Graham's Mullinalaghta achieve the impossible!

Paul Fitzpatrick

Mullinalaghta St Columba's have made history today as they became the first Longford club ever to win the Leinster Club SFC title with a magnificent 1-8 to 1-6 victory over red hot favourites Kilmacud Crokes in Tullamore.

The club, nestled on the Cavan border beside Loch Gowna, came into the match as underdogs but out-scored their vaunted opponents by 1-2 to 0-0 in the final four minutes to seal a win which is the talk of the sporting public this evening.

David McGivney cut the gap to two on 56 minutes before Gary Rogers drilled home a penalty after Aidan McElligot was fouled and the latter then won the resulting kick-out and converted the insurance point.

There was huge Cavan interest in the game, not just due to Mullinalaghta's proximity to the Breffni county but the fact that Cavan senior manager Mickey Graham is also Mullinalaghta manager.

 

“It’s unbelievable, I’m lost for words. Them lads, what they did out there today is phenomenal, just the work ethic of them," Graham told TG4 after the match.

“Nobody gave us a chance coming in here today, everybody wrote us off bar the lads. Didn’t they deliver in spades!

“It just shows you, with hard work, that small teams, if they have a panel of players willing to make the sacrifices, this can be achieved.

“This gives every little club throughout the country some hope that the underdog still has a chance. There’s always one chance and we took that chance today.”

Man of the Match on the day was Mullinalaghta's brilliant full-back, Patrick Fox.