All Ireland Glory for Fr Rocks

All-Ireland Club Intermediate Football Championship Final:
Cookstown (Tyrone) 1-07  Spa (Kerry)  0-08

Barry Hughes’ 52nd-minute goal proved to be the defining moment as Tyrone’s Cookstown hit the glory trail at Croke Park yesterday.

Centre-back Hughes showed brilliant composure to blast a penalty past Spa goalkeeper James Devane after Raymond Mulgrew had been fouled near goal.

That strike put Cookstown into a 1-6 to 0-7 lead and, despite Niall O’Mahony kicking a point for Spa, the Tyrone club clinched victory with an injury-time free by Owen Mulligan.

The Kerry champions had enjoyed an excellent start, with full-forward Michael O’Donoghue in free-scoring form and they lead 0-3 to 0-0 by the ninth minute.

Cookstown’s shooting cost them dearly in the first-half as they struck eight wides, but Conor Mullan finally got them off the mark with a point in the 13th minute.

Further points by Christopher Eastwood, Mullan and Brian Mulligan saw Cookstown move into a 0-4 to 0-3 lead after 25 minutes.

However, Spa rallied before the break, with Fergus Clifford and O’Donoghue ensuring they went in at the break with a slender 0-5 to 0-4 advantage.

Cookstown continued to control proceedings after half-time, but couldn’t translate that into scores and by the close of the third quarter, Spa were still in front, 0-6 to 0-5.

A great Niall O’Mahony point in the 48th minute put Spa in a commanding position, but a Martin Murray free and Hughes’ goal changed the game.

Inspired by man-of-the-match Mulgrew and county star Mulligan, Cookstown held on for a famous win.

Scorers — Cookstown: B Hughes 1-0 (1-0 pen), O Mulligan (0-1f), C Mullan 0-2 each, C Eastwood (f), M Murray (f), Brian Mulligan 0-1 each. Spa: M O’Donoghue 0-4 (0-3f), N O’Mahony 0-2, C Tobin, F Clifford 0-1 each.

COOKSTOWN — M Rea; P Kelly, S Monaghan, P McGurk; S McGarrity, B Hughes, C O’Hare; G Fitzpatrick, C Mullan; R Mulgrew, Barry Mulligan, Brian Mulligan; C Eastwood, O Mulligan, M Murray. Subs: J Gilmore for Eastwood (42), R Pickering for McGarrity (47), B O’Neill for Fitzpatrick (59), J Quinn for Brian Mulligan (59).

SPA — J Devane; B Gleeson, A Cahill, F Clifford; D O’Sullivan, H O’Donoghue, E Cronin; K Healy, A Garnett; C Tobin, N O’Mahony, P Murphy; T Lynch, M O’Donoghue, C Gleeson. Subs: C Cronin for Murphy (55).

Report:  independent.ie

President of Ulster GAA Tom Daly stated:
“On behalf of the Ulster Council, I would like to congratulate Cookstown Fr Rocks as they become the first Tyrone Club, and only the second ever Ulster Club, following Inniskeen Grattans in 2006 to be crowned All Ireland Intermediate Club Champions.”
“I would also like to note the efforts of Dunloy, St Galls and Naomh Colum Cille whose bid for All-Ireland glory ended over the weekend in what was a good representation of Ulster’s Clubs.”