Glorious Abbeylara crowned the Longford champions for the first time since 2006
Making amends for the bitter disappointment of losing four Senior Football Championship title deciders in a row (2015 to 2018), courageous Abbeylara gradually got the better of Colmcille after extra time to capture the Connolly Cup for the first time in 18 years and nobody can begrudge the small North Longford club a long overdue success.
The appointment of the former Roscommon star Frankie Dolan as the new manager this season has proved to be a masterstroke and glorious Abbeylara can now look forward to a return to Leinster Club action with a tough away task against the Louth 3-in-a-row champions St Mary’s Ardee on Sunday November 3.
That adventure into bonus territory was achieved with a fierce will-to-win in the county final replay in miserable wet and windy conditions at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Saturday and it was indeed fitting that Robbie Smyth ended up with the Fr McGee trophy for the prestigious man of the match award.
Resilient Robbie, the saviour with a couple of late, late points in the drawn encounter, clocked up a total of 1-4 and his goal came at a crucial stage in the replay just after the Colmcille target man Fergal Sheridan had planted the ball in the back of the net in the 47th minute to leave his side leading by 1-6 to 0-6 and seemingly in a strong position.
When Abbeylara hit the front (1-7 to 1-6) for the first time in the 55th minute after Smyth converted a free for a foul on his fellow joint captain Cian Brady, it looked like remaining that way in normal time but the influential Declan Reilly created the opening for the roving goalkeeper Noel Farrell to land the equalising point in the second minute of stoppage time.
And thus another stalemate materialised but resolute Abbey were in no mood to suffer some more final heartbreak and inspired by a couple of cracking points from the vastly experienced Colm P Smyth (surely a close contender for the man of the match honour), a third senior football championship triumph was eventually delivered by the so committed current squad.
Robbie Smyth was also bang on target when he shot over the bar in extra-time and as it turned out Colmcille failed to register a score in the additional period that settled the issue despite a determined bid by the 2022 champions to engineer a dramatic equalising goal.
While Abbeylara ended up with 14 players on the pitch after Robbie Smyth was dismissed for a second yellow card offence close to the final whistle, there was still time for substitute Reece Reilly to direct the ball into the empty net to seal a memorable victory that ignited jubilant scenes for the success starved supporters of the new kings of Longford football.
It was a memorable moment for all involved with the Abbeylara club for the lifting of the Connolly Cup for the first time since 2006 and a special achievement for their supremo Frankie Dolan who produced a man of the match display when he was part of the Ballymahon team that won the Longford SFC title back in 2002.
Fair play to those shrewd punters who backed Abbeylara at the very generous odds of 25-1 to win the 2024 championship but they had to sweat it out to collect their money with so little separating the evenly balanced sides.
Abbey almost got off to a brilliant start in the miserable wet conditions when attacking defender PJ Masterson tried to engineer a goal chance but the danger was cleared.
Colmcille, who made a notable positional change with regular midfielder Fergal Sheridan starting at full-forward, then took over to shoot three points in a row – a brilliant brace from their captain Barry McKeon with Jack Macken (free) also on target.
The opening score for Abbeylara did not materialise until the 13th minute when Robbie Smyth converted a free and Jason Kelly kicked a very good point from a tight angle soon after.
A brave challenge for the ball by Dylan McCabe yielded the next score for Colmcille in the 26th minute with Vinny Hourican sending Ruairi Harkin racing through to shoot over the bar when a goal might well have materialised.
Excellent points were then exchanged between Robbie Smyth and Cathal Reilly with Abbey trailing by 0-5 to 0-3 at the break but they were quickly back on level terms with Caolan Lynch landing an inspirational score immediately on the changeover and then Ciaran Scanlon converted a close range free for a foul on who else but Robbie Smyth.
Scanlon came a lot more into the game in the second half to play a leading role in the midfield area while also much to the fore in the defence was PJ Masterson.
A point apiece followed from Jack Macken and Jason Kelly (another fine strike) before Fergal Sheridan blasted the ball to the net following a scramble in the heart of the Abbeylara defence after a delivery from substitute Eoin Hawkins caused havoc.
But Abbeylara kept their composure in refusing to panic and it was another replacement Conor Berry who got the ball to Robbie Smyth and he finished his shot to the corner of the net for the equalising goal in the 49th minute.
A point apiece followed from Smyth (free) and Noel Farrell, the latter on target with normal time almost up, and the sides were deadlocked at 1-7 to 1-7 when referee John Cullen blew the final whistle.
And so extra-time was required and Abbeylara finished the job in some style in adding another 1-3 to their tally whereas beleaguered Colmcille were kept scoreless as the battle for the Connolly Cup was eventually decided.
ABBEYLARA: Gavin Kelly; Michael McHugh, PJ Masterson, Russell Brady; Cian Brady, Bryan Masterson, Colm P Smyth (0-2); Fergal Battrim, Ciaran Scanlon (0-1, free); Colin Gilna, Jason Kelly (0-2), Caolan Lynch (0-1); Robbie Smyth (1-4, 2 frees), Cathal Gilligan, Padraig Berry.
Subs:- Nigel Rabbitt for P Berry (half-time); Conor Berry for C Gilna (45 mins); Shane Mahon for C Gilligan (53 mins); Reece Reilly (1-0) for J Kelly (60 mins).
Extra-time:- C Gilligan for C Berry (10 mins).
COLMCILLE: Noel Farrell (0-1); Gerard Mulligan, Enda Macken, Conor Grant; Ruairi Harkin (0-1), Declan Reilly, Dylan McCabe; Vinny Hourican, Fergal Sheridan (1-0); Martin Mulligan, Jack Macken (0-2, 1 free), Cathal McCabe; Cathal Reilly (0-1), Paul McKeon, Barry McKeon (0-2).
Subs:- Eoin Hawkins for Paul McKeon (45 mins); Philip McKeon for G Mulligan (57 mins); Shaun McKeon for R Harkin (57 mins).
Extra-time:- Shea Farley for C McCabe (9 mins); Paul McKeon for D McCabe (half-time); R Harkin for B McKeon (16 mins).
Referee: John Cullen (Mostrim).
Credit: Longford Leader
