HAVING waited so long to win a county junior hurling title, Fermoy's elation knew no bounds following their victory over Cloughduv in last Sunday's final.

For the longer-serving players on the team, it was especially satisfying, and seasoned defender Luke Mannix put the significance of the achievement into perspective afterwards.

"It's a fantastic day for the club, we have been trying for years and years to win a county title at adult level, but, for one reason or another, we never got the reward.

" We watched some of our neighbouring clubs in North Cork go on and do great things, and we're just delighted that our turn to grab a share of the limelight arrived today.

"A lot of hard work has gone into this, and, from my own point of view, it's great to be involved with such a young and committed team.

"The vast majority of the players are 22 and under," revealed Mannix, who suggested the goal notched by fellow veteran Shane Killeen was the match-winning score.

"That was a huge boost, because, with the wind behind us and Cloughduv having a man sent off, we felt if we got a lead of a few points at all in the second half that we would hold it.

"Thankfully, Shane put the chance away, and he scored the crucial goal as well in the North-Cork final against Clyda Rovers last week-end, but he has been coming up with the goods for years for Fermoy."

Team manager Tom Ryan agreed that Fermoy never looked back following Killeen's goal, but he felt the foundations for victory were laid in the first half.

" We were obviously happy to be a point in front at half time, having played against the wind, and we knew if we got a good start in the second half that we would be very hard to stop.

"The fact that Cloughduv had a player sent off didn't do us any harm, but it often happens that a team with 14 man can lift themselves and plough on and win a game.

"But our lads just worked and worked, and that's the reason why we are the champions," said Tipperary native Ryan.

Although Cloughduv had been installed as firm favourites, Ryan said that he was very confident Fermoy would prevail.

"Everybody in the press wrote us off in a big way, and I was delighted, because I knew there was great character in this team.

"I have been with most of these fellas since 1997 when they were only kids.

" We got a county minor championship in 2005, and the nucleus of that team was out there today.

"The senior players like Luke Mannix, Trevor Grumbridge and Shane Killeen are the backbone of course," Ryan acknowledged, before paying a special tribute to another stalwart Trevor Cooney, who won a county senior medal with Avondhu in 1996, and an u-21 medal with Fermoy ten years earlier.

"Only for Trevor Cooney, Fermoy wouldn't have a team, because the juvenile club was almost gone in 1997, and he asked Pat O'Hanlon, Jimmy Barry, Jimmy Deenigan and myself to become involved.

"He fully deserved to share in this historic victory, and he did a good job when we brought him on in the second half.

"We had our homework done on Cloughduv, and we knew they were made to look very good by a flat Castlemartyr side in the semi final the previous Sunday.

"To go in as underdogs suited us just fine, and, having come through three hard games in successive weeks, I was convinced we wouldn't be beaten today if the game was there to be won with five minutes to go," he stated.

Cloughduv chairman Peadar McDonnell accepted that it was very much a case of backs to the wall after the team was reduced to 14 players early in the second half.

"You would have to be proud of the lads, they never gave up, and we had about four chances of goals over the course of the game, one of which came back off the posts at a crucial stage.

" We needed to take one of those in order to turn it around, but it just didn't happen, and from the word go, I thought Fermoy were that bit sharper than us.

"I have no qualms in saying they were the better team on the day, but it's very disappointing to lose," said McDonnell, who revealed that he had journeyed from the MiddleEast the previous night to attend the final.

"Such is life, and we must try and regroup now, but, as everybody knows, it's a very long road back after you lose a county junior final."