FIRHOUSE CLAIM CLIFFORD WITH VICTORY OVER GALLANT ST. PAUL'S

Clifford Cup Final: Firhouse Carmel 2-0 St. Paul's Artane

The Clifford Cup final was played out in Bluebell's ground on the Naas Road yesterday with Firhouse Carmel playing St. Paul's Artane.
In a tight opening half of few chances, It was the Artane Boys that had slightly the better of things. It took a while however, for an opening to be created but in the 17th minute they almost went ahead.

By DERMOT CLARKE

Stephen Bracken fed Keith Rigney who skipped by an opponent before crossing from the left where, it looked like Tony White was about to chest it home but Ray Doyle found a leg from somewhere and thumped it away for a corner.
Having soaked it up though it was Firhouse who went in a goal to the good at the break. On 35 Mark Byrne's low cross from the left evaded a couple of attempts to clear and fell to Martin Ryan who, it seemed, slowed it down with his left before poking home with his right.
Just before the break however Eamonn Murphy provided Bracken with an opportunity to equalise but he fired over from 10 yards.

Bracken had the earliest chance in the second period also but, having rounded Conor Hempenstall, he fired over.
Midway through the half Firhouse almost doubled the advantage but there was nobody around to touch Kyle O'Doherty's low cross to the net after Byrne and Ryan had combined again to send O'Doherty in.
Then Paul O'Connor and Aidan Sargent combined but Keith Beasley did well to save the former's effort on goal.
There was a bit of caution to the wind as the game went into the final 10 minutes for Paul's and big Dave O'Brien broke and found O'Doherty who's side-footed effort went inches wide.
In injury-time with Paul's throwing the kitchen sink at Firhouse but a Ray Doyle marshalled back four performing heroics, stood strong. They broke and O'Brien picked a pocket and ran into the box before clipping it in off the post to wrap it up for Firhouse.
Good game, deserved winners, well officiated by Gary Leeper and his crew in front of a decent crowd in Bluebell. Well done to Firhouse in their first season in the AFL and commiserations to Paul's for a valiant effort on the day.
Firhouse Carmel: Conor Hempenstall, Paul Kinane, Mark Byrne, Anthony Weafer, Ray Doyle, Eamonn Murphy, Martin Ryan, Paul O'Connor, Aidan Sargent, David Kelly, Gareth Mahon, Darren Richie, Kyle O'Doherty, Peter Hedderman, Donal Fox, Dave O'Brien, Ken Harford, Owen Kelly.
St. Paul's Artane: Keith Beasley, David Foster, Ian Hanley, Daniel Trimble, Paul Morgan, Gary Smith, Keith Rigney, Wayne Sanderson, Ian McBride, Alan Smith, Tony White, David Rigney, Stephen Bracken, Gareth Rafferty, Colin Kavanagh, Derek McCormack, Vincent Norris, Gerard McKenna.