Clare snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to secure an opening round win against Mickey Harte’s Louth in division two of the National Football League this afternoon.
The contest was twenty-five minutes old before the banner registered their opening score of the day from an Eoin Cleary free, in what began as a slow burner in Cusack Park.
Keelan Sexton would then point twice in the closing stages of the half to keep Clare in touch, however the Kilmurry-Ibrickane man was forced to retire after kicking his second on thirty-three minutes due to a niggling leg injury.
The men from the wee county were the sharper in the opening period, as efforts from chief marksman, Sam Mulroy and midfielder Conor Earley saw Louth lead by double scores at 0-06 to 0-03 by the interval.
A revitalized Clare side came out of the traps for the second half, and it would take just thirteen minutes for an Emmet McMahon brace and captain Eoin Cleary’s second contribution of the day to level matters on the scoreboard.
The sides would continue to slowly but surely exchange scores until Clare got their noses in front for the first time on sixty-six minutes through the first of two superb Jamie Malone efforts.
However, no sooner had Clare taken the lead, Louth issued a swift and deadly response with substitute Ciarán Downey burying the ball in the back of David Sexton’s net at the town end.
Nevertheless, undeterred by the concession of a late goal, the banner issued a late rally, which following a point blank save from netminder David Sexton to keep the game alive, saw points from Eoin Cleary, Gavin Cooney and Emmet McMahon level proceedings in the dying moments, before Jamie Malone produced a carbon copy of his All-Ireland qualifier heroics against Roscommon during the summer, to deliver an emphatic winner and in the process securing the victory for Colm Collin’s men.
As it finished on a full time score of Clare 0-13 to Louth’s 1-09 in Cusack Park.
