Waterford city club St Saviour's won their first county senior football title in exciting fashion at Walsh Park yesterday, clinching victory with a goal a minute from the end of normal time after they had earlier looked beaten.

That score, a fisted effort from corner forward Albert Healy at the end of a fine three-man move, climaxed a magnificent fightback from a six points deficit midway through the second half.

The sides were level at 0-4 each at half-time but Kilrossanty, bidding for their 16th championship and their first in nine years, seemed to have wrapped it up when they went 1-8 to 0-5 ahead after 13 second-half minutes which they dominated almost totally. Neil O'Connor, their best forward, was the goalscorer.

But it was then the crowd of 2,500 saw St Saviour's at their best. Helped by the introduction of former Waterford United soccer player, Brian Arrigan, as a substitute, they played some lovely football and gradually clawed their way back into the match.

They shot five unanswered points before Healy struck for the game's most vital score and then, after Kilrossanty full forward O'Connor cut the difference to the minimum, held on through three minutes of injury time.

ST SAVIOUR'S: P Houlihan; B Brophy, A Power, K Murphy; B Power, M Corcoran, I Stenson (0-1); J Walsh (0-1), M O'Brien; T Corcoran (0-4), N Jacob, T Higgins (0-1); E Hartery (0-1), D Wyse (0-1), A Healy (1-1). Sub: B Arrigan for Jacob.

KILROSSANTY: A Kirwan; P Hayes, R Power, S McElduff; B Lennon, B Whelan, G Walsh; D Kirwan, K Whelan (0-2); C Dee, C Keating, M Kiely (0-1); B Kirwan (0-1), N O'Connor (1-3), T Kirwan (0-1). Subs: J Kiely (0-1) for Walsh, P Whyte for D Kirwan.

Referee: J M Kelly.