Gaelic Games

David Clifford’s Fossa to face Stewartstown Harps in All-Ireland junior club final

Rathmore and Galbally Pearses advance to intermediate decider

Fossa’s David Clifford scored seven points in his team's All-Ireland semi-final win over Castletown. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Fossa’s David Clifford scored seven points in his team's All-Ireland semi-final win over Castletown. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Sat Jan 07 2023 - 17:35

The Clifford brothers – David and Paudie – scored nine points between them as Fossa secured their place in the All-Ireland club junior football final with a 3-14 to 0-11 win over Castletown.

The Kerry and Munster champions were slow to get going but Cian O’Shea slotted their first goal after 19 minutes and Emmet O’Shea added a second to give them a 2-7 to 0-6 lead at half-time.

Eoin Talbot bagged a third goal in the 32nd minute and with Footballer of the Year, David Clifford scoring seven points and his brother Paudie also in excellent form, Fossa eased past the Meath side to victory.

They’ll face Stewartstown Harps in the final, after the Tyrone club beat Galway champions Clifden 1-14 to 1-9 after extra-time at Dr Hyde Park.

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John O’Brien scored a 19th minute goal to put Clifden 1-2 to 0-2 ahead but his team’s lead was cut to a point by the interval. Within 13 minutes of the second half Stewartstown Harps had drawn level and the score at the end of normal time was 1-6 to 0-9.

A goal from Gareth Devlin proved the crucial moment in extra-time as Stewartstown Harps went on to win by five points.

In the intermediate semi-finals Rathmore and Galbally Pearses set up another Kerry v Tyrone All-Ireland final.

Kerry champions Rathmore enjoyed a 2-16 to 1-10 win over St Mogue’s, Fethard. County goalkeeper Shane Ryan, operating in the forward line for his club, scored the first goal of the game in the 12th minute. John Moynihan then added another goal before the Wexford champions scored 1-4 without reply to reduce the half-time deficit to 2-5 to 1-4.

Rathmore scored four points in a row to extend their lead to nine points after 48 minutes, and that proved to be the winning margin as both teams slotted three points apiece in the final quarter.

Galbally Pearses were 4-4 to 1-9 winners over Galway champions Dunmore MacHales.

Ronan Nugent bagged all three goals for the victors in the first half, as they went in at the break leading 3-1 to 1-5 despite playing into the breeze. Nevertheless their next score didn’t arrive until the 46th minute, via Daniel Kerr, and with 10 minutes remaining they trailed by a point.

Kerr however provided the game-winning moment, getting on the end of a long ball in to score his team’s fourth goal.