Fermanagh beat in Division 3 decider

Allianz NFL Division Three Final:
Wexford 3-15 Fermanagh 0-20

Wexford claimed the NFL Division Three title after a four-point win over Fermanagh in a thrilling game at Parnell Park on Sunday afternoon.

The sides finished level after 70 minutes of football, but Wexford eased through the gears in extra-time to run out deserved winners.

However, Fermanagh will look back on three separate incidents – two of which came inside the first seven minutes – that all but ruined their chances of tasting glory.

The crucial goal came nine minutes into the first period of extra time when a long ball into the Fermanagh defence was dropped by goalkeeper Fergal Murphy and substitute Paddy Colfer bundled into the empty net.

Murphy will have nightmares after that fatal error, but in truth, his side’s inability to deal with the high ball all afternoon proved to be their downfall.

That goal at the end of the first period of extra time appeared to put an end to the Fermanagh challenge after they had showed remarkable resolve in recovering from a massive deficit at the start of the game.

Fermanagh’s Mark Murphy gave an outstanding display which included five points from play, and his influence was truly felt after he moved out to midfield in a switch that saw former All Star Martin McGrath move into full-forward.

Murphy was ably assisted by Ryan Keenan, who was a constant threat at corner forward for Fermanagh, but, at times, he appeared to be ploughing a lone furrow in attack.

Wexford talisman Mattie Forde had a reasonably quiet afternoon, but his four points in injury time were the difference between the sides in the end.

Forde grabbed 1-7 in total and his true value to the Model County’s cause was felt when tiring Fermanagh defenders failed to deal with his pace as the game came to an end.

With four minutes of normal time remaining, Wexford led by two points, but centre-forward Redmond Barry saw red for his second yellow card and Fermanagh went up the other end to level the game with points from Mark Murphy and Ryan Keenan.

However, there was another twist, as PJ Banville scored his second point of the day to give Wexford the narrowest of leads with a minute remaining on the clock.

But Keenan and Fermanagh were not to be outdone, and the diminutive corner forward chipped in with another score to bring the game to extra time.

Wexford raced into a substantial early lead after two goals in as many first-half minutes from Mattie Forde and Adrian Flynn.

The two sides had traded early points before Forde lit up the afternoon with a stunning opening goal after just five minutes.

The Wexford star found himself unmarked in the full-forward line and he took a pass from Kieran Lyng before blasting the ball to the back of the net.

Forde was again at the heart of the potentially fatal blow that Wexford struck just two minutes later when Adrian Flynn profited from some untidy defending to fly-kick the ball to the back of the net.

Forde’s sideling kick floated into the Fermanagh full-back line, but there was no defender on hand to deal with the high ball, and Flynn gave his side a six-point lead with an opportunist strike.

The Ulster men looked shell shocked after the early assault they had been subjected to, but two fisted points from Mark Murphy went some way to awaking them from their slumber.

Midfielder McGrath also chipped in with an inspirational point that seemed to lift the Fermanagh spirits after a disappointing start.

Further points from Wexford goalscorer Flynn, and a gem from Forde on 19 minutes saw the Model County retain their substantial cushion.

However, Fermanagh chipped away at Wexford’s, with Ryan Keenan’s accuracy from placed balls eroding the deficit further.

Fermanagh boss Malachy O’Rourke felt it necessary to curb the influence of Forde before the break, and he brought Niall Bogue into his full-back line in place of Declan O’Reilly.

Fermanagh then hit three points in the three-minute period prior to half-time to leave just a single point between the sides at the interval.

The Ulster side chipped away at the Wexford lead throughout the second period and McGrath scored a rather fortuitous sideline kick on 47 minutes to level the game.

The game lulled for long periods in the second period, but Wexford had a great chance to move further ahead when Fermanagh goalkeeper Murphy was penalised for fouling the ball in his own box.

Murphy atoned for his mistake with a fine save from Forde, but Ciaran Lyng flashed the rebound over the bar.

Keenan then put on a one-man show at the end of normal time with two great points to level the game and give the crowd another 20 minutes of football.

Despite opening extra-time well with points from Tom Brewster and Mark Little, Fermanagh imploded after the fatal mistake by their goalkeeper to give Wexford a famous win.