Clongeen's first title

Wexford SFC Final/ Clongeen 2-10 Starlights 0-8: Clongeen clinched their first county senior football title with a stunning win over Starlights at Wexford Park.

A Paddy Colfer goal from a 10th-minute penalty gave Clongeen a lead they never relinquished. All of Starlights' five first-half points came from the Hudson brothers - John (four) and Willie - but they still must have been happy to have trailed by just a single point at the break, 1-3 to 0-5.

But it was game over within 30 seconds of the restart. Starlights full back Mark Gahan slipped as he tried to intercept a Clongeen attack, the ball breaking to the lurking Liam Murphy, who calmly slotted a low left-footed drive to the bottom left hand corner of the net.

CLONGEEN : A Cullen; S Curtis, L Kent, P Casey; N O'Sullivan, D Redmond, P Curtis (0-2); P Colfer (1-1, 1-0 from penalty) , M Logue; A Stafford (0-3), L Murphy (1-2, point from free), C Byrne (0-1) ; J O'Grady, J Bennett (0-1) , G O'Brien. Subs : T Bennett for O'Grady; S Bennett for J Bennett; W Colfer for Logue.

STARLIGHTS : P Doyle; P Murphy, M Gahan, L Boland; T Wall, A Fenlon, M Quigley; D Ruth, J Russell; C Lett, G Brilly (0-1), W Hudson (0-2) ; O O'Connor, J Hudson (0-5, three frees, one penalty) , A Russell. Subs : R Quigley for O'Connor; B Murphy for Lett; M Donohoe for A Russell; D Morrissey for W Hudson.

Referee: S O'Shea (Blackwater).

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times