Fermanagh club to lodge official complaint after league final is ruined by two-point calls

Declan Bonner's side were hard done-by on Sunday

Erne Gaels manager Declan Bonner says the club won’t appeal the result of the controversial Fermanagh Division 1 Football League final, but will lodge an official complaint.

Derrygonnelly Harps took on the 2024 county champions Erne Gaels at Brewster Park on Sunday.

Erne led by two points with four minutes to go, despite a couple of two-point scores from their opponents.

Then came the two mad decisions which ultimately decided the outcome of the game.

With just over three minutes left, Jarlath Flanagan of Derrygonnelly knocked over a score that was clearly within the two-point arc, but was instead mistakenly given as a two-point score

Then once again on the left side of the pitch, with two minutes to go, the same thing happened as Stephen McGullion was adjudged to have scored a two-pointer when it should have been counted as just one, handing Derrygonnelly a 0-17 to 0-15 win, when it should have finished as a draw.

But the club have decided to lodge an official complaint, rather than appeal the result or ask for a replay. 

Bonner: It beggars belief

 “I am sure the officials who made this mistake will hold up their hand,” Bonner told the Impartial Reporter.

“Fair play to Derrygonnelly, they showed great heart and character to come back so well. For us it’s over and it’s done. But it beggars belief, that a referee and seven other officials could not spot what everyone else in the ground could see.

 “It was clear that the last two points were not taken from outside the 40-metre arc. We have a championship coming up in two weeks’ time and that is where our focus is at the minute.”

This comes after we reported at the weekend on the decision not to replay the Cork Intermediate hurling game between Aghada and Kildorrery, after the former felt that a point was attributed to the wrong team during their draw on August 3.