Clogher Valley were left devastated by a 10-9 defeat to Enniscorthy in the Ulster Bank All-Ireland Junior Cup Final at Coolmine RFC last weekend.
Enniscorthy's first every All-Ireland title will be remembered for fine margins and close calls in years to come, fondly in Wexford and with great regret in Tyrone.
The start was cagey but Clogher - playing with a slight wind advantage - were edging it in terms of use of possession and territory. That said, the first attempt at a score came from Enniscorthy with Ivan Poole missing a difficult long range kick.
It took until the 20th minute for the deadlock to be broken with Clogher outhalf Philip Holme slotting a good kick after missing one minutes earlier. A penalty at scrum-time gave him his second three-pointer five minutes later.
A 6-0 platform was there but with 15 minutes to play with the wind, they searched for a try to make the advantage count. But three lineouts and as many scrums, all in the 22, all repelled. Enniscorthy did just enough each time to hold the Ulstermen out and half-time came with a 6-0 Clogher Valley advantage.
The Fivemiletown outfit started the second half well, winning a penalty and gaining an advantage numerically when an Enniscorthy player was sin-binned for an off-the-ball block. But the kick was missed and four minutes later Barry John Wilson also saw yellow and momentum disappeared.
Around the hour mark and with Clogher still down to 14 men, opposing scrumhalf Evan Lett swooped on a loose ball to crash over from close range. Replacement outhalf Jack Kelly slotted the conversion to put the Leinster club into a 7-6 advantage.
But Holme kicked his third penalty of the game on 69 minutes edge his side into the lead again. From the ensuing restart, Enniscorthy gained possession and a high tackle from Rodney Bennett led to another sin binning and a penalty attempt for Kelly - converted for a 10-9 lead.
The play in the closing stages was breathless. Despite being down a man, Clogher attacked in droves, with Philip Falconer and David Dunlop combining in the centre to make a searing break and almost score.
A penalty advantage came from that but Holme’s 78th minute drop goal attempt was blocked by the hand of Enniscorthy's 40 year old player-coach Declan O’Brien. Play came back for the penalty kick from the touchline but with the wind blowing across Holme's face, his effort just tailed wide.
Commenting after the game, Clogher Valley's Joint Head Coach, Davy Black, said: "The boys are shattered. A point defeat in any game is hard to take but in an All-Ireland Final is just about as hard as it can be.
"It maybe just wasn't our day but credit to the lads for getting to the final, it's a big achievement for such a small club. Credit to Enniscorthy, they fought to the end and got a kick in the last few minutes. That's what wins matches - small margins.
"Words can't describe the support today and we are so thankful for that. We are disappointed for them - we've given them a lot of good days and we'll work hard to get those supporters something before the end of the season."