Intermediate Football Championship 2020
August 29: St. Anne’s 1-8, Ferns St. Aidans 1-6
It was not a vintage performance by any means, but still just enough to hand St. Anne’s a narrow two-point victory over luckless Ferns St. Aidans in this close but disappointing Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate Football Championship tie in Oylegate on Saturday.
While St. Anne’s must have been relieved to take a quarter-final spot, the championship hopes of Ferns now come down to a winner-takes-all clash with Ballyhogue, where a last eight spot is at stake in that final group outing.
St. Anne’s may have taken the points, but it was their opponents who stamped more authority on the game, having come with a gameplan to take the play to the opposition, which worked a treat.
However, there was one failing, namely their inability to turn this possession into scores, mainly through wayward passing or over-elaborate forward play.
The motivation of a quarter-final place was not evident in the play of St. Anne’s which dipped several times from that which brought them victory over Ballyhogue.
That may now be behind them, but huge improvement is required if they are to make an immediate return to senior ranks.
The game as a football spectacle was disappointing. It was devoid of direct play, with possession and short passing being the order of the evening.
As a result, scoring from general play was limited, so much so that the first direct shot on goal didn’t arrive until the 50th minute, when St. Anne’s substitute Redmond Barry forced a fine save out of inter-county ‘keeper Ivan Meegan, at the expense of a fruitless 45. That just about summed up the action for this forgettable 60 minutes.
After Dylan O’Brien had pointed the eventual winners in front from a fourth minute free, Ferns were awarded a penalty in their first real attack one minute later, when a defender was penalised for handling the ball on the ground in a goalmouth scramble.
Ryan Nolan tucked the resulting spot kick into the top right-hand corner, giving his side a 1-0 to 0-1 lead.
After Kevin Breen had the first score from play on twelve mintues to reduce the deficit to the minimum, O’Brien followed with further pointed frees.
At the other end, Ryan Nolan pointed two successive frees to send his side in with a 1-2 to 0-4 interval lead, with Breen’s point the only score from general play.
The second half followed much the same pattern, with both sides squandering chances after Ian Byrne and Aaron Craig had exchanged opening points.
Points from Liam Rochford and O’Brien (free) edged St. Anne’s into a 0-8 to 1-4 lead with twelve minutes remaining.
St. Anne’s were awarded a rather fortuitious penalty six minutes from the end. Aidan Rochford broke down the centre, and his final pass over the defence to Dylan O’Brien looked to have been thrown.
O’Brien was hauled down by Niall Murphy, who received a black card as a result. Despite the protestation of Ferns defenders with that thrown ball claim, referee Thomas Furlong awarded a penalty that O’Brien fired high into the corner of the net, giving his side a 1-8 to 1-4 lead.
Ferns pressed for the remainder of the game despite being reduced to 14 players, but all they had to show for it were points from Ryan Nolan and Patrick Breen, with St. Anne’s clearly relieved to hear the final whistle.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, James Tonks, Conor Scallan; John Breen, Ian Byrne (0-1); Paul Morris, James Lawlor, Gavin Bailey; Ryan Nolan (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees), Patrick Breen (0-1), Chris Turner. Subs: Tommy Dwyer for D. Byrne (53), Patrick O’Hagan for Bailey (inj., 55). Sin bin: Niall Murphy (54).
St. Anne’s: Paul Brennan; Páraic O’Keeffe, Tomás Cullen, Kenny Cloney; Finn O’Driscoll, Aaron Craig (0-1), Aidan Rochford; David O’Connor, Mark Furlong; Diarmuid O’Keeffe, Dylan O’Brien (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-4 frees), Liam Og McGovern; Kevin Breen (0-1), Jonathan Fogarty, Liam Rochford (0-2). Subs: Redmond Barry for O’Connor (45), Seán Gaul for Furlong (45).
September 6: Ferns St. Aidans 3-7, Ballyhogue 0-12
The extremely menacing Ryan Nolan was to the fore with 2-6, but it was an Ian Byrne goal which ended a 23-minute long scoring drought during the second half that catapulted Ferns St. Aidans through to the quarter-finals at the expense of Ballyhogue following Sunday evening’s Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate Football Championship Group A duel in Bellefield.
Ferns only required a draw, but it was win or bust for Ballyhogue, and there was a mounting sense that the Bree men might squeeze through to the last eight for the fifth successive campaign after stringing together five unanswered points between the 37th and 49th minutes to tie at 0-12 to 2-6.
Unlike in the first half, Ferns hadn’t been raising much of a pulse up front, and they didn’t score until seven minutes from the end of normal time, but they certainly made amends in sensational fashion.
A clearance from ‘keeper Ivan Meegan down the right found substitute Tommy Dwyer at midfield, and he darted forward after feeing Patrick Breen, who combined with Ryan Nolan.
Nolan then found Dwyer ghosting through to provide the telling link to Ian Byrne, who calmly tucked the ball around the ‘keeper and to the far corner of the town end net (3-6 to 0-12).
Ryan Nolan completed his personal salvo from a free forced by James Tonks before Ferns soaked up a succession of probing efforts from Ballyhogue, who just couldn’t salvage their ambitions.
Ballyhogue had settled quickly into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after eight minutes, with midfielder Graham Parker obliging twice while Noel Roche and (free) and Eddie Galavan also scored.
But Ferns levelled on nine minutes when Ryan Nolan fed Gavin Bailey who was impeded at the expense of a penalty, which soccer ace Nolan slotted home with aplomb (0-4 to 1-1).
Noel Roche (free) nudged Ballyhogue back in front after 13 minutes befofre they messed up a goal chance when Eamon Doyle misjudged his delivery to the perfectly positioned Roche.
Ryan Nolan got Ferns back on terms from an attacking mark just before the first water break, after which he notched from play to give the red and whites their first taste of the lead on 19 minutes (1-3 to 0-5).
The lively Ryan Nolan was foiled when attempting to find the country end net just prior to Peter Kelly and Graham Parker turning the tables by 0-7 to 1-3 after 22 minutes.
But Ferns dominated the remainder of the opening period, having been boosted by Ballyhogue losing Peter Kelly to a sin-binning on 24 minutes.
Paul Morris and Nolan converted frees before Nolan chipped the ‘keeper for a classy goal in the 28th minute after some tidy work by Patrick Breen and Christopher O’Connor.
The sharpshooter added another point just before three quick wides stole some of the wind from the Ferns sais as they asserted by 2-6 to 0-7 at half time, with James Tonks serving as the spare man at centre back.
But shortly after Ballyhogue regained numerical equilibrium on 34 minutes, Ferns lost Conor Scallan to the sin bin, and Ballyhogue really made hay during that spell to tie on 0-12 to 2-6 after 49 minutes, as Noel Roche (two frees), Eddie Galavan, Mick Condon and Enda Minogue bridged the gap just prior to the Ferns being restored to 15 players.
Ferns kicked a seventh wide – Ballyhogue had five – before their inter-county ‘keeper Ivan Meegan sparked the decisive counter-attack after James Tonks and Paul Morris had combined to force a key turnover, as last year’s relegation finalists set their sights on better things for 2020.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey, James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Ian Byrne (1-0); Paul Morris (0-1 free), James Lawlor, Chris Turner; Christopher O’Connor, Patrick Breen, Ryan Nolan (2-6, 0-3 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 mark). Subs: Tommy Dwyer for Turner (24), John Breen for Lawlor (45). Sin bin: Conor Scallan (36).
Ballyhogue: Myles Roche; Arthur Dunne, Seán Rochford, Daniel Pim; James Parle, Shane Doyle (capt.), Eamon Doyle; Graham Parker (0-3), John Kehoe; Enda Minogue (0-1), Eddie Galavan (0-2), Colm Parnell; Peter Kelly (0-1), Mick Condon (0-1), Noel Roche (0-4 frees). Subs: Shane Byrne for Kehoe (inj., 41), Dylan Dalton for Galavan (53), Dean Doyle for E. Doyle (55). Sin bin: Peter Kelly (24).
Referee: Kevin Carty (Sarsfields).
September 13, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 0-11, Crossabeg/Ballymurn 0-9
Ferns St. Aidans gutted it out in a heavyweight contest with Crossabeg-Ballymurn at Bellefield on Sunday to advance to the semi-finals of the Amber Springs/ Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship.
Ryan Nolan will take all the plaudits as the scoring hero, as he registered all eleven of his side’s scores, with five of them coming from play. However, this was a team effort, with a relentless hunger to progress the key to victory.
The Gorey District side have been one of the surprise packages of the championship so far, and in this kind of form it’s going to take a serious effort to take them out. There is an appetite for this title, they want it bad, and that kind of hunger is a powerful natural supplement.
There wasn’t a single outbreak of foot off the gas for Ferns here. They came out of the blocks to defend their goal in the first-half against the elements and did it superbly, giving themselves a lead to defend and a breeze to ride in the second period.
In truth, the wind eased off a bit as the game wore on but they didn’t get distracted by bad luck, they just stuck to their gameplan, fed Nolan, and he scored enough of his chances to guide Ferns to the last four.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn will be content in the knowledge that Senior hurling is around the corner in 2021. Maybe their eyes were off this prize, maybe their preparation time was badly hampered, but they just weren’t themselves in the first-half.
They tried to get the ball in quickly with the wind advantage in the opening half but Ferns were superb in cutting off those alleys of attack.
What got them to this point as Intermediate title challengers, the quick handpassing game, the moves off the shoulder, the loops, was all gone as they squandered possession continuously.
It took almost twelve minutes for either team to score and when it came it was Nolan’s opener for Ferns. Before that he had missed his first two shots but also scored his fourth after a great burst from Ivan Meegan set Conor Scallan up to win a free.
Niall Murphy got Crosabeg-Ballymurn’s first score just before the water break but they continued to struggle after the resumption.
A Paul Morris run was abruptly halted in the 23rd minute and Nolan converted, before he then saw his shot from close range blocked.
A lovely swish of his boot made it 0-4 to 0-1, but their opponents did hit back in the 29th minute when Cormac O’Rourke knocked over a dead-ball. However, the Crossabeg-Ballymurn forward was black-carded moments later, leaving his side with 14 at the start of the second-half.
Nolan had two efforts drift wide, although he was incensed that he wasn’t awarded a ‘45 for the second. He had a shot blocked in the 35th minute but kept showing for the ball, kept wanting it, and he was fouled six minutes into the second-half.
The Ferns forward converted the resulting free but Crossabeg-Ballymurn had weathered the spell a man light and hit back with a nice Cathal Devereux point.
A foul on Conor Scallan allowed Nolan to register again, but Pádraig Foley countered with a point. A lovely one-two with Paul Morris allowed Nolan to make it 0-7 to 0-4, but there were shoots of life from Crossabeg-Ballymurn and they started to find their form.
Bill Eviston, Mark Byrne and Mark O’Connor all tacked on classy scores in a three-minute spell and suddenly Crossabeg-Ballymurn were level.
There’s been a lot of talk about the water break, the pros and the cons, but it absolutely saved Ferns here. They were flagging at that stage but the break allowed them to re-group and re-focus on the task at hand.
After missing moments earlier, Nolan kicked them in front with eight minutes of normal time left. Ivan Meegan made an excellent low save from O’Rourke, and Ferns broke with Ian Byrne playing provider as Nolan notched his ninth (0-9 to 0-7).
O’Rourke pulled one back, only for Nolan to convert a dead-ball after Morris was fouled. O’Rourke was sent-off in the last minute and Ferns soon moved three up when Nolan converted another free after he was fouled.
Byrne reduced the arrears to two in added time, but Ferns kept the ball away from their own goal for the remaining time and fully deserved their spot in the last four.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Rory Scallan, Declan Byrne, Keith Breen; Gavin Bailey, James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; James Lawlor, Paul Morris, Tommy Dwyer; Christopher O’Connor, Ian Byrne, Ryan Nolan (0-11, 6 frees).
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Robert Murphy, Oisín Foley, Martin Redmond; Seamus Carroll, Pádraig Foley (0-1), Conor Devereux; Cathal Devereux (0-1), Ronan Devereux (capt.); Mark Byrne (0-2, 1 free), Bill Eviston (0-1), Oran Maddock; Niall Murphy (0-1), Cormac O’Rourke (0-2, 1 free), Mark O’Connor (0-1). Subs. - Conor Maddock for O. Maddock (40), Andy Butler for N. Murphy (60+2). Sin-bin: Cormac O’Rourke (30+1).
Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).
September 19, semi-final: Ferns St. Aidans 0-9, Rathgarogue/Cushinstown 1-5
County goalkeeper Ivan Meegan displayed character in abundance in a tense finish in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday to propel Ferns St. Aidans into the first-ever Amber Springs/ Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship final in the club’s proud history.
Opponents Rathgarogue-Cushinstown hadn’t scored since the 43rd minute when a superb free from the hands by top marksman Daire Bolger left them with a 1-5 to 0-6 lead.
And they were destined not to register again, although all three of the Ferns points that eventually got them over the line were incredibly hard-earned.
First up was 40-something substitute Peter Nolan – a county Minor in 1997 who went on to contribute hugely to the GAA in Boston before returning home.
He made it a one-point game in the 54th minute with his first kick from a Paul Morris pass after replacing Tommy Dwyer.
And the equaliser followed three and a half minutes later, with Gavin Bailey punishing Rathgarogue-Cushinstown with a high kick between the posts despite being off balance after goalkeeper Nicky Sinnott was caught in possession while attempting to break out of defence.
After substitute Aaron Ryan shot the sixth and last wide for the Ross District side (Ferns had seven), it was time for Meegan to assume centre stage.
Bailey’s mark from his kick-out after that miss was followed by a delivery to the hugely influential Patrick Breen who was fouled in a spot ideally suited to a left-footer.
Meegan duly trotted upfield to take aim from 21 metres but, to the disbelief of onlookers, he hooked his shot beyond the far post and wide.
It’s what happened next, though, that sums up the gutsy nature of the adventurous young netminder.
Seventy seconds into the four added minutes, a trip on Gavin Bailey presented Ferns with another free-scoring chance, in a relatively central position at the town end some 50 metres out.
And while others might have been upset by that earlier miss, Meegan was having none of it.
This time his kick was one of those sweet efforts that is destined to split the posts from the moment boot connects to ball, and it was enough to guide his team to a repeat meeting with recent group opponents St. Anne’s in the decider.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown did launch one final attack that broke down just inside the opposition 45-metre line, and it was fitting that the game should end with two of its key protagonists on the ball, as Patrick Breen played a free back to Meegan as Ferns protected their advantage.
In the first-half it was the dynamic runs of youthful midfielder Niall Murphy that stood out for the winners. However, after the break his more experienced partner, Breen, took over completely in that department, with his immense workrate and ability to draw fouls from his rivals giving Ferns an immense ‘pull’.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown were very annoyed afterwards with the free count that ended 33-14 in favour of the victors. It was particularly pronounced in the second-half when the figures were 23-6 and, given that it was a close contest with the margin only rising above two points on two occasions, those numbers were certainly unusual.
It was particularly baffling to see Jason Dunne denied a free when he appeared to be tackled around the neck, not once but twice, in the same movement during a critical stage of the game.
Then again, the losers’ bid to reach a county final for the fourth year running really faltered on the complete malfunction of their attack.
Their only point from play arrived from busy wing-back Jason Dunne in added time at the end of the first-half, and Daire Bolger was the sole forward to carry any sort of threat despite a constant supply of decent passes from chief creator Eoin Porter.
Bolger started both halves at full-forward but swapped immediately with Rory O’Connor, and his quality goal early in the second period was one of the highlights of the evening.
Ferns started well and deserved to lead by 0-3 to nil by the first water break, although in reality their numbers on the scoreboard by that stage ought to have read 1-2.
Ryan Nolan and Paul Morris registered in the third and twelfth minutes, but sandwiched in between was a James Lawlor point that has to rank as a glaring goal miss.
The county hurling sub-goalkeeper did well to catch Nolan’s high cross from the right corner, but he blazed his shot over with the net crying out to be rattled from close quarters.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown finally settled after a Daire Bolger free got them off the mark in the 19th minute.
Nolan’s response was the last Ferns score of the half, and it was 0-4 each by the interval after two more Bolger placed balls were followed by Jason Dunne’s late strike.
That score arrived from distance, after Bolger initially kicked a line ball from the left outfield to Patrick Murphy.
A pull by Eric Cummins had also squirmed under the body of Ivan Meegan and across the goalmouth in the 27th minute, but Rathgarogue-Cushinstown did raise the game’s sole green flag early in the second period.
Bernard Furlong and Daire Bolger combined to feed Rory O’Connor whose thunderbolt crashed off the post.
It rebounded to Bolger who coolly waited for a Ferns pair to dive to his left before he tapped the ball into the gaping right side of the goal for a 1-4 to 0-4 lead.
Even allowing for their perceived problems with the referee thereafter, to only score one more point from that position of strength was simply not good enough to secure a final place.
Ryan Nolan and Bolger exchanged points from frees to leave Rathgarogue-Cushinstown leading by 1-5 to 0-6 at the water break, and there can be no denying that they did deserve 20 minutes of extra-time at the very least given it was such a 50-50 contest.
The ability to concentrate fully on football in recent weeks has really stood to Ferns however, and that strong finish now leaves them just an hour away from a possible return to Senior ranks for the first time after a 48-year wait.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan (0-1 free); Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey (01), James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; Tommy Dwyer, Paul Morris (0-1), James Lawlor (0-1); Christopher O’Connor, Ian Byrne, Ryan Nolan (0-4, 3 frees). Subs. - Chris Turner for O’Connor (43), Peter Nolan (0-1) for Dwyer (52).
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Nicky Sinnott; Brian O’Neill, Peadar Cody, Patrick Murphy; Ollie Bolger, Eoin Porter, Jason Dunne (0-1); Bryan Cody, Matthew Cody (capt.); Tadhg Cody, Rory O’Connor, Bernard Furlong; Robert Murphy, Daire Bolger (1-4, 0-4 frees), Eric Cummins. Subs. - Paddy Barron for O. Bolger (41), Aaron Ryan for B. Cody, inj. (52), Donal Porter for Cummins (54).
Referee: David Jenkins (Gusserane).
October 4, County Final: St. Anne's 0-9, Ferns St. Aidans 0-7
Forget about the hand of God - from now on it's the left hand of Paul Brennan that will be revered in the parish of Rathangan after a quite extraordinary finish to the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship final in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday.
An otherwise mundane encounter ended with an incredible piece of drama, leaving one team breathing a massive collective sigh of relief, while their rivals lay devastated on the damp ground.
And the man of the moment without a shadow of a doubt was St. Anne's heroic netminder Brennan, as his last-gasp penalty save ensured that his side would be making an immediate return to the top flight after last year's relegation.
Talk about doing it the hard way, though. Ahead since late in the second quarter, the favourites looked set to effectively manage the conclusion of the game when they stretched their advantage to 0-9 to 0-5 in the 51st minute.
With rivals Ferns St. Aidan's pushing forward en masse, an overlap saw Mikey Fogarty and Liam Óg McGovern play in Dylan O'Brien whose shot was superbly blocked by Rory Scallan, but the breaking ball was driven first-time over the bar by recently-arrived substitute Redmond Barry.
If the St. Anne's supporters reckoned the job was nearly done, they must have bitten their nails down to the quick in the time that remained after bearing witness to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
Ferns weren't far away from a goal in the 54th minute, with a Patrick Breen delivery landing in the lap of Gavin Bailey who turned and prepared to shoot, only for David O'Connor to make a vital stretching intervention at the expense of a '45.
That kick was stroked over via a post by netminder Ivan Meegan, and the first-time finalists retained some hope.
They should have been punished on another overlap, only for Mark Furlong to shoot very tamely into Meegan's arms, but another '45 by the latter shortly afterwards was gathered in his own square by O'Connor, who operated as a fourth member of the full-back line throughout.
After a wide apiece at either end, from Jonathan Fogarty (free) and Ian Byrne, the former caught a Ryan Nolan free and cleared his lines with 50 seconds of the four added minutes played.
However, Ferns launched another attack, and a late challenge on Ryan Nolan led to their main marksman sending over a close-in free to make it a two-point game (0-9 to 0-7).
And with 35 seconds remaining, the drama was ratcheted up to another level entirely. With St. Anne's trying to play keep ball in their own half, David O'Connor made his sole mistake with a loose handpass across his own goal at the Clonard end.
It was intercepted by Ian Byrne who tumbled to the ground after a tackle from county hurler Liam Óg McGovern, with referee Justin Heffernan spreading his arms to signal a penalty.
This was it, with the outcome of an entire championship and a coveted place in Senior ranks resting on just one moment.
Some of the Ferns players couldn't look, with Patrick Breen getting on his knees on the 45-metre line and facing towards the other goal, while Ivan Meegan began a slow stroll back to his own posts with his back to proceedings.
Ryan Nolan hit the ball with venom, but Paul Brennan dived to his right and got a strong left hand on it to make an exceptional save.
Nolan latched on to the break and drove it possibly even harder, but this time the left post came to St. Anne's rescue before the leather was hacked away over the stand sideline.
With that, referee Heffernan blew his final whistle, leaving St. Anne's to mob their heroic goalkeeper, while distraught Ferns bodies slumped to the turf all over the field.
Nolan was inconsolable, but let's not forget that his team wouldn't have been next nor near the final without his earlier contribution. His feat in scoring all eleven points in their quarter-final win over Crossabeg-Ballymurn was one of the finest seen on the playing fields of Wexford for many years.
Amid the pandemonium, the empathy and sheer class of Liam Óg McGovern shone though, as he made a point of trying to console as many of the opposition as possible before joining in his own team's celebrations.
It was an incredible way to conclude a very enjoyable weekend of football finals, and it went completely against the grain of what occurred beforehand.
St. Anne's have taken a pragmatic approach all season, setting themselves up to be hard to break down first and foremost, and winning all three knockout games without scoring a goal.
It's not in keeping with their more attractive flowing style of old, but if it's proved enough to reclaim Senior status at the first time of asking, then isn't that all that matters?
They opted to face the wind first after captain Aaron Craig won the toss, eager to repeat their 1-8 to 1-6 group game victory over the same opponents.
Dylan O'Brien fired them in front from an early free, but Ivan Meegan levelled from a placed ball outside the 45-metre line before Chris Turner kicked the first point from play in the twelfth minute for Ferns from an Ian Byrne handpass.
Seán Gaul equalised, after good approach play by Finn O'Driscoll and Mikey Fogarty, but it was 0-3 to 0-2 in favour of Ferns at the water break after a long period of possession ended with Paul Morris sending a good pass to overlapping defender Keith Breen who split the posts.
They didn't carry that momentum into the third quarter, though, failing to score again before the break as St. Anne's hit three points on the bounce to lead 5-3 at half-time.
Liam Óg McGovern ghosted into the right corner to equalise in the 25th minute, with Aidan Rochford playing a one-two with Páraic O'Keeffe before putting them ahead.
A foul on Seán Gaul led to Dylan O'Brien stretching the lead to two, and it took a long time for Ferns to suggest they had the wherewithal to mount that strong late challenge when the second-half commenced.
Indeed, taking added time into account, they went 32 minutes without scoring before Ryan Nolan knocked over a free after a foul on Keith Breen just before the last water break.
That left them trailing by 0-7 to 0-4, after the best St. Anne's player, Jonathan Fogarty, had posted a brace of points beforehand.
His first came in the 34th minute with his fist after a one-two with McGovern, with the second arriving when he caught a Seán Gaul free and turned swiftly before splitting the town end posts.
Referee Heffernan erred in awarding Diarmuid O'Keeffe a mark in the 41st minute, because the ball he caught came from a free-kick taken by Aaron Craig, but thankfully it didn't have a bearing as the county hurler posted a wide.
The St. Anne's lead was widened to double scores in the 49th minute, with Ivan Meegan losing possession on a foray to midfield, and Seán Gaul firing over from distance after a Finn O'Driscoll pass, just as the netminder made it back to man his posts (0-8 to 0-4).
Ian Byrne replied from a Keith Breen handpass, before the events of the last ten minutes plus added time that won't be forgotten by either camp in a hurry.
After winning the Intermediate hurling title at the first attempt three years ago following relegation, history has been repeated in the other code by St. Anne's whose sole previous final appearance - and success - in this grade arrived in 1990.
Selector Kevin Byrne provided a direct playing link to that team, and he was assisted on the sideline by Paul Ffrench, Leitrim native Liam McGovern, and coach Lloyd Colfer from Taghmon-Camross.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan (0-2, 1 free, 1 '45); Keith Breen (0-1), Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey, Conor Scallan, James Tonks (capt.); Patrick Breen, Niall Murphy; James Lawlor, Paul Morris, Tommy Dwyer; Ryan Nolan (0-2 frees), Ian Byrne (0-1), Chris Turner (0-1). Subs. - Diarmuid Doyle for Dwyer (41), Peter Nolan for Lawlor (41), also John Breen, Pádraig Bolger, Rob Murphy, Adrian Breen, Christopher O'Connor, Liam Murphy, Pat Nolan, Patrick O'Hagan, Stephen Corrigan.
St. Anne's: Paul Brennan; Páraic O'Keeffe, Tomás Cullen, Kenny Cloney; Aidan Rochford (0-1), Seán Gaul (0-2), Finn O'Driscoll; Aaron Craig (capt.), David O'Connor; Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Liam Óg McGovern (0-1), Jonathan Fogarty (0-2); Liam Rochford, Dylan O'Brien (0-2 frees), Mikey Fogarty. Subs. - Redmond Barry (0-1) for L. Rochford (47), Justin Moran for O'Brien (52), Mark Furlong for M. Fogarty (52), also Kevin Whelan, Vincent Carroll, Paddy Miskella, Kevin Breen, Barry Roche, Andy Kennedy.
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
It was not a vintage performance by any means, but still just enough to hand St. Anne’s a narrow two-point victory over luckless Ferns St. Aidans in this close but disappointing Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate Football Championship tie in Oylegate on Saturday.
While St. Anne’s must have been relieved to take a quarter-final spot, the championship hopes of Ferns now come down to a winner-takes-all clash with Ballyhogue, where a last eight spot is at stake in that final group outing.
St. Anne’s may have taken the points, but it was their opponents who stamped more authority on the game, having come with a gameplan to take the play to the opposition, which worked a treat.
However, there was one failing, namely their inability to turn this possession into scores, mainly through wayward passing or over-elaborate forward play.
The motivation of a quarter-final place was not evident in the play of St. Anne’s which dipped several times from that which brought them victory over Ballyhogue.
That may now be behind them, but huge improvement is required if they are to make an immediate return to senior ranks.
The game as a football spectacle was disappointing. It was devoid of direct play, with possession and short passing being the order of the evening.
As a result, scoring from general play was limited, so much so that the first direct shot on goal didn’t arrive until the 50th minute, when St. Anne’s substitute Redmond Barry forced a fine save out of inter-county ‘keeper Ivan Meegan, at the expense of a fruitless 45. That just about summed up the action for this forgettable 60 minutes.
After Dylan O’Brien had pointed the eventual winners in front from a fourth minute free, Ferns were awarded a penalty in their first real attack one minute later, when a defender was penalised for handling the ball on the ground in a goalmouth scramble.
Ryan Nolan tucked the resulting spot kick into the top right-hand corner, giving his side a 1-0 to 0-1 lead.
After Kevin Breen had the first score from play on twelve mintues to reduce the deficit to the minimum, O’Brien followed with further pointed frees.
At the other end, Ryan Nolan pointed two successive frees to send his side in with a 1-2 to 0-4 interval lead, with Breen’s point the only score from general play.
The second half followed much the same pattern, with both sides squandering chances after Ian Byrne and Aaron Craig had exchanged opening points.
Points from Liam Rochford and O’Brien (free) edged St. Anne’s into a 0-8 to 1-4 lead with twelve minutes remaining.
St. Anne’s were awarded a rather fortuitious penalty six minutes from the end. Aidan Rochford broke down the centre, and his final pass over the defence to Dylan O’Brien looked to have been thrown.
O’Brien was hauled down by Niall Murphy, who received a black card as a result. Despite the protestation of Ferns defenders with that thrown ball claim, referee Thomas Furlong awarded a penalty that O’Brien fired high into the corner of the net, giving his side a 1-8 to 1-4 lead.
Ferns pressed for the remainder of the game despite being reduced to 14 players, but all they had to show for it were points from Ryan Nolan and Patrick Breen, with St. Anne’s clearly relieved to hear the final whistle.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Niall Murphy, James Tonks, Conor Scallan; John Breen, Ian Byrne (0-1); Paul Morris, James Lawlor, Gavin Bailey; Ryan Nolan (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees), Patrick Breen (0-1), Chris Turner. Subs: Tommy Dwyer for D. Byrne (53), Patrick O’Hagan for Bailey (inj., 55). Sin bin: Niall Murphy (54).
St. Anne’s: Paul Brennan; Páraic O’Keeffe, Tomás Cullen, Kenny Cloney; Finn O’Driscoll, Aaron Craig (0-1), Aidan Rochford; David O’Connor, Mark Furlong; Diarmuid O’Keeffe, Dylan O’Brien (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-4 frees), Liam Og McGovern; Kevin Breen (0-1), Jonathan Fogarty, Liam Rochford (0-2). Subs: Redmond Barry for O’Connor (45), Seán Gaul for Furlong (45).
September 6: Ferns St. Aidans 3-7, Ballyhogue 0-12
The extremely menacing Ryan Nolan was to the fore with 2-6, but it was an Ian Byrne goal which ended a 23-minute long scoring drought during the second half that catapulted Ferns St. Aidans through to the quarter-finals at the expense of Ballyhogue following Sunday evening’s Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate Football Championship Group A duel in Bellefield.
Ferns only required a draw, but it was win or bust for Ballyhogue, and there was a mounting sense that the Bree men might squeeze through to the last eight for the fifth successive campaign after stringing together five unanswered points between the 37th and 49th minutes to tie at 0-12 to 2-6.
Unlike in the first half, Ferns hadn’t been raising much of a pulse up front, and they didn’t score until seven minutes from the end of normal time, but they certainly made amends in sensational fashion.
A clearance from ‘keeper Ivan Meegan down the right found substitute Tommy Dwyer at midfield, and he darted forward after feeing Patrick Breen, who combined with Ryan Nolan.
Nolan then found Dwyer ghosting through to provide the telling link to Ian Byrne, who calmly tucked the ball around the ‘keeper and to the far corner of the town end net (3-6 to 0-12).
Ryan Nolan completed his personal salvo from a free forced by James Tonks before Ferns soaked up a succession of probing efforts from Ballyhogue, who just couldn’t salvage their ambitions.
Ballyhogue had settled quickly into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after eight minutes, with midfielder Graham Parker obliging twice while Noel Roche and (free) and Eddie Galavan also scored.
But Ferns levelled on nine minutes when Ryan Nolan fed Gavin Bailey who was impeded at the expense of a penalty, which soccer ace Nolan slotted home with aplomb (0-4 to 1-1).
Noel Roche (free) nudged Ballyhogue back in front after 13 minutes befofre they messed up a goal chance when Eamon Doyle misjudged his delivery to the perfectly positioned Roche.
Ryan Nolan got Ferns back on terms from an attacking mark just before the first water break, after which he notched from play to give the red and whites their first taste of the lead on 19 minutes (1-3 to 0-5).
The lively Ryan Nolan was foiled when attempting to find the country end net just prior to Peter Kelly and Graham Parker turning the tables by 0-7 to 1-3 after 22 minutes.
But Ferns dominated the remainder of the opening period, having been boosted by Ballyhogue losing Peter Kelly to a sin-binning on 24 minutes.
Paul Morris and Nolan converted frees before Nolan chipped the ‘keeper for a classy goal in the 28th minute after some tidy work by Patrick Breen and Christopher O’Connor.
The sharpshooter added another point just before three quick wides stole some of the wind from the Ferns sais as they asserted by 2-6 to 0-7 at half time, with James Tonks serving as the spare man at centre back.
But shortly after Ballyhogue regained numerical equilibrium on 34 minutes, Ferns lost Conor Scallan to the sin bin, and Ballyhogue really made hay during that spell to tie on 0-12 to 2-6 after 49 minutes, as Noel Roche (two frees), Eddie Galavan, Mick Condon and Enda Minogue bridged the gap just prior to the Ferns being restored to 15 players.
Ferns kicked a seventh wide – Ballyhogue had five – before their inter-county ‘keeper Ivan Meegan sparked the decisive counter-attack after James Tonks and Paul Morris had combined to force a key turnover, as last year’s relegation finalists set their sights on better things for 2020.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey, James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Ian Byrne (1-0); Paul Morris (0-1 free), James Lawlor, Chris Turner; Christopher O’Connor, Patrick Breen, Ryan Nolan (2-6, 0-3 frees, 1-0 pen, 0-1 mark). Subs: Tommy Dwyer for Turner (24), John Breen for Lawlor (45). Sin bin: Conor Scallan (36).
Ballyhogue: Myles Roche; Arthur Dunne, Seán Rochford, Daniel Pim; James Parle, Shane Doyle (capt.), Eamon Doyle; Graham Parker (0-3), John Kehoe; Enda Minogue (0-1), Eddie Galavan (0-2), Colm Parnell; Peter Kelly (0-1), Mick Condon (0-1), Noel Roche (0-4 frees). Subs: Shane Byrne for Kehoe (inj., 41), Dylan Dalton for Galavan (53), Dean Doyle for E. Doyle (55). Sin bin: Peter Kelly (24).
Referee: Kevin Carty (Sarsfields).
September 13, quarter-final: Ferns St. Aidans 0-11, Crossabeg/Ballymurn 0-9
Ferns St. Aidans gutted it out in a heavyweight contest with Crossabeg-Ballymurn at Bellefield on Sunday to advance to the semi-finals of the Amber Springs/ Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship.
Ryan Nolan will take all the plaudits as the scoring hero, as he registered all eleven of his side’s scores, with five of them coming from play. However, this was a team effort, with a relentless hunger to progress the key to victory.
The Gorey District side have been one of the surprise packages of the championship so far, and in this kind of form it’s going to take a serious effort to take them out. There is an appetite for this title, they want it bad, and that kind of hunger is a powerful natural supplement.
There wasn’t a single outbreak of foot off the gas for Ferns here. They came out of the blocks to defend their goal in the first-half against the elements and did it superbly, giving themselves a lead to defend and a breeze to ride in the second period.
In truth, the wind eased off a bit as the game wore on but they didn’t get distracted by bad luck, they just stuck to their gameplan, fed Nolan, and he scored enough of his chances to guide Ferns to the last four.
Crossabeg-Ballymurn will be content in the knowledge that Senior hurling is around the corner in 2021. Maybe their eyes were off this prize, maybe their preparation time was badly hampered, but they just weren’t themselves in the first-half.
They tried to get the ball in quickly with the wind advantage in the opening half but Ferns were superb in cutting off those alleys of attack.
What got them to this point as Intermediate title challengers, the quick handpassing game, the moves off the shoulder, the loops, was all gone as they squandered possession continuously.
It took almost twelve minutes for either team to score and when it came it was Nolan’s opener for Ferns. Before that he had missed his first two shots but also scored his fourth after a great burst from Ivan Meegan set Conor Scallan up to win a free.
Niall Murphy got Crosabeg-Ballymurn’s first score just before the water break but they continued to struggle after the resumption.
A Paul Morris run was abruptly halted in the 23rd minute and Nolan converted, before he then saw his shot from close range blocked.
A lovely swish of his boot made it 0-4 to 0-1, but their opponents did hit back in the 29th minute when Cormac O’Rourke knocked over a dead-ball. However, the Crossabeg-Ballymurn forward was black-carded moments later, leaving his side with 14 at the start of the second-half.
Nolan had two efforts drift wide, although he was incensed that he wasn’t awarded a ‘45 for the second. He had a shot blocked in the 35th minute but kept showing for the ball, kept wanting it, and he was fouled six minutes into the second-half.
The Ferns forward converted the resulting free but Crossabeg-Ballymurn had weathered the spell a man light and hit back with a nice Cathal Devereux point.
A foul on Conor Scallan allowed Nolan to register again, but Pádraig Foley countered with a point. A lovely one-two with Paul Morris allowed Nolan to make it 0-7 to 0-4, but there were shoots of life from Crossabeg-Ballymurn and they started to find their form.
Bill Eviston, Mark Byrne and Mark O’Connor all tacked on classy scores in a three-minute spell and suddenly Crossabeg-Ballymurn were level.
There’s been a lot of talk about the water break, the pros and the cons, but it absolutely saved Ferns here. They were flagging at that stage but the break allowed them to re-group and re-focus on the task at hand.
After missing moments earlier, Nolan kicked them in front with eight minutes of normal time left. Ivan Meegan made an excellent low save from O’Rourke, and Ferns broke with Ian Byrne playing provider as Nolan notched his ninth (0-9 to 0-7).
O’Rourke pulled one back, only for Nolan to convert a dead-ball after Morris was fouled. O’Rourke was sent-off in the last minute and Ferns soon moved three up when Nolan converted another free after he was fouled.
Byrne reduced the arrears to two in added time, but Ferns kept the ball away from their own goal for the remaining time and fully deserved their spot in the last four.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan; Rory Scallan, Declan Byrne, Keith Breen; Gavin Bailey, James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; James Lawlor, Paul Morris, Tommy Dwyer; Christopher O’Connor, Ian Byrne, Ryan Nolan (0-11, 6 frees).
Crossabeg-Ballymurn: Ben Turner; Robert Murphy, Oisín Foley, Martin Redmond; Seamus Carroll, Pádraig Foley (0-1), Conor Devereux; Cathal Devereux (0-1), Ronan Devereux (capt.); Mark Byrne (0-2, 1 free), Bill Eviston (0-1), Oran Maddock; Niall Murphy (0-1), Cormac O’Rourke (0-2, 1 free), Mark O’Connor (0-1). Subs. - Conor Maddock for O. Maddock (40), Andy Butler for N. Murphy (60+2). Sin-bin: Cormac O’Rourke (30+1).
Referee: Brendan Martin (Ballyhogue).
September 19, semi-final: Ferns St. Aidans 0-9, Rathgarogue/Cushinstown 1-5
County goalkeeper Ivan Meegan displayed character in abundance in a tense finish in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday to propel Ferns St. Aidans into the first-ever Amber Springs/ Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship final in the club’s proud history.
Opponents Rathgarogue-Cushinstown hadn’t scored since the 43rd minute when a superb free from the hands by top marksman Daire Bolger left them with a 1-5 to 0-6 lead.
And they were destined not to register again, although all three of the Ferns points that eventually got them over the line were incredibly hard-earned.
First up was 40-something substitute Peter Nolan – a county Minor in 1997 who went on to contribute hugely to the GAA in Boston before returning home.
He made it a one-point game in the 54th minute with his first kick from a Paul Morris pass after replacing Tommy Dwyer.
And the equaliser followed three and a half minutes later, with Gavin Bailey punishing Rathgarogue-Cushinstown with a high kick between the posts despite being off balance after goalkeeper Nicky Sinnott was caught in possession while attempting to break out of defence.
After substitute Aaron Ryan shot the sixth and last wide for the Ross District side (Ferns had seven), it was time for Meegan to assume centre stage.
Bailey’s mark from his kick-out after that miss was followed by a delivery to the hugely influential Patrick Breen who was fouled in a spot ideally suited to a left-footer.
Meegan duly trotted upfield to take aim from 21 metres but, to the disbelief of onlookers, he hooked his shot beyond the far post and wide.
It’s what happened next, though, that sums up the gutsy nature of the adventurous young netminder.
Seventy seconds into the four added minutes, a trip on Gavin Bailey presented Ferns with another free-scoring chance, in a relatively central position at the town end some 50 metres out.
And while others might have been upset by that earlier miss, Meegan was having none of it.
This time his kick was one of those sweet efforts that is destined to split the posts from the moment boot connects to ball, and it was enough to guide his team to a repeat meeting with recent group opponents St. Anne’s in the decider.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown did launch one final attack that broke down just inside the opposition 45-metre line, and it was fitting that the game should end with two of its key protagonists on the ball, as Patrick Breen played a free back to Meegan as Ferns protected their advantage.
In the first-half it was the dynamic runs of youthful midfielder Niall Murphy that stood out for the winners. However, after the break his more experienced partner, Breen, took over completely in that department, with his immense workrate and ability to draw fouls from his rivals giving Ferns an immense ‘pull’.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown were very annoyed afterwards with the free count that ended 33-14 in favour of the victors. It was particularly pronounced in the second-half when the figures were 23-6 and, given that it was a close contest with the margin only rising above two points on two occasions, those numbers were certainly unusual.
It was particularly baffling to see Jason Dunne denied a free when he appeared to be tackled around the neck, not once but twice, in the same movement during a critical stage of the game.
Then again, the losers’ bid to reach a county final for the fourth year running really faltered on the complete malfunction of their attack.
Their only point from play arrived from busy wing-back Jason Dunne in added time at the end of the first-half, and Daire Bolger was the sole forward to carry any sort of threat despite a constant supply of decent passes from chief creator Eoin Porter.
Bolger started both halves at full-forward but swapped immediately with Rory O’Connor, and his quality goal early in the second period was one of the highlights of the evening.
Ferns started well and deserved to lead by 0-3 to nil by the first water break, although in reality their numbers on the scoreboard by that stage ought to have read 1-2.
Ryan Nolan and Paul Morris registered in the third and twelfth minutes, but sandwiched in between was a James Lawlor point that has to rank as a glaring goal miss.
The county hurling sub-goalkeeper did well to catch Nolan’s high cross from the right corner, but he blazed his shot over with the net crying out to be rattled from close quarters.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown finally settled after a Daire Bolger free got them off the mark in the 19th minute.
Nolan’s response was the last Ferns score of the half, and it was 0-4 each by the interval after two more Bolger placed balls were followed by Jason Dunne’s late strike.
That score arrived from distance, after Bolger initially kicked a line ball from the left outfield to Patrick Murphy.
A pull by Eric Cummins had also squirmed under the body of Ivan Meegan and across the goalmouth in the 27th minute, but Rathgarogue-Cushinstown did raise the game’s sole green flag early in the second period.
Bernard Furlong and Daire Bolger combined to feed Rory O’Connor whose thunderbolt crashed off the post.
It rebounded to Bolger who coolly waited for a Ferns pair to dive to his left before he tapped the ball into the gaping right side of the goal for a 1-4 to 0-4 lead.
Even allowing for their perceived problems with the referee thereafter, to only score one more point from that position of strength was simply not good enough to secure a final place.
Ryan Nolan and Bolger exchanged points from frees to leave Rathgarogue-Cushinstown leading by 1-5 to 0-6 at the water break, and there can be no denying that they did deserve 20 minutes of extra-time at the very least given it was such a 50-50 contest.
The ability to concentrate fully on football in recent weeks has really stood to Ferns however, and that strong finish now leaves them just an hour away from a possible return to Senior ranks for the first time after a 48-year wait.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan (0-1 free); Keith Breen, Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey (01), James Tonks (capt.), Conor Scallan; Niall Murphy, Patrick Breen; Tommy Dwyer, Paul Morris (0-1), James Lawlor (0-1); Christopher O’Connor, Ian Byrne, Ryan Nolan (0-4, 3 frees). Subs. - Chris Turner for O’Connor (43), Peter Nolan (0-1) for Dwyer (52).
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Nicky Sinnott; Brian O’Neill, Peadar Cody, Patrick Murphy; Ollie Bolger, Eoin Porter, Jason Dunne (0-1); Bryan Cody, Matthew Cody (capt.); Tadhg Cody, Rory O’Connor, Bernard Furlong; Robert Murphy, Daire Bolger (1-4, 0-4 frees), Eric Cummins. Subs. - Paddy Barron for O. Bolger (41), Aaron Ryan for B. Cody, inj. (52), Donal Porter for Cummins (54).
Referee: David Jenkins (Gusserane).
October 4, County Final: St. Anne's 0-9, Ferns St. Aidans 0-7
Forget about the hand of God - from now on it's the left hand of Paul Brennan that will be revered in the parish of Rathangan after a quite extraordinary finish to the Amber Springs/Ashdown Park Hotels Intermediate football championship final in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday.
An otherwise mundane encounter ended with an incredible piece of drama, leaving one team breathing a massive collective sigh of relief, while their rivals lay devastated on the damp ground.
And the man of the moment without a shadow of a doubt was St. Anne's heroic netminder Brennan, as his last-gasp penalty save ensured that his side would be making an immediate return to the top flight after last year's relegation.
Talk about doing it the hard way, though. Ahead since late in the second quarter, the favourites looked set to effectively manage the conclusion of the game when they stretched their advantage to 0-9 to 0-5 in the 51st minute.
With rivals Ferns St. Aidan's pushing forward en masse, an overlap saw Mikey Fogarty and Liam Óg McGovern play in Dylan O'Brien whose shot was superbly blocked by Rory Scallan, but the breaking ball was driven first-time over the bar by recently-arrived substitute Redmond Barry.
If the St. Anne's supporters reckoned the job was nearly done, they must have bitten their nails down to the quick in the time that remained after bearing witness to a jaw-dropping conclusion.
Ferns weren't far away from a goal in the 54th minute, with a Patrick Breen delivery landing in the lap of Gavin Bailey who turned and prepared to shoot, only for David O'Connor to make a vital stretching intervention at the expense of a '45.
That kick was stroked over via a post by netminder Ivan Meegan, and the first-time finalists retained some hope.
They should have been punished on another overlap, only for Mark Furlong to shoot very tamely into Meegan's arms, but another '45 by the latter shortly afterwards was gathered in his own square by O'Connor, who operated as a fourth member of the full-back line throughout.
After a wide apiece at either end, from Jonathan Fogarty (free) and Ian Byrne, the former caught a Ryan Nolan free and cleared his lines with 50 seconds of the four added minutes played.
However, Ferns launched another attack, and a late challenge on Ryan Nolan led to their main marksman sending over a close-in free to make it a two-point game (0-9 to 0-7).
And with 35 seconds remaining, the drama was ratcheted up to another level entirely. With St. Anne's trying to play keep ball in their own half, David O'Connor made his sole mistake with a loose handpass across his own goal at the Clonard end.
It was intercepted by Ian Byrne who tumbled to the ground after a tackle from county hurler Liam Óg McGovern, with referee Justin Heffernan spreading his arms to signal a penalty.
This was it, with the outcome of an entire championship and a coveted place in Senior ranks resting on just one moment.
Some of the Ferns players couldn't look, with Patrick Breen getting on his knees on the 45-metre line and facing towards the other goal, while Ivan Meegan began a slow stroll back to his own posts with his back to proceedings.
Ryan Nolan hit the ball with venom, but Paul Brennan dived to his right and got a strong left hand on it to make an exceptional save.
Nolan latched on to the break and drove it possibly even harder, but this time the left post came to St. Anne's rescue before the leather was hacked away over the stand sideline.
With that, referee Heffernan blew his final whistle, leaving St. Anne's to mob their heroic goalkeeper, while distraught Ferns bodies slumped to the turf all over the field.
Nolan was inconsolable, but let's not forget that his team wouldn't have been next nor near the final without his earlier contribution. His feat in scoring all eleven points in their quarter-final win over Crossabeg-Ballymurn was one of the finest seen on the playing fields of Wexford for many years.
Amid the pandemonium, the empathy and sheer class of Liam Óg McGovern shone though, as he made a point of trying to console as many of the opposition as possible before joining in his own team's celebrations.
It was an incredible way to conclude a very enjoyable weekend of football finals, and it went completely against the grain of what occurred beforehand.
St. Anne's have taken a pragmatic approach all season, setting themselves up to be hard to break down first and foremost, and winning all three knockout games without scoring a goal.
It's not in keeping with their more attractive flowing style of old, but if it's proved enough to reclaim Senior status at the first time of asking, then isn't that all that matters?
They opted to face the wind first after captain Aaron Craig won the toss, eager to repeat their 1-8 to 1-6 group game victory over the same opponents.
Dylan O'Brien fired them in front from an early free, but Ivan Meegan levelled from a placed ball outside the 45-metre line before Chris Turner kicked the first point from play in the twelfth minute for Ferns from an Ian Byrne handpass.
Seán Gaul equalised, after good approach play by Finn O'Driscoll and Mikey Fogarty, but it was 0-3 to 0-2 in favour of Ferns at the water break after a long period of possession ended with Paul Morris sending a good pass to overlapping defender Keith Breen who split the posts.
They didn't carry that momentum into the third quarter, though, failing to score again before the break as St. Anne's hit three points on the bounce to lead 5-3 at half-time.
Liam Óg McGovern ghosted into the right corner to equalise in the 25th minute, with Aidan Rochford playing a one-two with Páraic O'Keeffe before putting them ahead.
A foul on Seán Gaul led to Dylan O'Brien stretching the lead to two, and it took a long time for Ferns to suggest they had the wherewithal to mount that strong late challenge when the second-half commenced.
Indeed, taking added time into account, they went 32 minutes without scoring before Ryan Nolan knocked over a free after a foul on Keith Breen just before the last water break.
That left them trailing by 0-7 to 0-4, after the best St. Anne's player, Jonathan Fogarty, had posted a brace of points beforehand.
His first came in the 34th minute with his fist after a one-two with McGovern, with the second arriving when he caught a Seán Gaul free and turned swiftly before splitting the town end posts.
Referee Heffernan erred in awarding Diarmuid O'Keeffe a mark in the 41st minute, because the ball he caught came from a free-kick taken by Aaron Craig, but thankfully it didn't have a bearing as the county hurler posted a wide.
The St. Anne's lead was widened to double scores in the 49th minute, with Ivan Meegan losing possession on a foray to midfield, and Seán Gaul firing over from distance after a Finn O'Driscoll pass, just as the netminder made it back to man his posts (0-8 to 0-4).
Ian Byrne replied from a Keith Breen handpass, before the events of the last ten minutes plus added time that won't be forgotten by either camp in a hurry.
After winning the Intermediate hurling title at the first attempt three years ago following relegation, history has been repeated in the other code by St. Anne's whose sole previous final appearance - and success - in this grade arrived in 1990.
Selector Kevin Byrne provided a direct playing link to that team, and he was assisted on the sideline by Paul Ffrench, Leitrim native Liam McGovern, and coach Lloyd Colfer from Taghmon-Camross.
Ferns St. Aidans: Ivan Meegan (0-2, 1 free, 1 '45); Keith Breen (0-1), Declan Byrne, Rory Scallan; Gavin Bailey, Conor Scallan, James Tonks (capt.); Patrick Breen, Niall Murphy; James Lawlor, Paul Morris, Tommy Dwyer; Ryan Nolan (0-2 frees), Ian Byrne (0-1), Chris Turner (0-1). Subs. - Diarmuid Doyle for Dwyer (41), Peter Nolan for Lawlor (41), also John Breen, Pádraig Bolger, Rob Murphy, Adrian Breen, Christopher O'Connor, Liam Murphy, Pat Nolan, Patrick O'Hagan, Stephen Corrigan.
St. Anne's: Paul Brennan; Páraic O'Keeffe, Tomás Cullen, Kenny Cloney; Aidan Rochford (0-1), Seán Gaul (0-2), Finn O'Driscoll; Aaron Craig (capt.), David O'Connor; Diarmuid O'Keeffe, Liam Óg McGovern (0-1), Jonathan Fogarty (0-2); Liam Rochford, Dylan O'Brien (0-2 frees), Mikey Fogarty. Subs. - Redmond Barry (0-1) for L. Rochford (47), Justin Moran for O'Brien (52), Mark Furlong for M. Fogarty (52), also Kevin Whelan, Vincent Carroll, Paddy Miskella, Kevin Breen, Barry Roche, Andy Kennedy.
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Blackwater).
