Tummery snatch victory with stoppage-time free kick

Beragh Swifts… 2 Tummery Athletic ……3

NOT for the first time this season Tummery Athletic left it very late to snatch all three points at Fountain Lane on Saturday.

With the game deep in stoppage-time an Aidy McCaffrey free kick deflected off Beragh’s defensive wall to send Peter Ward in the home goal the wrong way.

It was a cruel twist for Swifts given that in the build up to the awarding of the free kick they claimed that the referee had given a throw-in the wrong way.

But whatever the ifs and buts of the winning goal, the Mercer Cup holders left with all three points secured, much to the delight of their player-manager Ryan Hanna who scored his team’s second goal.

After closing the gap on leaders Dergview Reserves to two points with a game in hand he said, “I have never played in a Fermanagh and Western game with Tummery thinking that you would get it handy.

“Every week we prepare for a tough game and that’s the mentality. Earlier in the season we stole the points against Beragh and today was another tough battle with a lot of challenges.

“You can only control the games that are put in front of you. Anyone can go on a run of four or five games but nothing has ever been won in November or December. You might start looking at things in January but until then it’s one game at a time.”

Hanna’s opposite number Wes Ferguson said he felt for his players after conceding the late winner in the manner they did.

“I’m gutted for the players and I had no words for them after the final whistle. They were deflated, they had given everything . I keep telling this group that they are not far away and with a wee bit of luck we could have won it today.”

There was a fair bit of shadow boxing in the first half hour of this contest before the visitors forged ahead. Kyle McCrory capitalised on a mix-up in the home defence and with goalkeeper Peter Ward stranded the striker picked his spot with two defenders on the goal-line.

Shortly afterwards McCrory was red carded for a high boot and the player who was on the receiving end Anthony McCullagh also got his marching orders for kicking out in retaliation.

Ten versus ten, Beragh hit back early in the second half when Luke Henderson was taken down as he charged into the penalty box and Stephen Browne made no mistake from the spot.

Athletic duly upped the ante for a period and the visitors again took the lead when Martin Hughes found Hanna on the left and the player manager opened his body up to fire high inside Ward’s far post.

That advantage though was very short-lived – 90 seconds to be precise – and when Henderson whipped in a dangerous cross it deflected off Blaine Campbell and into the visiting net.

Not content with a share of the spoils, both sides went all out for a winner. Browne and Craig Breen threatened for Swifts while McCaffrey and Campbell went close for the defending champions before McCaffrey’s free kick got a helping hand from lady luck in ‘Fergie time’ to earn the visitors yet another precious victory.