Clarecastle’s Cian Galvin. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Persistence was essential for Broadford to finally garner their first championship victory in two years and send Clarecastle into the relegation mix in Cusack Park on Sunday afternoon.
Broadford 0-13
Clarecastle 0-09
Venue: Cusack Park, Ennis
Having struck 19 wides and somehow passing up five glorious goal chances, Broadford certainly made life immensely difficult for themselves until finally honing their radar with five of the last seven points.
Their profligacy was indicative of an exceeding tense group finale that saw both sides nervously battle it out for supremacy. However, while Broadford’s victory was fully merited, those mines almost came back to haunt them on the hour mark when Clarecastle substitute Oisin Casey played in Marc McAuliffe to fire to the net, only for it to be ruled out for a throw in the build up.
That contentious decision summed up the Magpies’ lacklustre afternoon that saw them take an early 0-3 to 0-1 advantage, two from Bobby Duggan frees but once Broadford levelled matters entering the second quarter, the East Clare side would never be headed again.
Level at five points apiece by half-time after Cian Broderick’s early heroics had superbly kept out a Shane Taylor second minute shot, Taylor would see two more attempts go abegging albeit that the dependable Niall O’Farrell and Stiofan McMahon would grab a brace of pants each to carve out their biggest lead of the day by the 47th minute at 0-11 to 0-7.
Their mounting wide count would have derailed most sides but Broadford and more pointedly O’Farrell at least answered points from James Doherty and Killian McDermott to keep that four point cushion to ensure their safe passage of Senior B while dumping the Magpies into the murky demotion waters with other East Clare sides Scariff, Smith O’Briens and Whitegate.
Scorers for Broadford: Niall O’Farrell (0-6, 4f, 1’65);  Cian Cremins, Stiofan McMahon (0-2 each); Diarmuid O’Brien, Diarmuid Moloney, Mark Moloney (0-1)
Scorers for Clarecastle: Bobby Duggan (3f), James Doherty (0-3 each); Stephen O’Halloran, Darragh Healy (f), Killian McDermott (0-1 each)
Broadford:
1: Cian O’Brien
4: David Boland
3: Eoin Donnellan
13: Cathal Chaplin
8: Darren Chaplin
5: Paddy Donnellan
6: Paurig Taylor
9: Craig Chaplin
10: Diarmuid O’Brien
14: Stiofan McMahon
12: Niall O’Farrell
18: Cian Cremins
2: Mark Moloney
7: Shane Taylor
11: Diarmuid Moloney
Substitutes:
22: Sean Phelan for Cremins (41)
17: Oisin Kavanagh for D. Moloney (53)
11: Paul Moloney for McMahon (64)
Clarecastle:
1: Cian Broderick
2: Marc McAuliffe
3: David Tuohy
4: Gearoid Ryan
7: Darragh Healy
6: Eoghan Wallace
5: Stephen O’Halloran
8: Killian McDermott
9: Colin Brigdale
14: Jack Murphy
10: Rory O’Connell
12: Patrick Kelly
11: Cian Galvin
21: Bobby Duggan
15: Conor Halpin
Subs:
13: James Doherty for O’Connell (29)
22: Kevin Hartigan for Halpin (HT)
23: Niall Galvin for Murphy (45)
17: Pa Tuohy for Brigdale (50)
24: Oisin Casey for Kelly (59)
Referee: Joe Mullins (Clonlara)
