He was just doing his job, same as any working man. Saw a half chance and capitalised.

"Yeah, well, Declan made a great run, beating two defenders and sent a pass into me. I had realised by then that we were against it time-wise and needed a goal and I had said that if any opportunity at all came, I'd go for it. Afterwards, we were just relieved really."

Francis McInerney has been around the block too many times to come across all starry-eyed at his latest incarnation as local hero. Sure, he remembers being awestruck by the glamour of the GAA, when he first lined out for Clare and traded shoulders with cover stars like Jack O'Shea and Gerry McEntee.

"I suppose because televised games were more unusual then, they seemed to exist on a different level when you watched them play in All-Irelands or whatever. I mean, when you actually lined out against them and got stuck in, you learned that they made mistakes too. But I remember in the early days with Clare, it seemed to be a consolation just being on the same field as them."

Which was as well, because winning was rarely an option. In those transitional years of the mid1980s - the last days of the clinging geansai, those restrictive shorts - to line out for Clare was to resign yourself to limited ambitions.

"It was frustrating at times, yeah. But I had always seen it as a great honour to play with Clare. People forget the rich tradition we have here. Our trainer Noel Walsh always kept the morale up and Noel Roche, who played with Clare then, really started a drive towards fitness, being from an army background. Then when (John) Maughan came, the thing took off."

McInerney peaked during a fast-beating, unsteady period for Gaelic games. Clare's ascent through Munster seemed perfectly emblematic of a publicly lauded new era for new teams. People were tired of predictable matchups and Clare, with their blazing colours and fresh wonder, enlivened the summer.

"I suppose the outstanding memories of that time are the receptions we got back at home and the support for the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin. You know, we had lads playing that day who'd never even been to Croke Park, let alone watched games there. It was a fantastic experience."

And, ultimately, transitory. Clare have hovered on the brink on a few occasions and have generally looked useful, but newer stories have since eclipsed their brief spring towards the daylight.

So does this Munster club run with Doonbeg indicate another imminent upsurge for Clare county football?

"It's difficult to say. If we win, there may be a knock-on effect. But I don't think Clare football has taken too many backward steps, it's just that the competition has spread, even since 1992. And Doonbeg have always been strong contenders. This is our fourth Munster final. It is a place which breathes football."

And McInerney is a favourite son. He says he can't remember not playing Gaelic and followed the same route as virtually every other youngster across the country.

"Underage training, up through the levels, that sort of thing. Went for minor trials and missed out - it's sort of a lottery at that stage and I just didn't show well on the day but ended up playing senior football for Clare a year later, you know."

That was over a decade ago and he's still more or less crazy after all those years.

"Yeah, well, I think that more than ever Gaelic football is a single man's game now." (McInerney is married with two sons).

"There is so much travelling involved and the training, I mean Doonbeg have been going since February. That does become draining and can affect your work and home life. But I mean, at this stage, you become totally focused, all you think about is winning a provincial title. It's not hard to stay interested."

And so he prolonged the retention of Doonbeg interest by slotting away a twilight reprieve which stunned Moyle Rovers in Limerick last week.

"We took what came our way. At one point in the second half, there seemed to be slim chance of getting any sort of positive result. So we've got ourselves another chance and I don't think the balance has shifted towards us because of the comeback. Moyle Rovers were a good side last Sunday and that won't change over a week.

"It's an odd time of year for a club to find themselves preparing for possibly the definitive game in their history. Since winning their first senior title in 1955 (the first of 15), they have been one of Clare's most consistent parishes and now, in December, the place is pulsing with a seasonal buzz more expectant than normal.

"To be honest, we have just been getting on with things. We know we have a lot to do tomorrow. We need to match Moyle Rovers' work rate, which is fantastic. We have got to take our chances. Declan Browne is an obvious threat. It's all ahead of us, same for both teams."

Duty done, the old pro hangs up the phone and keeps moving.