Setanta bond 'like family' says Ulster IHC final goal hero Sean Ward

Scoring what was effectively the winning goal for Setanta in an Ulster IHC final will live forever in Sean Ward’s memory. 

In Saturday’s cracking decider at Owenbeg, the wing forward made no mistake as he crashed the sliothar to the Carrickmore net after good work by Ruairi Campbell in the 58th minute. 

Speaking immediately after this great 1-16 to 2-11 win, and his goal, Ward said: “I was sitting inside, and my man had given me ten yards. 

“Ruairi was just unbelievable, he got the ball in his hand and was taking on three men and has been doing it all year. He popped a perfect ball for me to finish to the net.” 

And, Setanta are now right up there exactly where they belong, according to a delighted Ward. 

“We are Intermediate after coming up from junior and we are here to stay. When the ball hit the back of their net it was just pure ecstasy, pure joy. This is our place, and we have a small panel, but we are a real family.” 

But while Setanta do not have quantity, they certainly do have quality. 

“We came up against Ballinascreen, Middletown and Carrickmore and they have squads of 30 and we have around 20 but we can still do the business. 

“We did the hard work and Gerry Gilmore is one of the best free takers in Ulster and is great on and off the ball and his work rate is top class.” 

And even though Carrickmore came back to level the match in the second period, Ward said Setanta stood firm. 

“We kept going and we stood tall. We stood up and prevailed and we proved we could do it. They got a second goal, but we hung on and I am just so proud of all these boys. 

“There was savage commitment from the boys all year and they never let up. I am just so delighted”. 

Ward also referenced Setanta’s savage belief as a key factor in this historic breakthrough. 

“Last year against Kilburn Gaels in the All-Ireland JHC quarteri-final, it was heartbreaking as we felt we could go all the way. 

“As the year went on we grew in confidence and have got our reward today. This will be a great boost for hurling in Donegal and we know we can mix it with the very best. 

“There was nine or ten of us on the Donegal squad and this is where we want to be. We were looked down upon all through this campaign but we came up here today and showed what we can do.”