Donegal come from behind to claim fourth Nickey Rackard title

Fermanagh secure Lory Meagher title after seeing off Longford.

FOURTH TITLE: Donegal's Stephen Gillespie with the Nickey Rackard Cup and a trophy to mark his 100th game. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Donegal are Nickey Rackard Cup champions for a record fourth time after they delivered a sensational finish to overcome a six-point deficit against Mayo in this afternoon’s Croke Park decider.

Woeful first half inaccuracy led the Tír Chonaill men to shoot just 0-8 from 25 shots in the first half, while Mayo hit 0-12 from 14, led by Shane Boland. The Tooreen attacker had 0-9 on the day, seven from play, and they were six points clear shortly after half time when Boland and Seán Kenny found the target.

Seán Regan missed a glorious chance to score what would have been a hammer blow of a goal for Donegal, and Rúairí Campbell was in no mood to show the same mercy to the Connacht County when he flicked the sliotar to the net after 44 minutes.

Mayo’s response was excellent as they went back six points clear, 0-21 to 1-12, and no-one could have imagined the final quarter collapse that was to come.

They added just one more point and once Josh Cronolly McGee finished off a breakaway move with a goal just short of the hour mark, Donegal were coming with real momentum. The substitute added another goal just three minutes later, and with their tails up, Stephen Gillespie and Ruairí Campbell picked off the late points that rounded off a fourth championship success at this level, and a welcome victory after last year’s final defeat to Wicklow.

Earlier in the afternoon, two goals from Brian Teehan and another from Danánn McKeogh were the key scores in Fermanagh’s 3-22 to 2-20 win over Longford in the Lory Meaghar decider. Teehan, a Moneygall native, was a key player at one end of the field while another Tipperary man, Kilruane’s Cian Darcy, rattled off 0-13 (12 frees) for Longford.

Fermanagh never trailed at any stage in the game, striking five of the first six points and taking an eight-point half-time lead. McKeogh’s goal made it 2-14 to 0-9 a minute into the second half and that was the cue for Longford to find some form and move through the gears, hitting the net themselves through David Buckley and Joe Rabbitt, either side of Teehan volleying the ball to the net for Fermanagh.

With Darcy in impeccable form from placed balls, Longford chipped away at the lead and got back to within three points late in the game. A crucial save from goalkeeper Chris KcKernan denied Longford what would have been an equalising goal while Buckley also missed another chance, and Fermanagh didn’t waste that reprieve.

Luca McCusker and JP McGarry fired over the clinching scores that confirmed Fermanagh’s third ever Lory Meaghar Cup, moving them alongside Louth on the overall roll of honour.