Killinkere 2-16
Shannon Gaels 3-8

Two late goals steered Killinkere past a brave Shannon Gaels effort in this afternoon’s gripping junior football championship final at Kingspan Breffni.

Peter McCabe and Kevin McCabe struck the all-important goals for the winners as they banished the ghosts of last year’s final defeat to Drumlane.

Paddy Bates’s side had come into this decider as red-hot favourites but went in trailing at the break after conceding Jason McLoughlin and Nevin O’Donnell (penalty) goals that looked to tear up the script.

Just as Killinkere looked to be steadying the ship early in the restart, Enda McHugh plundered in Gaels’ third major and it left an upset very much on the cards.

However, last year’s beaten finalists left their best until last on this occasion and it was the two McCabes that did the telling damage in the 53rd and 55th minutes respectively to ensure a first triumph in this grade since 1972 for the men from Jim Smith Park.

O’Donnell opened the scoring for the underdogs just a minute in with a sweetly taken point and Aaron O’Hara (free) soon had the lead doubled for the Gaels.

Jamie Smith and McMahon squared the sides come the seventh minute but the momentum was firmly with the westerners as Stephen McGrath pointed before 'Man of the Match' McLoughlin broke through and rifled the ball into Killinkere’s net.

It was a huge wake-up call for the Division 1 side and they’d hit the next three scores through Ciaran Cusack, Emmet Fitzsimons and McCabe to make it 1-3 to 0-5 with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the half.

McHugh and Darren Smith traded points to keep the margin at one but come the 26th minute the ball would be in Killinkere’s net again after O’Donnell dispatched a coolly taken penalty high past the dive of Brian Clarke.

To their credit, Bates’s charges finished out to the half strong from there, with Kevin McCabe, Smith and marksman Fitzsimons all sailing over scores to leave it at 2-5 to 0-9 for the break.

County man McLoughlin pushed the lead out to two for the Blacklion lads less than a minute into the restart and although speedster Peter McCabe cancelled out, Killinkere looked to be in a world of trouble once Enda McHugh hammered home Shannon Gaels’ third goal on 34 minutes.

Points from Jamie Smith and Peter McCabe looked like the perfect tonic for the trailers ahead of O’Donnell (free) and McLoughlin (2) making it 3-8 to 0-13 with nine minutes left in regulation.

Tom O’Reilly’s men looked like having one hand on the coveted Sean Leddy Cup at that stage but a well-taken goal by inside forward Peter McCabe with seven minutes to go turned this decider on its head, as Smith fired over the equaliser two minutes later and from the resultant kick-out the Gaels would be cut open again.

This time midfielder Kevin McCabe provided the finish to break Shannon Gaels’ hearts and a pointed Fitzsimons penalty in the fifth minute of injury-time would rubberstamp the long-awaited and hard-earned success for Killinkere - the club's first on the championship stage since capturing intermediate honours back in 1982.

Killinkere: Brian Clarke; Ollie Sharkey, Lewis Fay-Cooper, Neil McCabe; Gary Denning, Liam McCabe, Breen Smith; Kevin McCabe (1-1), Jason McMahon; Darren Smith (0-4, 2f), Paul Brady, Jamie Smith (0-3); Ciaran Cusack (0-1), Emmett Fitzsimons (0-3, 1f, 0-1 pen), Peter McCabe (1-2). Subs: Noel McGovern for Brady (39mins), Ciaran Sexton for Cusack (42), Mark Farrelly Jnr for Sharkey (47), Daniel Sweeney for Smith (50), Anthony Brady for P McCabe (60)

Shannon Gaels: Liam O’Reilly, Donall Flanagan, Stephen McManus, Conor McCaffrey, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Jason McLoughlin (1-3), Stephen McGrath (0-1), Sean McHugh, Aaron O’Hara (0-1f), Philip McGoldrick, Nevin O’Donnell (1-2, 1-0 pen, 1f), Ronan McCaffrey, Kevin McGovern, Enda McHugh (1-1), Conor McNiff. Subs: Kenneth McNiff for K McGovern (16mins), Kieran McPartlin for C McNiff (HT), Niall McGrath for McGoldrick (50), Brian McLoughlin for D Fitzpatrick (58), Ollie Nolan for S McGrath (60)

Ref: Barry McMenamin (Kill Shamrocks)

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