THE REACTION FROM 45km or so away said it all.
As the jubilant scenes of the final whistle unfolded in Kingspan Breffni Park, there were heartfelt celebrations in a Main Street pub in the winners’ enclosure.
Kingscourt Stars had just booked their place in the Cavan senior football final after a massive eight-point win over Cavan Gaels. Underdogs on the day after experiencing plenty of adversity through the championship so far, their 2020 bid for the Oliver Plunkett Cup had never been more alive.
The town’s socially-distant Sunday celebrations were already in full flow after the ladies football team produced a stunning comeback to capture a league title earlier in the afternoon, but they were about to be taken up a few notches.
With the few allocated tickets allowing entry into Cavan GAA HQ snapped up good and early in the week, those who missed out watched from afar, many opting to filter in to bars around the town to soak in some atmosphere — and a substantial meal — as they followed every kick of the ball on the livestream.
Glitchy at times thanks to the more-often-than-not unreliable rural WiFi, the picture settled for the final few minutes as the town’s heroes convincingly completed their last-four assignment.
With little to no volume on offer at that stage as the general pub chit-chat drowned out commentary, the final whistle went largely unheard — until a cohort of more-seasoned fans let out a few roars down the back, and Kingscourt’s return to the final for the first time since their 2015 triumph was well and truly confirmed.
“What a day,” my team-mates said over and over through the evening, still barely believing our own remarkable, though hugely dramatic, victory earlier on in the day against old rivals Cornafean.
A day of days 💙
— Emma Duffy (@emmaduffy_) September 21, 2020
Up the parish @StarsGAA1890 ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/hyI2Oiim6G
Likewise, the Stars and the Gaels are longtime foes. Two town clubs from opposite ends of the county, though many favoured the Breffni maintown outfit ahead of the clash.
With county star Gearóid McKiernan in their ranks after his transfer from Swanlinbar and a certain Seanie Johnston, Martin Dunne and Paul O’Connor firing on all cylinders up front, they were shaping up rightly. Kingscourt, on the other hand, experienced a real quarter-final scare. They were dealt a huge blow that day with the loss of key forward Joe Dillon through a devastating injury, while county youngster Paddy Meade continued to play with one of his own.
Things went from bad to worse during the semi-final after the loss of captain and Cavan star Padraig Faulkner, again through injury, early on, while goalkeeper James Farrelly pulled up in the warm-up. But from there, the Stars drove on — full of belief, as always.
It was Meade who stepped up with a crucial first-half 1-1, while another goal from Peter Corrigan and excellent performances from stalwarts Alan Clarke and Barry Reilly saw David Lennon’s side march on.
Moments after the final whistle celebrations though, the victors huddled, and you could just about make out the mouthing of several players through the livestream — “We’ve won nothing yet.”
Dead right.
A strong Crosserlough side await in tonight’s showpiece [throw-in 7.15pm, live on RTÉ], riding the crest of a wave themselves after dumping out 2018 and 2019 champions Castlerahan following extra-time last time out.
Defeated in the decider two years ago, Jimmy Higgins’ men are seeking their first senior championship title since 1972. Though without the services of county star Dara McVeety who is in Australia, they have an abundance of young talent in their panel.
Just like traditional Cavan football heavyweights Kingscourt (they’ve won 11 crowns, Crosserlough nine, but they have very little shared history). Many of the Stars’ youngsters were but fans in the stands for that 2015 success, and all weren’t even born when these two sides last met in finals in 1980 and 1991.
For most club players across the country, a senior county championship medal is the dream. That’s the pinnacle, the height everyone hopes to scale one day. But not everyone gets the chance to taste that success.
Both Kingscourt and Crosserlough have the golden opportunity to do that today as the RTÉ cameras pitch up in Breffni Park, a short distance from the flags, bunting and signage proudly hanging in both opposing parishes.
But only one team can reach the pinnacle, and that must be done on the day in these strange, Covid-19 impacted times. For the majority of the other side, the wait for county championship glory will go on. Once again.
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