Bridgid's repel late Boyle fightback to claim Roscommon crown

Boyle have chance to force extra time with the last kick of the game but Cian McKeon's underhit free means wait for a first senior football title since 1927 goes on

SUNNY DAYS: St Brigids players celebrates with the trophy after their side's victory in the Roscommon County Senior Club Football Championship final match between St Brigids and Boyle at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Roscommon SFC final: St. Brigid’s 0-12 Boyle 0-11 

St. Brigid’s survived a late Boyle rally to claim their 18th Roscommon senior football championship title at Dr. Hyde Park.

Jerome Stack’s side were four points to the good with 11 minutes remaining, but Boyle, who also lost last year’s final by a point, came with a late push.

They had the chance to force extra time with the last kick of the game but Cian McKeon underhit his free, and Boyle’s wait for a first senior football title since 1927 continued.

The opening half was a cagey affair, and it was no surprise that the sides were deadlocked, 0-5 apiece, at the break.

Shane Cunnane and Cathal Feely swapped early scores before Paul McGrath and Ben O’Carroll (free) edged St. Brigid’s 0-3 to 0-1 ahead by the end of the first quarter.

An excellent score by Niall O’Donnell pared back the deficit, but Cunnane’s second point of the afternoon restored St. Brigid’s two-point lead.

Frees from Cian McKeon and Donie Smith, which could just as easily have been a penalty, brought Boyle back on level terms before Roscommon team-mates Brian Stack and Enda Smith swapped scores to leave the sides deadlocked at the break.

A couple of frees from O’Carroll alongside a mark from Cunnane pushed St. Brigid’s three points clear by the 37th minute.

Donie Smith’s decision to pass to his brother Enda when Niall O’Donnell was free on the edge of the small square denied Boyle a goalscoring opportunity but, after wrestling back the momentum, points from Donie Smith and Oisín Cregg left just a point between them.

However a hat-trick of scores from Bobby Nugent, Conor Hand and Cunnane (free) gave Brigid’s their biggest lead of the afternoon, 0-11 to 0-7, with just 11 minutes remaining.

Boyle came again with points from O’Donnell, Tadhg McKenna and Cian McKeon (free) but McGrath looked to have pushed Brigid’s over the finishing line with a point deep into injury time.

When McKeon blasted over the bar to reduce the arrears to the bare minimum, there were still 30 seconds left.

Boyle pressure on the St. Brigid’s kickout was rewarded when Seán Trundle was penalised for overcarrying. But McKeon couldn’t convert, leaving Boyle crestfallen for the second year in succession.

Scorers for St. Brigid’s: Shane Cunnane 0-4 (1 free, 1 mark), Ben O’Carroll 0-3 (3 frees), Paul McGrath 0-2, Brian Stack 0-1, Bobby Nugent 0-1, Conor Hand 0-1.

Scorers for Boyle: Cian McKeon 0-3 (2 frees), Niall O’Donnell 0-2, Donie Smith 0-2 (1 free), Cathal Feely 0-1, Enda Smith 0-1, Oisín Cregg 0-1, Tadhg McKenna 0-1.

St. Brigid’s: C Sheehy; S Trundle, B Stack, P Frost; R Fallon, R Stack, P McGrath; E Nolan, S Cunnane; C Hand, C Sugrue, R Dolan; B O’Carroll, A Daly, B Nugent. Subs: B Derwin for Nugent (42), M Daly for Dolan (54).

Boyle: R Kearney; D Casey, L Glennon, K Cox; O Cregg, T McKenna, M O’Connor; R Hanmore, E Smith; N O’Donnell, C Feely, D Flanagan; D Cregg, D Smith, C McKeon. Subs: D East for Hanmore (46), E Kerins for Flanagan (51), S Purcell for O’Connor (56).

Referee: A Clogher (Pádraig Pearses).