Post Primary Schools All-Ireland Senior ‘D’ Football Final: St.Jospeh’s Spanish Point – 0-15 – Scoil Ciarán Naofa Clara – 1-07
St. Joseph’s Spanish Point Secondary School have made history this afternoon after claiming the Post Primary Schools All-Ireland Senior D Football Title.
Comprised of squad members from Kilmurry-Ibrickane, St.Joseph’s Miltown, Cooraclare, Doonbeg & Western Gaels, the West Clare secondary school issued a footballing exhibition in the second period to get the better of Scoil Ciarán Naofa of Clara.
Playing in the fierce wind and rain on display in St. Jarlath’s Park in Tuam, it was the Offaly men whose full complement of twenty-seven panel members all hailing from the Clara club, who started the brighter, racing into a 0-03 to 0-00 lead inside the opening eight minutes.
However St.Joseph’s who had recorded as many wides in the same timeframe would soon be rewarded for their persistence as contributions from Euan Lineen, Cathal Talty, Seán Neylon and Josh Moloney saw the sides depart for the dressing rooms at the interval level at 0-05 apiece.
The tale of the tape changed radically on the restart however as a positional switch between Oisín Sexton and Cathal Talty, acted as the catalyst for St.Joseph’s Spanish Point to find their scoring rhythm.
On 33 Minutes, Talty fired over his third of the day to see Spanish Point lead for the first time in the contest, which was quickly followed by a brace from Oisín Sexton who now operating at centre-forward fired the Miltown based men into an 0-08 to 0-05 lead.
Spanish Point showed no intentions of relenting at this juncture and would continue to keep the scoreboard ticking over, to lead by 0-13 to 0-07 with just five minutes remaining.
A huge debt was owed to the St.Joseph’s Spanish Point rear guard during this scoring spree whose tigerish defensive efforts led by Diarmuid Comber , Conor Kearney and Paul Frawley, provided the perfect attacking launching pad.
Substitute Cian Coughlan and replacement Evan Cahill would also split the posts before the final whistle, fittingly however it was joint captain Sean Neylon, leading the way from wing back who raised Spanish Point’s final white flag of the day.
The ever elusive Ben Kennedy dispatched a consolation penalty for Clara in additional time to add some much deserved respectability to the scoreline for the Offaly school.
However it was St.Joseph’s Spanish Point’s day in Tuam as Josh Moloney and Seán Neylon collected the Post-Primary School’s All-Ireland Senior D Cup on a full time score of 0-15 to 1-07.
You can listen to the full commentary from Clare FM’s live coverage of St.Joseph’s Spanish Point v Scoil Ciarán Naofa Clara in the Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ All-Ireland Football Final below.
