A late point from veteran Ivan Curran sealed victory for St. Pats over Keegan Cup champions Dunshauglin in the 2000 Meath Division 1 football league final. It completed a memorable double for the Stamullen outfit who had also claimed the IFC crown 21 years ago.

Royal County Meath Yearbook 2000 brought us this report.

This ACFL Division1 final was played under floodlights in Simonstown and it was Intermediate champions St Patrick's who shone the brightest to claim victory at the expense of Keegan Cup kingpins Dunshaughlin by 0-9 to 0-8 in an exciting contest.

At half-time the Stamullen side's supporters feared the worst when trailing by 0-7 to 0-2 but their team, inspired by Meath and Ireland star Cormac Sullivan at midfield, produced a marvellous second half display to earn the spoils.

The team in white and green trimmings adopted a more direct route to goals in that period and it certainly paid divedends. More often than not long balls from Sullivan found either Daithi Whyte, Ivan Curran or Peter Sullivan and between them this trio caused chaos in the Dunshaughlin rearguard.

Ivan Curran's 56th minute winning point was a perfect example. Daithi Whyte collected a massive defensive clearance from Sullivan out along the left sideline before slipping his marker and playing it to Curran who sidefooted over the bar.

A minute prior to that, Trevor Dowd had a glorious opportunity to put Dunshaughlin one point ahead from a 21m free but inexplicably shot wide. Dunshaughlin's much vaunted full-forward trio of Richie Kealy, David Crimmins and Dowd never scaled the lofty heights of their collective performances against Kilmainhamwood in the championship final. All credit for that must go to the St. Pat's defence, Ray Russell, Cormac Murphy and Noel Collier particularly stood out.

The fact that Dunshaughlin could only manage one point in the second half,a Trevor Dowd free, speaks volumes for the heroics of the Pat's back six.

Dunshaughlin were quick out of the blocks and raced into a three point lead courtesy of Crimmins, Dowd and Brendan Kealy. Dowd should have netted in the 10th minute but somehow managed to kick wide from the edge of the small square.

Martin Kirk raises the Div 1 FL Cup at Simonstown

Fergus Minogue was guilty of a similar miss at the other end two minutes later, just before Peter Sullivan opened the Stamullen side's account. Whyte added his team's second from a free shortly after.

The town team dominated the remainder of the half, however, adding on four more points. Corner-back Fergal Gogan even got in on the scoring act with a point on the stroke of half-time.

Whatever St Pat's manager Dudley Farrell said to his team during the half-time interval certainly had the desired effect as they had the deficit reduced to three points inside the first five minutes of the resumption through points from Whyte (free) and Peter Sullivan.

Substitute JP Ryan had an opportunity to make an instant impression with his first touch of the ball when finding himself clear on the Dunshaughlin goal after latching on to a Cormac Sullivan ball but he squandered the chance. He did, however, make amends a minute later with a point.

Whyte earned and pointed a free to leave just one point in it, 0-7 to 0-6, before Dowd struck for his team's only point of the second half.

A successfully converted '45' from Cormac Sullivan and Whyte's fourth point of the game drew the sides level with 13 minutes remaining before veteran Curran made sure the Tommy Mooney cup was on its way to Stamullen with the late winner.

St Patrick's - D Mooney; N Collier, N Russell, R Kearns; R Russell, C Murphy, C Russell; C Sullivan (0-1), J Hughes; M Kirk, P Sullivan (0-2), N Flynn; F Minogue, I Curran (0-1), B Campbell. Subs - D Whyte (0-4) for Minogue, JP Ryan (0-1) for Campbell, P Muldowney for Kirk.

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