When Fermanagh captain Eoin Donnelly rose to punch to the net in injury time on Sunday, memories flooded back to another famous punched goal at the same ground in an Ulster semi-final.
On that occasion it was Barry Owens who found the net as Fermanagh saw off Derry to book their place in the Ulster final while on Sunday it was Donnelly’s flick that sent the Ernemen through to this year’s decider.
“It was strange the way it panned out, it was very similar that day in ‘08 when Barry flicked it to the net,” said a tired but delighted Donnelly after the game.
“I really don’t remember too much about it, I just remember being in the right place when the ball came in and hearing the shout from the goalkeeper but thankfully I got a hand to it. 
“It could have easily gone over the bar or I could have been clattered and the ball gone out but thankfully the luck was in our favour and it ended up in the net,” said the Coa midfielder.
Sunday’s win was built on quality, a desire to win and sheer effort and that effort was clearly visible on the Erne skipper after the game as he was drenched in sweat but wearing a massive smile.
“It is a hot day, it’s a big field and Monaghan are a fantastic side so it was never going to be easy.     
“You don’t get to a final unless you absolutely empty the tank. I think the boys put in a huge effort and I’m grateful that we did get the right result,” he commented.
Monaghan’s strength in depth has been praised in the lead up to the game and they emptied the bench in the second half with the likes of Conor McCarthy, Colin Walshe and Dermot Malone sprung into action in an effort to put Fermanagh to the sword. But the boys in green dug deep and they were able to come up with the goods when it matters.
“ Monaghan have been able to roll boys off from the bench and kick on in the second half. Thankfully we were able to hold out in the second half when they brought on different men, the boys who were in the back line and working hard further out the field were able to nullify them.”
Fermanagh’s discipline was also the fore as they limited the chances for Rory Beggan and Conor McManus to punish them from dead balls and Donnelly felt that was important on the day.
“We know that Rory is a fantastic free taker, he missed the first one today but we knew we couldn’t give away too many frees and give him and Conor too many chances. They got a few frees but we kept our discipline well,” he added.
So, Fermanagh now have an Ulster final to look forward to but Donnelly is quick to point out that they have plenty of work to do before they meet either Down or Donegal on Sunday June 24.
“Look, we still have a lot of work to do. We didn’t rack up a big score and we were lucky to get the goal in the end. We know we are going to have our work cut out in three weeks time and we are definitely need to improve on our second half performance and kick a few more scores,” he concluded.