SCHOOLS GAA: LEINSTER VOC SF FINAL
KILDARE 2-11 DUBLIN 2-8
WAYNE Fitzpatrick turned in one of the most memorable individual performances seen in St Conleth’s Park in recent times as he scored 2-7 to guide the Kildare Vocational Schools team to Leinster glory – despite playing with a broken little finger on his right hand.
The Monasterevan youngster suffered the injury before the semi-final against Meath but played through the pain barrier and what an impact he had on Saturday. Declan Cryan’s Kildare team were very slowly out of the blocks and after 21 minutes found themselves 1-4 to 0-1 behind which Shane Hickey netting for the Dubs after 16 minutes.
But the next 27 minutes of the game belonged to Fitzpatrick as he scored 2-6 to go along with an earlier point. He also got the game’s pivotal score, his 23rd minute goal changed the whole complexion of the game. Darren Brennan in the Dublin goal parried Fitzpatrick’s initial effort but the Kildare man was quickest to react when the ball came bouncing back out and his toe poked effort barely made it over the line.
Fitzpatrick added three more points by the half-time break and suddenly the teams were level. It would have taken a brave man to predict that the sides would be on equal terms at half-time with Kildare looked tense and overawed by the occasion. Fitzpatrick’s goal settled them down and they were able to play their best football after that.
Kildare carried their momentum into the second period and Neil Flynn and Ryan Casey scored within the opening three minutes of the restart to put their team ahead for the first time. That was followed by two Fitzpatrick frees as Dublin began to lose their discipline and saw five players booked in the space of three minutes.
At least one of those five bookings should have been a red but while Dublin were losing their cool, Kildare couldn’t have been more relaxed and during that time, they got their second goal.
Dublin were still psyched up from a bit of scuffle in the 46th minute that ended with three of their players booked but in the next action, Kelvin McNally fed a delightful ball into Fitzpatrick. He had a lot of time to think about what he was going to as he bore down on goal but his choice, to blast an unstoppable left foot shot into the top corner, was perfect as Brennan was nothing more than a spectator as the ball flew past him.
The home team looked to be cruising now and were nine points clear with five minutes to play. They could have been even further ahead but Simon Mackey’s effort just seconds after being introduced as a substitute rattled the crossbar. Dublin got a new lease of life when they were awarded a penalty two minutes from the end when Aaron Bannon-Whelan was harshly ruled to have used his foot to block Niall Kelly’s shot. Adam Rodgers converted the penalty and it gave Dublin renewed hope.
They followed that penalty with three quickfire points and suddenly Kildare looked very nervous with just three points between the sides.
Dublin had the opportunity on a couple of attacks but Kildare skipper and full-back Tommy O’Connell, the impressive Evan Dempsey and the rest of his defence held their nerve and saw out a terrific win. Kildare now move on to play Mayo in the All-Ireland semi final on 18 February.
KILDARE: David Byrne (Castledermot CC); Hugh Faherty (Maynooth PP), Tommy O’Connell (Ard Scoil Rath lomghain), Eoin Farrelly (Confey CC); Cian O’Donoghue (Maynooth PP), Brian Nolan (Castldermot CC), Evan Dempsey (St Farnan’s, Prosperous); Aaron Bannon-Whelan (Ard Scoil Rath lomghain), Gary Savage (Confey CC); Kelvin McNally (CPC Kilcullen), Wayne Fitzpatrick (St Paul’s Monasterevan) . (.fs), Neil Flynn (Maynooth PP) .-. (.f); Cathal Jennings (Confey CC), Emmet O’Keefe (Castledermot CC), Ryan Casey (St Farnan’s, Prosperous) .-.. Subs: Jake Kennedy (St Paul’s Monasterevan) for Flaherty, ..; Simon Mackey (Maynooth PP) for O’Keefe, ..; Leon McCabe (Ard Scoil Rathlomghain) for Casey, ..; Wayne Freeman (St Paul’s Monasterevan) for Jennings, ...
DUBLIN: Darren Brennan; Ashley Lenihan, Graham Hannigan . Dylan Allen, Eoin McLoughlin, Tom Quinn, Colm Neville; Tomás O’Laitimh, Dean Brennan; Cormac Flynn, Tom Devlin, Brian Mallon, Adam Rodgers .-. (.-. pen, .fs), Conor McLoughlin, Shane Hickey .-.. Subs: Cillian O’Gara for C McLoughlin, h/t; Stephen Jones for Flynn, ..; Oisin O’Leary, ..; James Dwyer for E McLoughlin, ..; Niall Kelly for Dean Brennan, ...
REF: Joe Curley (Meath)