Fossa 0-19 Stewartstown Harps 1-13
David Clifford led Fossa to the All-Ireland Club JFC title with the same awesome class and genius that has inspired Kerry to Sam.
Eleven points from the game's top player inspired his side to a three points win at Croke Park, and that was all prior to his dismissal on a second booking late on.
Tyrone champions Stewartstown finished the game with just 11 men after having four players sent off, three of them on straight red cards in the second half.
They just couldn’t contain man of the match Clifford as he turned in another sparkling display at GAA Headquarters.
Clifford, marked tightly by Darren Devlin with Connor Quinn shadowing as well, burst through for the leveller after Gareth Devlin had shot the Harps in front from a free.
The Tyrone champions worked the ball smartly from deep, with Mark Rooney and Tiernan Rush linking the play, and two more Devlin scores had them ahead by 0-4 to 0-2 by the 13th minute.
Clifford was always a danger, from play and placed balls, knocking over a free before the pacey Damien O’Keefe sent Harry Buckley in for the leveller at the end of an evenly contested opening quarter.
But the Red Hand champions got in for a 24th minute goal, full-back Fintan Coffey and goalkeeper Shane O’Sullivan failing to deal with Dylan McElhatton’s cross from the right, and the predatory Devlin nipped in to punch the loose ball to the net from close range.
Midfielder Macauley Quinn galloped through for his second score and a four points lead, and with Paudie Clifford driving at the Stewartstown defence, the Kerrymen looked for an instant response.
Emmet O’Shea and Clifford, with his fifth, were on target, but it was Stewartstown who led by 1-7 to 0-7 at the interval.
The Clifford brothers fired over a volley of scores as the fightback began in the opening moments of the second half, and when goalkeeper Greg Kelly went on a run, only to be dispossessed close to the halfway line, David Clifford went for a lob to the empty net, but over-cooked his shot and it sailed over.
The rampant Kerry men went back in front on 36 minutes as Emmet O’Shea sent a ’45 sailing between the posts, and Stewartstown’s woes were compounded by a straight red card to full-back Devlin a minute later.
The Cliffords were now beginning to work their telepathic magic, with David turning provider for older brother Paudie, before dancing through for an eighth himself, and with Paddy Sheehan prioviding the forward propulsion from midfield, Fossa were growing stronger.
Dan Lowe narrowed the gap to a point with 12 minutes to play, making it clear that there was work still to be done by the Munster champions.
They lost Cian O’Shea to a black card with 10 minutes to play, but a three points cushion provided by Clifford and Buckley kept the Ulster men at arms length.
But Clifford continued to work his magic, with some exquisite scores, and O’Shea and Buckley also chipping in with points.
Stewartstown lost their discipline late on, with Anton Coyle and Kyran Robinson both receiving straight red cards and top scorer Devlin also departing on a second yellow as they finished with just 11 players.
Fossa: S O’Sullivan; B Myers, F Coffey, K McCarthy; D O’Keefe, P Clifford (0-02), D O’Connell; E Talbot, P Sheehan; H Buckley (0-03), M Rennie, C O’Shea; R Doyle, D Clifford (0-11, 3f), E O’Shea (0-03, 1 ’45)
Subs used: R Colleran for McCarthy (h-t), T O’Shea for Doyle (55), K Buckley for H Buckley (62), M Dennehy for O’Keefe (67)
Stewartstown: G Kelly; J Park, D Devlin, C Quinn (0-01); K Robinson, M Rooney, G O’Neill; S Talbot (0-02), M Quinn (0-02); D McElhatton, Q O’Neill, T Rush; D Lowe (0-03, 2f), G Devlin (1-05, 0-3f), T Lowe.
Subs used: A Coyle for T Lowe (46), C Devlin for D Lowe (52)
Referee: T Murphy (Galway).
