New champions had to fight every step of the way against tenacious opposition
Ferns St Aidan's manager Pat Bennett and his players celebrate after the game with the Dr Bowe Cup. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/InphoThe supporters of Ferns St Aidan’s made up for the intermittent power cuts in Chadwicks Wexford Park on Sunday, as they urged on their team to a first-ever county title.
They had vital scoring inputs from their forwards: three second-half points from Corey Dunbar and a good leadership turn by Paul Morris in the second half after the forced withdrawal of Ian Byrne, plus a fine overall display from Jonny Dwyer, culminating in the point that ultimately won the title – a 64th-minute side-line cut to put Ferns two ahead, a lead that was trimmed by the final whistle.
There was a lot of nervous play in the opening stages before a decent attendance of about 7,500 before Ferns looked to have taken the initiative, opening up a four-point lead, 0-8 to 0-4 by the 18th minute. Ferns stayed in control, hitting back immediately from the concession of points to keep and extend the lead. Byrne’s point in the 34th minute could have been a goal but he struck his shot slightly high, not too long after – picking up an injury and having to go off after a lively tussle with his marker Conor Firman, who had done such a good job on Conor McDonald in the semi-final.