Gerry Robinson reports on how the Seamus Flood Cup was brought home to Markey Park at the end of an epic 2001 IFC campaign and concludes that the Finbarrs won through with storming finishes to virtually every game. Ever try to catch a fish with your bare hands? Me neither - but I'd imagine it's a difficult and frustrating preoccupation. Although, having said that, the 'fisherman' would probably meet with some form of success eventually if he persevered long enough. If there's not a parable in the bible about that very concept, then perhaps it's time the holy book was revised. The resilience and fortitude of an untooled fisher is the analogy that springs to mind when I think of Naomh Fionnbarra's 2001 intermediate championship success. How often had the big catch eluded them? They lost three intermediate deciders in the 'nineties. But they refused to give up, knowing they would prevail some time. And so it came to pass in '01 that the elusive prize was scooped from the choppy sea of uncertainty that is the Wee County's secondary grade. Even in this particular campaign it looked at times as though the much-coveted honour would slip from their grasp. No more so than in the drawn county final when the Togher men found themselves four points adrift of youthful Sean McDermotts as the game flowed into injury time. But they kept their composure and somehow conjured up the scores that earned them a replay. Stephen Devlin forced a goal before Keith Woods fired the late equalising point. They also had to finish strongly in all their other matches - against Sean O'Mahonys, Naomh Malachi and O'Connells. It wasn't all plain sailing in the rematch either. In fact, the Seans must have thought they were going to work the oracle as the final quarter approached. But, typically, the Finbarrs finished much the stronger team and finally booked their passage to the top flight with four late unanswered scores, three of them in injury time. Most people who are reading this will have been at The Grove on October 7th when captain Gerard Leonard accepted the Seamus Flood Cup from County Board Chairman Terry Maher, which spares me the task of describing the jubilant scenes. Suffice to say, they were unrestrained and wholly justified. This was the first time they'd laid claim to the Flood Cup, so why not mark the occasion with rejoicement and celebration? True to the trend of their season, the victory was forged from a purposeful and powerful performance in the closing 15 minutes. While the Seans did muster a goal to draw level four minutes from time, their reprieve was short-lived as the Togher men over-ran them, spurred on by midfielder and Man of the Match Mark Devlin. He and many others stood up to be counted in Fionnbarra's hour of need as the ghost of championship finals past was not so much exorcised as blown into another dimension for all eternity. It took courage to win this final because the omens - for those who believe in such things - certainly weren't good. Of those three final defeats in the '90s, two of them were in Castlebellingham, one of them (against the county's other Seans, Sean O'Mahonys) was after a replay. Their resolve was tested when substitute Bob Doheny punched McDermotts level with literally his first touch in the 56th minute but it was all one-way traffic from here on. A skirmish followed Doheny's goal and, when order was restored, John Osborne immediately put Naomh Fionnbarra back in front with a neat point. There followed a remarkable scoring feat from Stephen Devlin - the goal-scoring hero of the drawn encounter. The second-half substitute calmly kicked three points in a row to finally put the issue beyond doubt and ensure that senior football would return to Markey Park. It was a remarkable conclusion to a season which had at times promised nothing but bad news for the Togher club. Problems that were beyond their control had threatened and poor early season form boded unwell. But they succeeded in taking things by the scruff of the neck and turned it all around to garner a vital victory that should ensure the future of a club which once resembled a Dead Man Walking . The Barrs made two changes from the drawn game, introducing Fergal Leonard and Peter Markey for Conor O'Neill and Paul Bannon respectively. Conditions were difficult to say the least, with the downpour that lasted almost the entire duration of the opening fixture on the programme making it virtually impossible for players to keep their feet or win possession. Under such circumstances, players deserve the utmost credit for making it such an enjoyable match. Nigel Shevlin opened the scoring for the Finbarrs from a free following a foul on Neil Hand before John Doyle set up Fergal Leonard for their second point. Another converted free from Shevlin gave the Togher outfit a 0-3 to 0-0 advantage after six minutes. McDermotts fought back to parity by the second quarter and, despite a Hand point, the Mountrush men went ahead just before the break. But there was still enough time for Shevlin to grab the score which left the teams level, 0-5 apiece, at the short whistle. Mark Devlin and John Doyle were well on top in the midfield sector throughout but this dominance wasn't finding its way onto the scoreboard. (Not until the last 15 minutes did it manifest itself where it most matters.) Twenty minutes from time it was 0-7 apiece and the Seans missed a couple of decent chances before the green-and-golds pulled three points clear. A Nigel Shevlin free began the surge and was followed instantly by a point from freshly-arrived substitute Stephen Devlin. Stephen's brother Mark was then quickest to react after John Osborne's effort came back off the crossbar and, with only nine minutes remaining, the 'Barrs had sneaked clear, 0-10 to 0-7. When Seans pulled one back, Fionnbarra replied immediately with a point from sub John Bannon. There followed one of the most dramatic conclusions to a county final in Louth for many's a year (well, since last year's junior decider at least...) as Naomh Fionnbarra made history. Two-thousand-and-one is a year they won't forget in a hurry. The drawn game at the same venue a week earlier was every bit as engrossing. With seven minutes of normal time remaining the Togher side led by two points yet a pair of quickfire goals from the Seans left them four points adrift as the match went into added time. Stephen Devlin's goal (only moments after he came onto the pitch) and Keith Woods' converted free are already part of Naomh Fionnbarra folklore. Fionnbarra played with the advantage of the strong breeze in the first half and Paul Bannon got them off the mark after only 18 seconds. Thanks to John Doyle and Nigel Shevlin - both of whom were on the Sean Treacys side beaten by Baile Talun in the minor final - they led 0-3 to 0-1 after seven minutes. There was no more scoring in the first quarter. Seans had levelled by the 19th minute and despite a brace of points from Shevlin - one from a free, one from a '45' - led by 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval. The Finbarrs enjoyed a purple patch in the opening ten minutes of the second period and points from Doyle, Shevlin (2) and Neil Hand were enough to move them three points in front. A Conor O'Neill point ensured that they still held a two-point advantage by the 53rd minute but then came Seans' two goals in the space of as many minutes. It would've been enough to break many teams but Naomh Fionnbarra were made of sterner stuff on this occasion. They successfully negotiated a miraculous salvage operation to earn themselves a second bite at the cherry and, ultimately, glory. Neil Hand put in a Man of the Match performance in the semi-final, scoring five points as nearby O'Connells were defeated by 1-10 to 0-7 at Dunleer on the first Sunday of September. It was a somewhat surprising win for the green-and-golds as they'd been displaying poor league form all year, having recorded only one win from ten attempts in the secondary competition up until that point. This counted for nothing, however, as their championship prowess was belying it - they dominated the final quarter, putting the game beyond O'Connells' reach with six unanswered points. Indeed, such was their dominance in the closing stages that they held their opponents scoreless for the last 22 minutes! It took Hand only two minutes to open the winners' account from a free but it was only two points apiece at the end of a low-scoring first 20 minutes, Mark Devlin grabbing Togher's second point. Finbarrs registered the game's only goal in the 20th minute. When Conor O'Neill's shot was deflected it fell nicely to Paul Bannon who stroked to the net soccer-style from close range. But the Castlebellingham/Kilsaran boys pulled back within a point only for Bannon to strike with a minor in the 27th minute. O'Connells had the last say of a half which finished 1-3 to 0-5 in Naomh Fionnbarra's favour. Eight minutes into the second half, the sides were level but from here in the 'Barrs put a stranglehold on proceedings, emerging comfortable winners thanks to a string of successive scores from Hand (43, 52, 59), Nigel Shevlin (51), Peter Markey (55) and Mark Devlin (57). At the time of their quarter-final meeting with Naomh Malachi at Dowdallshill, Naomh Fionnbarra had yet to record a win in Division 2A of the league. But they dug deep on July 21st and eeked out a one-point win, 1-5 to 0-7, in what was a tense and hard-fought affair. It was all Naomh Malachi in the first half and at the break it looked as if the Finbarrs were destined to have a terrible season all round but they owned the second half and came away with a place in the semi-final deservedly booked. Only two minutes remained when Darren McQuillan scored the game's most telling score . . . the goal which separated the sides when the referee's long, shrill whistle finally seeped across the expanses of St Brigid's Park. The 'Barrs were trailing by 0-6 to 0-3 when the goal arrived and the score gave them enough momentum to stumble across the finishing line. It was a cool finish from McQuillan: Fergal Leonard's shot came back off the post but the wing back was on hand to gather possession and curl the ball beyond the Malachi 'keeper's reach into the corner of the net. On the evidence of their second-half performance, the win was no more than the green-and-golds deserved. They controlled exchanges after the interval but struggled to find their range and were guilty of some very poor wides (ten in total over the hour), which were undoubtedly symptomatic of their uninspired league form and consequent confidence deficit. But the breakthrough finally arrived. And who leaving Dowdallshill on that fine Saturday evening in July would ever have believed where it would all end? The fruitful journey began (appropriately) at The Grove in Castlebellingham on Sunday July 8th when Sean O'Mahonys provided the preliminary round opposition as part of a Fairways Hotel IFC double-header that also included St Fechins V Hunterstown Rovers. The Togher men qualified for the last eight by virtue of a 0-11 to 0-9 victory, the foundation for this morale-boosting win laid in the closing moments of the first half when the 'Barrs reeled off five unanswered points - scored by five different players - to establish a four-point half-time lead. O'Mahonys had gone ahead inside the opening minute but Paul Bannon levelled matters in the tenth minute. O'Mahonys scored again in the 16th minute but then came the Finbarrs' purple patch. Neil Hand got the ball rolling when he landed a 19th-minute free and Alan Matthews pointed three minutes later following a fine solo run by Mark Devlin. Paul Bannon was next to raise a white flag before Darren McQuillan capped a great five-man move with a nice point in the 28th minute. A massive Nigel Shevlin point from a full 50 metres in the dying seconds of the first half gave the Togher outfit a commanding half-time lead, 0-6 to 0-2. The Seans halved the deficit shortly after the resumption but Naomh Fionnbarra were in much more efficient mode and Neil Hand pointed from their first meaningful attack of the second period, 0-7 to 0-4. Shevlin's second impressive point on 46 minutes made it 0-8 to 0-5. But the next four points all went to O'Mahonys who suddenly led by a point, 0-9 to 0-8, with less than ten minutes to play. But Fionnbarra kept their cool and Neil Hand slotted over two frees before substitute Fergal Leonard supplied the insurance point in the 58th minute. There were still a few hairy moments to be endured and Naomh Fionnbarra players and supporters alike were mightily relieved when referee Gabriel McKenny blew for a throw ball with the O'Mahonys full forward bearing down on goal. Almost exactly three months later Naomh Fionnbarra would defeat the county's other Seans on one of the best day's in the club's history. The 2001 Louth IFC final(s) will live long in the memories of everybody associated with Togher. Naomh Fionnbarra, 2001 Louth Intermediate Football Champions: Tim Goggins; Alan Treadwell, Gerard Leonard, Joseph Byrne; Shane Fanning, Keith Woods, Darren McQuillan; John Doyle (0-1), Mark Devlin (0-1); Peter Markey, John Osborne (0-1), Nigel Shevlin (0-4); Neil Hand (0-2), Gordon Woods, Fergal Leonard (0-1). Subs: Paul Bannon (0-1), Stephen Devlin (0-4). Tweet

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