AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Final

OUGHTERARD (GALWAY) 2-16 MAGHERACLOONE (MONAGHAN) 0-12

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

Oughterard are AIB All-Ireland club intermediate football champions, the second Galway team to take the title, after powering down the home straight to victory at Croke Park.

Led superbly by the Tierney brothers, Matthew and Enda, and with goals from Eric Lee and substitute Conrad Clancy, the Connacht champions matched the achievement of 2008 winners Moycullen.

Just three points separated the teams with 55 minutes played but Clancy's goal, followed by points from Ryan Monaghan and Niall Lee, put Oughterard in the clear and on the brink of a famous win.

They duly closed it out impressively with Clancy adding another point and emerging as joint top scorer despite only entering the fray with just minutes remaining.

Monaghan's Magheracloone finished the game with just 13 player following dismissals for corner-back Michael Jones, who picked up his second booking in the 47th minute, and Ryan Farrelly, who was black carded in the 53rd minute following an earlier booking.

It was tough on Magheracloone who have endured a torturous couple of years since their grounds were rendered unsafe by the opening up of a sinkhole.

Relegation to the intermediate ranks occurred the same season and the 2004 county senior title winners were forced into the greatest battle of their existence.

So it was no surprise that they fought gamely throughout despite slipping six points behind at half-time after being overrun in the final 10 minutes of the half.

It was 0-6 apiece after 20 minutes with the sides tied on four occasions but Oughterard took off from there, reeling off 1-4 without reply and dominating the exchanges to lead by 1-10 to 0-7 at the break.

Former All-Star Tommy Freeman scored two of Magheracloone's early points and they led by 0-4 to 0-2 at one stage but found themselves in Oughterard's slipstream from there on.

Freeman's third and fourth points of the game for the Ulster outfit did get the gap down to just three points late on at 1-11 to 0-11 but they were down to 13 at that stage and Clancy's goal, when he lobbed the 'keeper from close range after his initially flicked effort was blocked, sealed it for Oughterard who turned on the style in the closing minutes.

Oughterard scorers: Conrad Clancy 1-1, Niall Lee 0-4 (0-2f), Eric Lee 1-0, Enda Tierney 0-3 (0-2f), Patrick Walsh 0-2, Ryan Monaghan 0-2, Cian Monaghan 0-2, Ian Gibbons 0-1 (0-1f), Matthew Tierney 0-1 (0-1f).

Magheracloone scorers: Tommy Freeman 0-5 (0-3f), Gavin Doogan 0-2, James Ward 0-1, Ryan Farrelly 0-1, Michael Metzger 0-1, Jack Doogan 0-1, Padraig McMahon 0-1.

OUGHTERARD: Jordan Waller; Ciaran Hanley, Eddie O'Sullivan, Liam Moran; Ryan Monaghan, Cian Monaghan, Ronan Molloy; Enda Tierney, PJ McGauley; Brian Lambert, Matthew Tierney, Eric Lee; Niall Lee, Patrick Walsh, Paul Walsh. Subs: Cian Harte for Molloy (15), Daniel Kenny for Lambert (h/t), Conrad Clancy for McGauley (55), Donal Gibbons for R Monaghan (black card, 60) Phillip Gibbons for Patrick Walsh (60), Ian Gibbons for N Lee (62).

MAGHERACLOONE: David Kirk; Michael Jones, Peter Ward, Paul McArdle; Killian Rudden, James Ward, Jack Doogan; Jamie Kieran, Gavin Doogan; Barry Kieran, Allan Kieran, Padraig McMahon, Ryan Farrelly, Tommy Freeman, Michael Metzger. Subs: Conor McKeown for Rudden (h/t), Liam Og Murray for Metzger (40), Alan McCahey for J Doogan (45), Peter Tuite for B Kieran (50), Niall Marron for Allan Kieran (61).

REFEREE: Sean Laverty (Antrim).