A goal from substitute Kevin Martin four minutes after his introduction early in the second half proved the decisive score in the final of the Offaly senior football championship in Tullamore.
Considering the out of season timing this game between neighbouring rivals provided surprisingly good fare for an estimated 4000 attendance. Victory ended a long barren spell for Tullamore, who last won the title in 1977. Shamrocks, having enjoyed the backing of a strong wind, had only two points to spare at the interval, after muffing two good goal-opportunities.
Martin's goal, a soft ground shot that should have been saved, put Tullamore in front for the first time and they went on to lead by 1-9 to 0-8 before a late rally enabled the Rahan parish side to halve their defecit, Ronan Mooney grazing the crossbar for a point that might just as easily have been a match-winning goal.
TULLAMORE: K Furlong; G Heffernan, J Rouse, R O'Mahony; R Martin, C Daly, M Flynn; J Hughes, N Stack; P O'Reilly (0-2), A Hogan, P Kelly; P Rouse (0-5), B Fagan (0- 1), G Lee (0-1). Subs: K Martin (1-0) for Kelly; P J Martin for R Martin; T Cusack for O'Mahony; S Byrne for Hogan.
SHAMROCKS: P Kelly; C Mooney, G O'Brien, C Clavin; M Yeates, B Mooney, N Coughlan (0-1); A Bracken, R Mooney (0-2); L Mooney, B Monaghan (0-3), S Manley; S Cunningham (0-4), N Bryant, J Donican. Subs: P O'Brien for Cunningham; S Kelly for Donican.
Referee: C Buckley (Clara).
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