Oisín McConville was overjoyed after Wicklow produced a sensational second half comeback to edge out Down in Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final.

The Garden County looked a beaten docket at half-time when they trailed by 0-4 to 2-10 and also missed a penalty. But they stormed back from 13 points down after the restart to win 1-21 to 2-16 and secure Sam Maguire Cup football in 2027.

"It's unbelievable, a day we never thought we would see and definitely not 35 minutes ago, just outstanding second half; ability, desire, heart, you name it, we had it,” the delighted Wicklow manager told BBC NI.

He continued: "We just didn't turn up, too nervous and the occasion definitely got to us in the first half.

"I suppose we didn't want to be 13 points down, but we knew we would probably be chasing the game and when we were chasing the game, we had the elements and all the momentum and more importantly, players that could finish.

"I know people will say we had a big comeback, scraped over the line and had great heart, but we had enough chances to win two games there. The heart and desire of the boys is unbelievable but they have some ability too."

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