Second JFC title for Cork

ALL-IRELAND JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

FT: Cork 0-10 Meath 1-4, O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

A strong finish saw Cork claim their second All-Ireland JFC title in five seasons today as they saw off Meath 0-10 to 1-4 at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise.

Mossie Barrett's side, which included Ger Spillane and Pat Dunlea, two of the Rebels' 2001 junior winners, pointed three times in the final three minutes to close out the county's 13th All-Ireland at the junior grade.

Meath, semi-final conquerors of London, stretched into an early 0-2 to no score lead in drizzly conditions. Cork, helped by CIT corner forward Daniel Goulding, then fought back to 0-3 apiece by the interval.

A three-point blitz - with Goulding (0-2) and Jonathan Buckley on target - inside the first six minutes of the second half saw Barrett's men push three points clear.

It would have been more had corner forward Dunlea's 36th-minute shot not crashed off the Royals' crossbar. Meath, champions two years ago, looked rattled as Goulding slotted over a '45 for a 0-7 to 0-3 lead.

Ian McManus quickly cancelled that effort out with a free of his own and the Royals were suddenly back level - 1-4 to 0-7 - when centre-forward McManus' inch-perfect 44th-minute pass was fired to the Cork net by Rory Maguire.

Cork failed to panic and despite leaving it late, closing points from Goulding (free) and substitutes Noel O'Riordan and Donnacha O'Connor (free) saw the Munster men to victory.