Lisbellaw have been crowned Fermanagh and Western division one champions after a convincing victory over Beragh Swifts. The 5-0 success confirmed their place at the top of the table and earned them their eleventh Mercer Cup and their first for four years.
In a performance worthy of champions, they brushed Beragh aside with goals from Paul McGrath, Davy Little, Lee Glass, Alan Veitch and Tiarnan Magee leaving them with a two point cushion over last season’s champions Strathroy Harps.
“I’m absolutely delighted for all the lads,” said manager Andy Reilly.
“From day one in my eyes we’ve been the best and the league doesn’t lie! It’s all down to hard work though that started nearly two years ago. The boys believed they could win it then and came through in the end.
“We probably did stumble over the line but what can you expect with the fixture pile up we had. We don’t want to be remembered as a one off, we want to win multiple titles and are now fully focused on the cup final.”
At the start of the season Lisbellaw were playing down their chances of winning the league and Strathroy once again looked like the team to beat as they defeated Lisbellaw 3-2 in the second game of the season in August. From that point however Lisbellaw went on a remarkable run, with a defeat to Enniskillen Rangers in March their only other loss during the twenty two game campaign.
Going into the final match at Beragh the potential champions knew their fate was in their own hands, with a victory set to guarantee them the title.
Swifts went into the game on the back of two successive wins including a convincing win over Enniskillen Rangers, but they never looked like adding to that winning streak.
In front of a sizeable travelling support the away side showed little sign of any nerves as they took the game to Beragh in the early stages, taking the lead in the early stages when Paul McGrath helped bundle the ball over the goal line.
The influential Lee Glass played a pivotal role in the second goal, setting up Davy Little who finished well. Lee Glass turned from provider to goal scorer to add a third before half time and all but wrap up the result.
There was still time for two more goals in the second half, with Alan Veitch making it 4-0 and then Tiarnan Magee rounding off the scoring with a fifth.
The final whistle sparked great scenes of celebration, but their season is not yet over.
With the league trophy already secured, the club will be looking to complete the double when they face long-time rivals Strathroy Harps in the Mulhern Cup final on Friday, May 13.
That decider down to be played at Ferney Park.