Tullamore.....1-9 Shamrocks...0-10 Offaly hurling star Kevin Martin came off the bench to inspire Tullamore to their first SFC final victory in 23 years at O'Connor Park yesterday. Martin was just four minutes on the pitch when he received a pass from Brian Fagan before slipping the ball past Shamrocks 'keeper Padraig Kelly for the game's only goal in the 45th minute. The goal put Tullamore in front for the first time and gave them the confidence to stretch their lead with points from Paul Rouse and Gareth Lee. Shamrocks, who were appearing in just the second ever final, will be bitterly disappointed not to have taken something from this game. When assisted by the wind in the first half, they were dominant in most sectors, yet only managed to take a two-point lead into the interval. The Rahan parish side spurned two glorious goalscoring opportunities which only added to their frustration. Paul Rouse's freetaking kept Tullamore in touch throughout the first half and it seemed they would be on level terms at half-time until Shane Cunningham managed two late points for Shamrocks. Shamrocks continued to apply most of the pressure on the restart but brilliant defending by John Rouse and Cathal Daly kept them at bay. Eventually, Tullamore came to life with substitute Martin providing the inspiration. Afterwards, Tullamore captain Phil O'Reilly finally got his hands on the Dowling Cup, having been on the losing side in their last three final appearances. Tweet

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