With less than 20 minutes to go in last summer's Round 2B Football Qualifier, Fermanagh were leading Mayo by a point in Castlebar, as one of the shocks of the summer looked on the cards.
The game turned in Mayo's favour when referee Joe McQuillan awarded a penalty to the home side, after Aidan O'Shea was adjudged to have been taken down in the box by Che Cullen. Cillian O'Connor scored the resulting penalty, and Mayo would win by five points.
O'Shea was widely accused of diving, to earn the penalty. It was one of the most controversial moments of the summer, as Mayo would eventually lose in the All-Ireland final to Dublin after a replay.
Fermanagh goalkeeper Chris Snow was on the opposite end of the O'Connor goal, and he admitted the whole situation forced him into thinking about his inter-county future. Speaking to the Irish Post, Snow revealed he was close to retiring, such was his annoyance at the decision.
Fermanagh’s goalkeeper Christopher Snow points at Aidan O’Shea of Mayo as referee Joe McQuillan awards a penalty. Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie
"People can say what they like about the top teams and the work they put in, but the top teams are the ones getting to play in Croke Park week-in, week-out in front of 50,000, and seem to get everything handed to them."
"Last year, the Aidan O’Shea incident, it’s hard to take and you’re thinking: 'Is it worth it all at the end of it?' The things you miss out on - stag parties, mates’ weddings, one thing and another. You do question it from time to time.
"I had a good long think about it, and decided I’d give it another year. I don’t know if it was wise or not, but I decided to go anyway. I was very close to not going back. I was busy with work too at the time and I didn’t know if it would be worth it. But I thought I’ll give it one more year and see where that takes us."
The goalkeeper decided to play one final season for the side. Fermanagh will spend 2017 in Division 2, after finishing fourth last season. They were drawn in the Ulster Championship preliminary round against Monaghan, with the winners facing Cavan in the quarter-finals.
The 2016 campaign ended on a sour note for Snow and his teammates. He will hope the 2017 Championship will leave a better taste.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
