Kernaghan’s goal is just reward for Slane’s BAWA

The classy midfielder struck the only goal of the game and said it was the support who gave him the extra motivation to ensure victory.

“Scoring the winner is the sort of thing you think about going into a final like that,” he said.

“The club have a great following and the support were brilliant on friday. When you walk out and see the amount of fans there, it give all of us that extra 10%. It’s an unbelievable support for Mid-Ulster football.

“The fans are great at league games but to have four or five hundreed at a cup final is crazy. The lads really appreciate it.

“I made sure to go over to them when I scored, they’re the ones who come out to cheer us on after all.”

Kernaghan joined the club in the new year, a decision that has been vindicated.

“When thing didn’t work out at rathfriland, it was the obvious thing to do”, he said, “and of course I’m delighted I did.”

Now it’s decision time on whether or not to stay. Kernaghan said he will soon begin discussions with boss David Johnstone, who will no doubt be keen to hold on to one of his star men.

“Jonny has made a big difference,” said the Slane manager.

“He did fantastically to get the winner on Friday but in the previous couple of games, he added that bit of confidence and quality going forward.

“He has that ability from dead ball situations and he deserves a lot of credit for what he has done since coming to the club.

“I think Jonny is enjoying himself. There is a real togetherness in the squad at the minute. When he scored on Friday night, he slid in front of the supporters and celebrated with them. There aren’t a lot of clubs that can offer that sort of support and all of our lads really appreciate it.

“There was a fantastic crowd down and they offered such vocal support to the team and helped us to get the win.”