Edendork sit proudly as high kings of Tyrone football with O'Neill Cup victory over Errigal Ciaran

Edendork 1-14 Errigal Ciaran 1-13

EDENDORK sit proudly as high kings of Tyrone football, senior champions and guardians of the O’Neill Cup, the most revered club trophy in the land.

Ninety-four years of devotion, trust, pain and heartbreak came down to one deciding moment, the axis of triumph and despair, and it all rested on the shoulders of Niall Morgan.

With a nerve of steel and a skill that only a handful of special players have succeeded in perfecting, he sent a 45-metre free sailing between the posts for a glorious last gasp winner.

Then, the release of emotion, an explosion of joy as a community celebrated its finest hour.

Five days earlier, another Edendork talisman, Darren McCurry, had done likewise, striking a sublime two-point equaliser in stoppage time to earn his side a replay, and at the second attempt, the new kids on the block got the job done.

For the second successive year, the O’Neill Cup has been claimed by a first-time finalist, Loughmacrory making the breakthrough in 2025, a reminder of the fiercely competitive nature of a championship that’s been won by ten different clubs in the last 20 years.

Now Edendork are about to break new ground as Tyrone’s representatives in the Ulster Club Championship, taking their bow in next Saturday’s first round meeting with Down champions Clonduff.

Manager Brian McGuckin, along with Malachy McGlinchey and Conleith Gilligan, masterminded a victory that no-one outside of the St Malachy’s club saw coming.

With tactical nous and top level coaching, they galvanised a defence built around the inspirational Ben Cullen, man of the match in the final replay, who was surrounded by stoic figures in Donal Maneely, Neil Kilpatrick, Fionn Devlin, Correy Bell and Fiachra Nelis.

Conn Kilpatrick and Luke Ferguson formed a towering partnership at midfield, while the link and transitioning roles of half forwards Patrick McLernon, Jake Ferguson and skipper Conor Mallon made the collective tick.

Harry Og Conlan has been a towering figure throughout the campaign, Daire Conway and Rian Nelis have made valuable contributions, while impact subs Steven Corr and James Fearon played important roles, and teenager John McLernon, making his first start in the replay, handled the occasion like a veteran.

Had Edendork not won the championship, they would have been involved in a Division One relegation play-off against Moortown, but now it’s their parish neighbours Dungannon who must win that sudden death tie to avoid the drop.

“The scenes are absolutely fantastic. I have been playing for Edendork for many years and I genuinely didn’t think I’d ever see it,” said long-serving St Malachy’s star Harry Og Conlan.

“We have been going and watching other teams win county championships, and to have finally done it is unbelievable.”

Experienced campaigners form the core of the team, but exciting talent has been added in recent seasons to make Edendork a real force.

“My generation, the likes of Niall (Morgan), Darren (McCurry) and myself, we’re the older members of the squad, but there’s been a couple of men that have come in every year, Conn (Kilpatrick) coming in and Ben Cullen has been fantastic, the likes of Fiachra Nelis, boys who have come in and put their shoulder to the wheel and added to the squad.

“It has all come together I the team that we have today and we have got over the line in a county final, which is just the stuff of dreams.

“It really is a squad of players that we have, and we never had the luxury of that.

“We were known as a team of 12 or 13 men, and we had very little to come in off the bench.

“But this squad is totally different, we have men to come in, and the fifteen men on the field don’t feel that pressure, because there is somebody to come in and take their place.

“And the experience that Niall and Darren bring from county level is just unbelievable.”

Conlan hailed the temperament and the skill that Morgan displayed to nail a pressure free from 45 metres right at the death to clinch a historic win for his side.

“The nerve that it takes to kick that two-pointer at the end, knowing that it’s the last chance, is just fantastic, and fair play to Niall for doing it.”

And he remembered the many loyal club members now deceased whose dedication has paid rich dividends.

“A lot of people over the generations have added to the club, and we hope they’re looking down proudly.

“It’s a full community of people who put their shoulder to the wheel to get the players on to the field, and we’re very thankful to them.

“We may be the boys going up and lifting the cup, but it’s for the whole community.

“We see the children running about enjoying it, we see all the flags and the bunting, and Edendork is a lot bigger, really, that we think.

“There’s an awful lot of people who have added to it, and thankfully they have got their rewards, and everybody can enjoy it.”

Errigal started strongly with scores from Odhran Robinson and Shea McDermott, but McCurry was on song in the Edendork attack, and he proved too hot to handle for his Tyrone team-mate Cormac Quinn, firing over four points from play.

However, it was Errigal who reached the end of the opening quarter with a slender 0-5 to 0-4 lead, Peter Harte and McDermott on target

They went four clear with a 20th minute Padraig McGirr goal. McCartan swapped passes with Harte before sending McGirr in to slide the ball low past Niall Morgan.

McDermott missed a chance to stretch the gap to six as a two-point free tailed just wide, and Edendork took full advantage, finishing the half with a flourish, and 1-3 without reply.

Fiachra Nelis intercepted a shot Errigal kick-out to release Luke Ferguson, who was fouled by ‘keeper Darragh McAnenly, and McCurry stepped up to slot the penalty to the bottom corner of the net.

They went in with a 1-8 to 1-6 interval lead, but Harte was the driving force Errigal needed to get them back on terms, and another brace of scores from the former Tyrone stars had his side level.

The St Malachy’s lost midfielder Luke Ferguson to injury, but they had their own inspirational figure in centre back Ben Cullen, who powered through to send over two crucial scores, sending them into the final quarter ahead by 1-10 to 1-8.

McCurry’s dropping delivery was punched away by ‘keeper McAnenly for a ’45, which Morgan converted, but Ruairi Canavan came off the bench to add a spark to the

Errigal attack, hitting a couple of scores to set the game on a knife-edge.

Harte got back to execute a perfect tackle on Conor Mallon, and it was the Errigal skipper who brought them level, before hitting the 62nd minute lead point.

Edendork refused to accept it was gone, and when Con Kilpatrick won a foul on the 45 metre line, Morgan stepped up to send the free sailing between the posts with virtually the last kick of the game.

Edendork scorers: Darrren McCurry 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-2 frees), Niall Morgan 0-3 (1 tp free, 1 ’45), Ben Cullen 0-2, Patrick McLernon, John McLernon, Correy Bell 0-1 each.

Errigal Ciaran scorers: Padraig McGirr 1-0, Peter Harte 0-5, Shea McDermott 0-4 (3 frees), Ruairi Canavan 0-2, Peter Og McCartan, Odhran Robinson 0-1 each.

Edendork: Niall Morgan; Donal Maneely, Fionn Devlin, Neil Kilpatrick; Fiachra Nelis, Ben Cullen, Correy Bell; Conn Kilpatrick, Luke Ferguson; Patrick McLernon, Conor Mallon, Jake Ferguson; Darren McCurry, Harry Og Conlan, John McLernon.

Subs: James Fearon for L Ferguson, Steven Corr for F Nelis.

Errigal Ciaran: Darragh McAnenly; Cormac Quinn; Aidan McCrory, Ronan O’Sullivan; Tiarnan Colhoun, Niall Kelly, Peter Og McCartan; Ben McDonnell, Padraig McGirr; Pauric Traynor, Peter Harte, Aodhan Quinn; Shea McDermott, Odhran Robinson, Joe Oguz.

Subs: Ruairi Canavan for Traynor, Micheal Mullin for McCartan, Eoin Kelly for McGirr, Ciaran McGinley for O’Sullivan, Tommy Canavan for Oguz .

Referee: Cathal Forbes (Ardboe).