Allianz Football League Division 4 – Clare 2-29 Kilkenny 1-4

Clare whip Cats to set up Wicklow showdown

Clare 2-29 Kilkenny 1-04

By Gerry Quinn, Cusack Park for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Unsurprisingly, Clare had no problem overcoming Kilkenny at Cusack Park in Ennis yesterday to set up a promotion decider away to Wicklow next weekend. The tie was over as a contest as early as the 16th minute when Darren O’Neill goaled to give Clare a 1-6 to 0-0 advantage. At half-time Clare enjoyed a huge 1-19 to 0-1 lead and a second goal by Michael Foran ten minutes after the break cemented their supremacy. Kilkenny did pull a goal back in the 59th, when Michael Malone first-timed to the Banner net. But it was of little consolation to the visitors who succumbed in the end by 28 points and finished the league with an appalling deficit of -239 after eight games in the weakest football division in the country.

Scorers for Clare: D Tubridy 0-9 (4fs), S McGrath 0-6, M O’Shea 0-4, M Foran 1-1, D O’Neill 1-0, N Browne, G Quinlan, D Daly 0-2 each, G Brennan, D Russell, S Brennan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kilkenny: M Malone 1-2, J Grennan, C Tyler (f) 0-1.

CLARE: P O’Dwyer; T Downes, S McNeilis, L Healy; S Haugh, G Kelly D Blake; G Brennan, G Quinlan; M Foran, S McGrath, N Browne; D O’Neill, D Tubridy, M O’Shea.

Subs: S Brennan for O’Shea (inj. 29), C Talty for Quinlan (ht), D Russell for G Brennan (ht), D Daly for McNeilis (50), S O’Driscoll for Kelly (62).

KILKENNY: JJ O’Sullivan; D Grennan, P Donnelly, JJ Grace; K O’Brien, M Malone, D Fitzpatrick; R O’Hara, J Culleton; R O’Keeffe, J Grennan, C Tyler; J Fennelly, K Bergin, P McBride.

Subs: J Cullinane for McBride (50), P McBride for Malone (inj. 69).

Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon)