Gary Bownes Memorial Cup

Co. Fermanagh Premiers 0  Co. Tyrone Premiers 1

FERMANAGH Premiers pushed county rivals Tyrone all the way in the Gary Bownes Memorial Cup but were narrowly denied by a last-minute injury-time goal, going down 1-0.

The result followed an earlier 4-0 defeat to Antrim, with manager Marc McCleery praising his players for their effort and competitiveness throughout.

“I can’t fault the effort of our players,” said McCleery.

“We matched Tyrone during the game and created a few decent opportunities. It could have gone either way, but it was disappointing to lose out to a goal in injury time.”

The derby clash was a tight, evenly matched affair for much of the game. Both sides cancelled each other out early as Fermanagh looked to bounce back from their opening defeat, while Tyrone still had their eye on the trophy, depending on other results.

Chances were limited but both goalkeepers had to stay alert, with Fermanagh’s best opportunity falling to Charlie McCabe, who was played in behind the Tyrone defence just before halftime but saw his shot blocked.

As the match wore on, Tyrone began to ask more questions of the Fermanagh defence, though the home side remained a threat on the counterattack.

Jay Largo Elis fashioned Fermanagh’s best chance of the second half, creating space before firing a shot that was well saved by the Tyrone goalkeeper.

Ultimately, the visitors snatched a late winner when Finlay Ross forced the ball home after a scramble in injury time.

McCleery reflected on the valuable experience gained by his players over the course of the tournament, played in demanding conditions with two games in one day.

The hope is it’ll stand his troops in good stead ahead of their opening SuperCupNI game against Bournemouth on Monday 28th July.

“These matches in the lead up to the Super Cup are very valuable to us” explained McCleery.

“We have taken a lot of learnings away from this tournament experience that we can now go and work on in the remaining weeks before
Budget Energy SuperCupNI 2025 gets underway.”