The wind at Dr Hyde Park didn’t seem to bother 14-man Roscommon, who eased past Clare: 1-8 to 0-4.

Backed by the elements, the Connacht champions led by six points to no score at half time. The Banner County didn’t even have a shot in the first half, while the winners slotted over points from Brian Stack, Cathal Cregg (2), Cian McKeon (two frees) and Ciaran Lennon, giving the Rossies a nice – but hardly insurmountable - cushion.

The dismissal of Niall Daly for a second yellow card twelve minutes from the interval meant the hosts had to play 47 minutes with 14 men and seemed to leave the door open for a second-half Clare revival, But such a comeback didn’t materialise, McKeon’s third free stretching the gap before David Tubridy’s free finally opened the losers’ account on 45 minutes.

Clare didn’t score again until stoppage time, Tubridy and Eoin Cleary converting frees and substitute Jack Morrissey fisting their only point from play. Enda Smith added to the winning tally with a terrific late point and substitute Noel Gately bagged the game’s only goal deep into injury time as Roscommon secured a long-overdue win and leapt from the bottom of the Division Two table to third place.

Roscommon - C Lavin; D Murray, B Stack (0-1), M Richardson; N Daly, C Daly, R Hughes; T O’Rourke, E Smith (0-1); N Kilroy, C McKeon (0-3f), H Darcy; D Smith, C Lennon (0-1), C Cregg (0-2). Subs: N Gately (1-0) for D Smith, E Nolan for T O’Rourke, F Cregg for C Cregg, C Hussey for R Hughes. 

Clare - S Ryan; G Kelly, C Brennan, K Harnett; D Ryan, P Lillis, C O’Dea; C Russell, C O’Connor; S Collins, D Tubridy (0-2f), D Coughlan; G O’Brien, E Cleary (0-1f), K Sexton. Subs: J Morrissey (0-1) for G O’Brien, A Sweeney for D Ryan, D Masterson for C O’Connor, E McMahon for K Sexton.

Referee - D O’Mahoney.

See the latest standings from the Allianz Football League here.

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