Clashmore's Karl O' Keeffe and John Mitchels' Leo Barry pictured in action during their Waterford IFC final clash at Walsh Park

Clashmore's Karl O' Keeffe and John Mitchels' Leo Barry pictured in action during their Waterford IFC final clash at Walsh Park

Clashmore 1-13; John Mitchels 1-7

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Clashmore are back in senior football after a somewhat flattering six-point victory over a spirited John Mitchels outfit that never threw in the towel at Walsh Park on Sunday last.

In what proved a most compelling championship, the team considered most likely to emerge victorious did just that, but it wasn’t without one hell of a fight by the mid-county men who can be proud of their efforts.

Mitchels started the stronger, assisted by the breeze skirting towards the Keane’s Road end and the forceful presence of the Kirwans David, Tony and Paudie. By the fourth minute, they led thanks to a point from marauding wing back Leo Barry, with John Power doubling their advantage four minutes later.

A Brian O’Halloran free got Clashmore off the mark by the 11th minute, and the young Deise talent assisted Declan Allen in the equalising score just two minutes later.

Allen put the westerners ahead on the quarter-hour mark and they had a chance to go four points clear when Seamus Landers was felled in the Mitchels’ ‘red zone’ to give the favourites a penalty kick. But Landers himself was denied by a superb Ivor Kelly save, with the resulting 45 going astray.

The mid-county side were visibly lifted by Kelly’s stop, and by the 21st minute, the outstanding Micheál Downey rifled home a magnificent goal, leaving two Clashmore backs in his wake after David Kirwan’s pass.

From the kick-out, Downey, the championship’s top scorer, again got his mitts on the ball and rifled it over for a majestic point. In the blink of an eye, it was Mitchels who led by a goal (1-3 to 0-3). Fergal Fogarty soon added another to extend their advantage.

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