Aidan Fitzpatrick breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday as he finally won his first senior hurling medal after 31 long years of trying.
The 47-year-old captained Cootehill Celtic as they scored an emphatic 5-7 to 1-6 victory over Ballmachugh in Breffni Park to claim the Cavan championship. It marked the club's first senior hurling title in over four decades.
Fullforward FitzPatrick broke into the Cootehill senior squad when he was 16 and has consistently fought the good fight in pursuit of that coveted title that has evaded his grasp for nearly half a lifetime. All that hard work has finally paid off. Astonishingly, only one other player on the panel was born when Aidan played his played his first senior game.
Hats off to FitzPatrick, who is a testament to never giving up. We're positive it was worth the wait.
h/t Dean Arrowsmith
