Ulster Club FC Final: The Loup 0-11 St Gall's 1-5 A fairytale ending for the quintessential minnows. The odds against a parish of fewer than 300 souls winning the Ulster club championship were stacked high against The Loup, but responding with verve to the inspirational leadership of Johnny McBride and man of the match Joseph O'Kane they achieved the impossible here yesterday.
It had been 65 years since a team from the tiny Derry catchment won the county final. The in-between years brought them various underage and junior titles, but this was their first shot at the provincial title. And it proved a display of quality that denied a persistent St Gall's in a rip-roaring encounter.
The Loup's centre half forward Fintan Martin summed up the ecstatic post-match mood: "It's beyond belief - we have only got one shop, a chapel and a parochial hall in what is our town. We worked hard in wind, rain and cold nights and had to listen to people saying 'ye'll get no thanks for it'. But lifting that cup today was reward by a thousandfold.
"We were here on the terraces supporting Ballinderry to victory two years ago and those boys were supporting us today."
Derry manager Mickey Moran, an interested spectator, will surely have seen enough to justify county call-ups for some of the star-studded Loup squad.
Teenager Joseph O'Kane, one of five brothers in the winning squad, produced a display of maturity well beyond his years in the number three position.
"We were not good enough to crack the nut mainly due to the strong Loup defence marshalled by young O'Kane," admitted St Gall's manager Michael Culbert.
Johnny McBride, partnered in midfield by John O'Kane, was inspirational. He booted over the first two points, the second after a 60-metre run, and laid on the opportunity for Shane McFlynn to make it three points without reply from the St Gall's attack.
It got worse for the Antrim champions, who were persisting with the long ball into a decidedly off-colour Darren O'Hare - who admittedly had been a fitness doubt during the week - and his colleagues, to little effect.
But just when it was looking like a stroll for The Loup, Kevin McGourty opened St Gall's account with a 21st-minute point.
By the 28th minute St Gall's, with a few adjustments, were back in the game, the long ball starting to work. McGourty's delivery bobbed off a cluster of players just outside the square for Seán Burns to gather and goal.
The ball had only been kicked out when St Gall's attacked again and O'Hare hoisted a beautiful point from way out on the left.
The Loup were worried and an injury-time point from a Karl Stewart free stunningly gave St Gall's the advantage, 1-3 to 0-5.
Early second-half points from Shane McFlynn and Ronan Rocks, from a 45, restored The Loup's lead and they were never headed subsequently.
McGourty did briefly level the scores, but that 46th-minute point by the excellent St Gall's midfielder - who was ably supported by Mark McCrory - was the final score from St Gall's.
The Loup are on the rise and All-Ireland honours are not beyond them.
THE LOUP: S McGuckin; J Young, J O'Kane, P McGuinness; B Lavery, P O'Kane, F Devlin; J McBride (0-2), J O'Kane; B McVey (0-1), F Martin, R Rocks (0-3); P McFlynn (0-1), S McFlynn (0-3) E McQuillan. Subs: P Young for McQuillan (35 mins); G Mallon (0-1) for F Martin (49 mins); S Doyle for P McFlynn (60 mins).
ST GALL'S: P Murray; A McClean, C Brady, S Kennedy; M Culbert, C McCrossan, S Kelly; M McCrory, K McGourty (0-2); T O'Neill, S Burns (1-0), C Gallagher; K Stewart (0-2 one free), D O'Hare (0-1), C McGourty. Subs: B Niblock for Gallagher (half-time), A Gallagher for K Stewart (40 mins); G McGirr for S Kelly (52 mins); C O'Grady for T O'Neill (56 mins).
Referee: J White (Donegal).
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