St Joseph's send Wolfe Tones down and out of Clare senior ranks 

Last year's intermediate champions full value for six-point win with Cian Barron and Davy Conroy on song 

Pic: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

Clare SHC Relegation: St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield 2-16 Wolfe Tones 1-13 

Wolfe Tones’ eight-year stay in the senior ranks came to an end on Saturday afternoon as last year’s intermediate champions St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield were full value for this six-point victory that keeps them afloat in the top flight.

A dominant first-half display when playing against the wind laid the foundations for a comfortable success that was only briefly threatened when Darragh Lohan crashed a 21-yard free to the net with six minutes remaining to make it a three-point game.

Up to then St Joseph’s were cruising, with goals from Cian Barron on eight minutes and then Brian Guilfoyle on 23 minutes helping them into a 2-6 to 0-5 interval lead.

Only Cian O’Rourke’s frees kept the Shannon side competitive until they belatedly warmed to their task in the second half as Aron Shanagher and Billy Connors became effective targets in a two-man full-forward line.

Shanagher grabbed his first point 13 minutes into the second-half before Lohan’s strike threatened to tee up a grandstand finish between two great rivals that a couple of generations ago were contesting county, Munster, and All-Ireland finals, instead of relegation rubbers.

St Joseph’s stood firm in the face of the Tones’ comeback though, with points from Barron and a brace from top-scorer Davy Conroy was the perfect response to the goal that finally killed the game once and for all.

Scorers for St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield: D Conroy (0-10, 7f), C Barron (1-1), B Guilfoyle (1-0), E Lahiffe (0-1), A O’Neill (0-1), D McMahon (0-1), E McMahon, J Hannon (0-1).

Scorers for Wolfe Tones: C O’Rourke (0-9, 6f), D Lohan (1-1, 1f), B Connors (0-2), A Shanagher (0-1).

St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield: P Madden; D McMahon, B Clancy, I Williams; E McMahon, D O’Shea, A Mungovan; D Conroy, J Hannon; J Colleran, B Guilfoyle, E Thynne; C Barron, A O’Neill, E Lahiffe. Subs F Meaney for Clancy, A Landy for O’Neill, M Power for Guilfoyle, E Talty for O’Neill.

Wolfe Tones: O O’Rourke; R Hayes, S Nhill, S Meaney; S Donnellan, Darragh Lohan, S Costelloe; Daithi Lohan, J Guilfoyle; C O’Rourke, E O’Gorman, D Devanney; K McCafferty, A Shanagher, B Connors. Subs D O’Rourke for Nihill, C Riordan for Donnellan.

Referee: G Callaghan