O'Loughlin Gaels tread fine line again to edge Cushendall and reach All-Ireland Club Hurling final

O’Loughlin Gaels, masters of the narrow win, did what they do best yet again with another dramatic victory in Navan to secure an All-Ireland club SHC final clash with St Thomas’ next month.

Brian Hogan’s Kilkenny city side won both their county final and the provincial final by one-point margins and did the same here in a 1-17 to 1-16 scoreline, half-back David Fogarty this time drilling the winning score in the 63rd minute.

It was a long-range score as the Gaels took advantage of the wind in the second-half to move within an hour of national success.

They lost to Clarinbridge when they last made it to the All-Ireland decider, in early 2011, and will face Galway opposition all over again at Croke Park.

Free-taker Mark Bergin top scored for the three-times Leinster champions with 0-09 while Sean Bolger registered their only goal.

Cushendall, chasing just a second semi-final win ever despite being 12-times Ulster champions, will kick themselves for letting this one slip away.

They led by three points at half-time and had enough possession in the second-half to finish it out but struck seven wides in that period and dropped several more score attempts short.

Even at that, Neil McManus, who hit 0-09 for the Antrim side, had a late, late attempt for an equaliser to force extra-time but his pot shot flew just wide.

This was billed as a David versus Goliath encounter between an O’Loughlin Gaels side that had taken down the might of All-Ireland holders Ballyhale Shamrocks before even embarking on their successful provincial campaign and a Cushendall side that has always struggled at this stage of the competition.

Perhaps the Ruairi Og men didn’t get that pre-match memo because they burst out of the blocks and had 1-04 on the board inside