Women's Football/All-Ireland Club Final: At last, some success for the capital. When they contemplate the few peaks and many troughs of this year in a month's time, at least there will be an All-Ireland title to put a little gloss on 2004 for Dublin GAA followers.

Yesterday afternoon in Birr, Ballyboden St Enda's became All-Ireland women's football club champions for the first time. In doing so, they denied Donoughmore a second successive title and a place in the history books.

This victory owed much to the persistence of the Dublin club, and they stole the match in a dramatic way.

After Louise Kelly's penalty slid under the body of Tracey Rodgers in the 48th minute, Ballyboden were afforded a lifeline in a match that seemed to be slipping away from them.

They grasped it with both hands but, while the defending champions missed chance after chance, the Dublin club found the inspiration when it was most desperately needed.

Firstly, Gemma Fay, their diligent centre-forward, pointed in the 54th minute to level matters. With that score, a draw looked inevitable. The finishing ability of both sides was lost in the tension of the occasion. Donoughmore were particularly guilty.

Despite being the more experienced team, the Cork champions were unable to find the one score that would have dragged them over the finishing line. Twice in the final five minutes, they were awarded frees in scoreable positions. Twice, the ball veered to the wrong side of the posts.

As the game swung from end to end, one score stood between the All-Ireland champions and the hooter. And the momentum was with Ballyboden. Yet, like Donoughmore, they seemed content with another day out, as each chance flew past the posts.

Then, with barely 30 seconds remaining, Fiona Ní Chorcorain made a surging run from midfield. The Donoughmore defence parted in two different directions, giving the Boden player a little space. Displaying nerves of steel, she lofted the ball over the bar with her right boot.

A tally of 12 wides tells its own tale, as does the fact that all but two of their scores came from Juliet Murphy and Mary O'Connor, who were also their best performers on the day.

The Dublin side shot into an early lead, with scores from Kelly, Orla Scolard and Karen Hopkins. But Donoughmore never panicked and Murphy and Mary O'Connor combined well to bring the game back to parity in the 15th minute, 0-3 each.

Then came the game's first goal - and it was a soft goal for Donoughmore to concede. Despite the presence of a number of Donoughmore players, Claire Butterly snatched Sarah Denvir's cross and direct the ball goalwards and it trickled into the net.

It was felt Boden would need goals to beat the Cork side. However, the goal only stirred Donoughmore into action. They had been in this position before and it was Mary O'Connor who fashioned a path back into the game. A minute after knocking over a free, she latched onto Aisling Barrett's pass before shooting to the roof of the net.

Murphy was at the hub of everything Donoughmore created and the majority of scores in that first half, which ended 1-6 to 1-4 in the Cork side's favour, came through her.

When she sent the ball sailing over the bar in the 43rd minute it left Donoughmore four points to the good, 1-9 to 1-5, and things were looking bleak for Boden.

The penalty came when Louise Kelly was pushed in the square and Liam McDonogh had no hesitation. Although the spot kick wasn't struck that well, the ball bobbled under Rodgers' body and into the net.

A grandstand finale had been set up. That finale was characterised by Donoughmore missing chances and Ballyboden, in the form of Fay and Ní Chorcorain, keeping their nerve.

BALLYBODEN: S Hughes; A Farrelly, N Comyn, S Farrelly; J O'Sullivan, M Farrell, T Allen; F Ní Chorcorain (0-1), C Butterly (1-0); K Hopkins (0-2, one free), G Fay (0-1), L Smith; O Scolard (0-1), L Kelly (1-2, penalty, two frees), S Denvir. Subs: E Kehoe for Scolard(44 mins), S Timmins for Denvir(54 mins)

DONOUGHMORE: T Rodgers; E Walsh, E O'Sullivan, S O'Connell; V Sheehan, R Buckley, R Cogan; H Kelleher, J Murphy (0-4, two frees); A Barrett (0-1), A O'Connor (0-1), L Barrett; M O'Connor (1-3, one free), L Murphy, R A Buckley Subs: C O'Connell for L Barrett(54 mins)

Referee: L McDonagh (Sligo).