'I'd say Teddy and Conor were looking down on us' - Sarsfields boss Crowley in dreamland after reaching All-Ireland club final

Sarsfields manager Johnny Crowley paid an emotional tribute to his club's journey after they held off Slaughtneil to reach the All-Ireland Senior Club Championships final for the first time.

Sars didn't have a pitch for a year and didn't even win Cork but they will take on fellow first-time finalists Na Fianna on 19 January after adding the Derry dual club to their list of scalps.

They had to dig deep to get there though, fighting back from three points down midway through the second half before hanging on to win 0-18 to 0-17 in Newbridge.

"it was a fantastic finish," Crowley told RTÉ Sport. "I'd say Teddy [McCarthy] and Conor [McCarthy, father of Cathal] and the lads were looking down on us there in the very last play of the game.

"Lucky for us it [Mark McGuigan's shot] went six inches over instead of six inches under. That's probably the moment of the game.

"We're going home absolutely over the moon. Unfortunately for Slaughtneil they're going home and they're deflated. But look, I think the whole game was an absolute slog. It was like two heavyweights going at it from the first whistle. It was punch for punch and thankfully we came out the right side of it.

"We have some really, really good stick men. But when we have to dig deep, by God, we can dig deep. That's great credit to the lads."

Sarsfields were beaten in the Cork hurling final by Imokilly, who are not allowed to compete in national competitions as a divisional side.

Sars took their place and battled past Clare champions Feakle before sensationally ending Ballygunner's four-in-a-row tilt in the Munster decider.

Now, the first-time provincial champions are one step from ultimate glory, despite having had no pitch for a year following floods caused by Storm Babet.

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