Munster Club FC Final: An Gaeltacht 1-8 St Senan's 1-6 It was heartbreak for St Senan's, Kilkee at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday as they gave favourites An Gaeltacht the fright of their lives in a tension-filled Munster club football championship final which enthralled the 5,000-strong crowd.
Only two points separated the sides at the finish but it might have been so different had Michael O'Shea not fluffed a glorious opportunity for the Clare side in the 52nd minute.
The centre forward found himself in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Pat Healy but let the golden opportunity slip by, losing his concentration and hitting the side-netting.
Even with that missed chance the Kerry side, claiming their first title, were on the back foot as the match wound down towards a finish, midfielder Denis Russell putting the Clare outfit within reach of a shock result with a well-worked point five minutes from the end.
But that was to be the last score of the match and An Gaeltacht were allowed to justify their tag as favourites and claim the crown.
That the game remained evenly balanced right up to that nail-biting climax when St Senan's threatened a shock result was due to the Russells, David and Denis, mixing it with the Kerry club's more high-profile stars Darragh Ó Sé and Paul Quinn.
An Gaeltacht realised they were in for a real battle when Michael O'Shea carved the opening point for the underdogs in the third minute. From there it was nip and tuck in that opening quarter, which ended deadlocked at two points each.
The Kerry side stepped up a gear in the next phase, however, and it looked as if the game might run to pre-match expectations as Aodán MacGearailt and Dara Ó Cinnéide rattled over further points.
Denis Russell, though, stepped up for St Senan's and reduced the deficit to a single point. And the ground erupted after 20 minutes when Barry Harte played the ball to veteran Ger Keane and he proved to be a deadly marksman, rattling the ball past An Gaeltacht goalkeeper Pat Healy.
The onus was back on An Gaeltacht. Fergal Ó Sé, a powerful figure at corner back, cut the supply lines, Aodán Mac Gearailt acted as a third midfielder, and it was left to Tom O'Connor and Ó Cinnéide to level it at 0-6 to 1-3 at the interval.
With pride dented, the Kerry side plotted the perfect start to the second half. Within three minutes, Cathal O'Dowd carved an opening for the unmarked Conal Crowley and his blistering shot from an acute angle was too hot to handle for Kevin Harte.
Tomás Ó Sé made their position even more secure. Battling St Senan's kept their opponents scoreless over the next 14 minutes.
At the other end a timely interception from Fergal Ó Sé denied Michael O'Shea, but Denis Russell and Noel O'Shea ensured that St Senan's were in for the long haul, by narrowing the gap to 1-7 to 1-5. Cathal O'Dowd then gave An Gaeltacht more breathing space with a point.
St Senan's were not beaten yet, however, and after Michael O'Shea missed his opportunity to tie the contest, Denis Russell, from a John Enright flick-on, set up a titanic - though for St Senan's, an ultimately disappointing - finish.
AN GAELTACHT: P Healy; F Ó Sé, M Ó Sé, S Sheehy, D Fitzgerald, T Ó Sé (0-1), B Walsh; D Ó Sé, P Quinn; T O'Connor (0-1), R Fitzgerald (0-1), A MacGearailt (0-1), C Crowley (1-1), D Ó Cinnéide (0-2), C O'Dowd (0-1). Sub: JJ Corduff for A McGearailt.
ST SENAN'S; K Harte; B Smyth, G Crotty, C Kirwin, B McNamara, D Kelly, J Enright; Denis Russell (0-4), David Russell; J Larkin, M O'Shea (0-1), M Keane, N O'Shea (0-1), B Harte, G Keane (1-0). Subs: K Larkin for Keane, D Loughrey for Larkin.
Referee: J Geaney (Cork).
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