Erne Gaels win first Fermanagh title in 43 years
Erne Gaels' man of the match Ultan Kelm was joined on the scoresheet by his brothers Aogan and Oisin
- Published
Erne Gaels clinched a first Fermanagh Football title in 43 years as they defeated Enniskillen Gaels 1-13 to 1-9 in Saturday's final replay at Brewster Park.
Enniskillen looked in control early on as they exploited Shane Rooney's black card to move into a 1-4 to 0-2 lead by the 14th minute, with Conor Love netting their goal.
However, Declan Bonner's side outscored Enniskillen 1-4 to 0-1 in the second quarter as Ryan Lyons' goal four minutes into first-half injury-time suddenly put Erne Gaels 1-6 to 0-5 up at the interval.
Man of the match Ultan Kelm's first-half 0-3 included two points from play while his brothers Aogan and Oisin were also on target in the opening half hour.
Fermanagh midfielder Brandon Horan hit Enniskillen's first score after the break to keep them in touch but his black card on 39 minutes was quickly followed by team-mate Richard O'Callaghan's sending off.
Despite being two players down, Enniskillen held Erne Gaels scoreless for a six-minute period before Ultan Kelm's fifth point of the contest put the Belleek men 1-9 to 1-7 ahead.
John Reihill's 50th-minute point briefly cut Erne Gaels' lead to the minimum but a Barry McCann effort two minutes later started a run of four unanswered points for the Belleek side.
Shane Rooney atoned for his earlier black card by hitting two of Erne Gaels' final three points - either side of a Seamus Ryder score.
Callum Jones struck the final score of the contest for Enniskillen but Erne Gaels were soon celebrating only their third Fermanagh title which sets up an Ulster Club encounter with Monaghan champions Scotstown next weekend.
Former Donegal boss Bonner is in his first season in charge of the Belleek club.
After the 1981 triumph, it took Erne Gaels 35 years to reach another Fermanagh final when they were edged out by a point by Derrygonnelly and the Belleek club were beaten by Enniskillen Gaels and Derrygonnelly in the 2022 and 2023 deciders.