on the end of an attacking move but lost his footing and in trying to get rid of the ball he gave possession back to Boyle, who moved the play up the field where Smith was fouled. Smith showed incredible bottle to boom a free from approximately 50 metres out over the Strokestown crossbar to bring the sides level for the sixth time. Strap yourself in for the long haul. Extra-time, surely.
But Strokestown were done with waiting. And Lavin wasn’t too keen on how the script was portraying his part in the drama, so it was time for a rewrite, and the supporting cast stood up to take on a leading role.
Lavin found a pocket of space and made himself available for McGann to pass. The sub steadied himself and, because of his injury, kicked off his less favoured left foot. As the ball dropped over the crossbar the Strokestown fans in the main stand leapt out of their seats. The final whistle shrilled on the resulting kickout. The Boyle players fell to the ground. Strokestown, champions. Lavin, villain to hero. So much can change in just a moment.
“I’ve always said to the lads, everyone is going to make mistakes but it’s how you get back up and the next ball,” said Strokestown manager John Rogers.
“It’s an old cliché, ‘next ball,’ but it is, you can’t let whatever happened in the past linger. I thought the game would have been blown after Donie hit that screamer to draw it level but thankfully for Tony he didn’t let it get to him, he stood up and thankfully it went over the bar. He pulled his quad three weeks ago. That was his right and that’s why he was going on his left.”
[ Enda Smith ready to lead Boyle in their first Roscommon final in 95 yearsOpens in new window ]
The first half had been a more open game, but it was overshadowed by serious injuries to Boyle’s Cian McKeon and Strokestown’s Paddy Brogan. McKeon was taken away by ambulance with a concerning knee injury while McKeon suffered a painful elbow dislocation.
“Unfortunately, when you see anybody hitting the ground with nobody near him and buckling, it’s a worry,” admitted Boyle manager Cian Smith on McKeon’s injury.
Enda Smith played at wing back for Boyle and was effective bursting forward and also in clearing up attacks, but it was a cautious game in which both defences keep the opposing forwards on a tight leash.
Colm Neary was superb for Strokestown but overall it was a game from which you feel both clubs would have gladly taken a replay during that tense second half.
“Absolute devastation at the minute but chatting to the lads there and I’m nothing but proud, we emptied ourselves, we gave everything we had,” added Smith.
“I said to the lads in there that while at the moment it is gut-wrenching and the next few weeks will be like that, at the end of the day we’ve broken the curse or the spell, 95 years never in a final, at least we have been in one now. That’s gone now.”
But so too is the Fahey Cup, which will instead reside in Strokestown this winter.
STROKESTOWN: N Curley (0-1, one free); T Gibbons, S Mullooly, D Neary; C Regan (0-1), C Neary, C Brogan; D Butler, Cathal Compton; K Murphy (0-1), D McGann (0-4, four frees), P Brogan; S McGinley, Colin Compton (0-2), C Lavin (0-1). Subs: M Kavanagh for Brogan (29 mins); M Fallon for Murphy (56 mins); T Lavin (0-1) for McGinley (62 mins).
BOYLE: R Kearney; L Glennon, C Flanagan, D Casey; K Cox, T McKenna, E Smith (0-1); R Hanmore, E McGrath; C Feely (0-1, one 45), S Purcell, D East; D Cregg (0-2), D Smith (0-5, two frees), C McKeon. Subs: C Goldrick (0-1, one free) for McKeon (20 mins); E Kerins for Hanmore (44 mins); J Moran for Flanagan (58 mins); M O’Connor for Feely (63 mins).
REFEREE: O Kelly (St Faithleach’s).
