Clifden 2-12

St Gabriel’s 0-13

By Mike Rafferty in Spiddal

A powerful second half display by Clifden ensured they came out on top in this Intermediate football championship relegation final in Spideal on Saturday and, in the process, send St Gabriel’s down to the Junior grade.

A well contested opening half saw the teams exchange the lead on numerous occasions, with the sides eventually level at the break. However, the real turning point of the game came in the third quarter as Clifden dominated possession and scoring 1-4 without reply allowed them to open up a seven point advantage that they managed right to the end.

The Connemara side had many contributors who played big parts in their success, but in particular it was their forwards who displayed the finishing talents required on the big occasion, with the likes of Ruairi King, Colm Coneys and Conal Joyce central to their success. The unerring free taking of Ger Gibbons continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over, while it was the well finished goals in each half that really gave them an edge in the game.

For two teams who reached the quarter-final of the Intermediate championship last year, this was a change of fortune and it was St Gabriel’s who made the brighter start as Chris Donnellan launched over the only two pointer of the game, before Fiachra Garvey set up James Egan for another point.

Gradually, Clifden got into their stride as Paddy Keaney was having a big impact in the midfield area and two Gibbons frees were followed by a goal – an Emmet Moran hand pass setting up Conal Joyce to shoot low past Patrick Downey on nine minutes and put them 1-2 to 0-3 ahead.

The contributions of Declan Cronin, David Malone and Donal Mannion gave St Gabriel’s some momentum for a spell and a neat piece of fielding by Sean Collins set up Sean Leonard for a score, before Egan added two more from frees, with Malone doing likewise from a placed ball, as they led by 0-7 to 1-3, with a Kearney point the only reply at the other end.

Clifden were to add two more before the break as a Gibbons free was added to by Coneys, but despite having Donal Mannion black carded on 25 minutes, St Gabriel’s never conceded a score in his absence and, indeed, got the last point of the half through an Egan free as matters lay level at 1-5 to 0-8 at the interval.

Pictured: Job done: Clifden players Theo Joyce, Colm Coneys, Noah Murray and Conal Joyce are relieved after defeating St Gabriel’s in the Intermediate Relegation Final in Spiddal on Saturday.