Stephen relieved more than happy as Kiltubrid Ladies get across the line

He may have been laughing as he said it but there was no doubting the relief Stephen Sheeran felt as Kiltubrid edged past Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins in Sunday’s Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior B Final.

Asked for his reaction after the game, Stephen said, “I’m a very relieved man, I’m not sure if happy is the right word. A bit of relief but really, really delighted for the girls that we got across the line, however we managed to do it.”

Kiltubrid celebrate dramatic Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior B Final win over Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins - GALLERY

Kiltubrid put the pain of near misses in this year's championship and last year's Senior B Final when they hung on to claim a 3-13 to 4-9 victory over Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins in Sunday's Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior B Final. And Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture some great images from the celebrations ..... see who you can spot!

Nerves may have played a part in Kiltubrid’s struggles down the home stretch: “I suppose it is one of those, it is a big occasion, we haven’t won a final in a while - it is on the line, it is that opportunity and I suppose we had to try and compose ourselves as much as we could. We probably didn’t but I think we played good enough football for long enough that it probably saw us over the line.”

Player of the match Michelle Guckian was pivotal to the victory and Stephen lauded her contribution while praising her teammates for giving her the support she needed: “Michelle is class - she really, really was. They doubled up on her for a while, took her out of the game for a while and other girls stepped up. 

“Then the pressure, they pushed girls out a little bit and that left Michelle inside and she is lethal when she is in there.”

He also praised the workrate and commitment of his players: “We gave them a little bit of structure, a little bit of a gameplan to play to and they’ve bought into it so well, they just work so hard, it’s class. It makes it so much easier when you have a group willing to buy into it. We give them two or three little bits of a game plan and they just buy it up.”

As for a possible Ballinamore penalty in added time, Stephen  said, “It was surely outside the area, wasn’t it?” before adding “You’re going to need a bit of luck to win a championship game. We probably had a bit of luck a little earlier when they hit both posts but these things happen. I do think we were the better football team but maybe they still could have nicked it at the end.”

Check out our fan photos from last Sunday's Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior B Final - GALLERY

Kiltubrid and Ballinamore Sean O'Heslins met in a thrilling Gotham Dry Wall LGFA Senior B Final last Sunday in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada with Kitubriid prevailing 3-13 to 4-9. Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture some great images of fans enjoying the game ..... see who you can spot!

As for the Connacht Intermediate Club campaign, Stephen is looking forward to Kiltubrid testing themselves against different teams: “It is nice because it is that little bit of a whole new dynamic - here, playing senior football in Leitrim, you know all the girls. You’ve played with them, you played against them at underage level or senior level, you get used  to them whereas now we get a whole new adventure. It is something exciting and a new challenge to embrace.”