Mannion snatches title glory for Moycullen’s miracle men
Moycullen 2-11
Killimor 1-12
THIRTEEN weeks after being beaten out the gate in the Covid delayed 2020 County Intermediate hurling final, Moycullen achieved redemption in the most dramatic manner possible at Kenny Park on Saturday.
Having suffered a humiliating 23-point loss to Kilconieron in that decider last August, few imagined that Moycullen would salvage their reputations or pick themselves off the floor so quickly in a Roy of the Rovers style renaissance.
They did it the hard way too; claiming only the club’s third intermediate title in a thrilling finale after wing forward Niall Mannion went from villain to hero when pouncing on a handling error from Killimor keeper Seán O’Grady in the sixth minute of injury time.
Deep into the final quarter, Mannion had driven wide from a penalty and that looked a mortal blow to Moycullen’s hopes, especially as a gallant Killimor outfit were repeatedly laying their bodies on the line in pursuit of a first intermediate crown since 1984.
Despite Mannion’s penalty miss, Moycullen displayed courage of their own in drawing the final level for the seventh time with a terrific sideline cut from Éanna Noone before the always dangerous James Bradley found the target.
With a compelling final deep into injury time and rival players stretching every sinew to eke out one last chance, Killimor stood on the brink of a famous victory when David Daly held his nerve from a 45-yard free after substitute Anthony Callagy was adjudged to have been fouled.
The four minutes of allotted injury time were up and when former Galway All-Ireland winning minor captain Andrew Keary intercepted Johnny Faherty’s resulting puck out, their passionate supporters must have thought the deal was done, but referee Paul Fahy blew for the Moycullen goalkeeper to retake it.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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