ALL-IRELAND VEC INTER-COUNTY FOOTBALL SEMI-FINAL
KILDARE 2-9 MAYO 0-6
By Brendan Coffey
KILDARE proved a good start is half the work as they set up a nine point win and an All-Ireland Final date against Cork this Saturday.
Kelvin McNally’s first half goal was vital as the Lilies scored 1-4 without reply in the first 15 minutes and given the strength of the breeze, a half-time cushion was the least they would have expected. Take McNally’s goal out of the opening 30 minutes and the sides were all square. The Leinster champions took their foot off the gas in the second quarter, allowing a plucky Mayo side force their way back into the contest. Despite playing into a ferocious wind, which spat hailstones in their faces for much of the half, Mayo gritted their teeth and scored four unanswered points.
It gave them hope and the promise of better things in the second half, when they would turn to play with the elements but their failure to make inroads during the third quarter probably proved decisive.
The teams traded points, Kildare taking the initiative each time as McNally’s goal still stood between them entering the final quarter. With time running out for the westerners, Kildare’s second goal was a timely arrival for the boys in white.
Although it was an opportune effort from Emmet O’Keefe, Kildare had been threatening every time they got inside the Mayo 45 and moments before O’Keefe’s goal, Wayne Fitzpatrick hit the right post from close range after his first effort was well saved.
The Monasterevin centre-forward, who was so devastating in the Leinster final victory against Dublin, was having a frustrating afternoon and when his ambitious shot looped into the air on the three-quarter mark, it seemed to sum up his day. The ball took an eternity to drop from the icy sky but when it did, O’Keefe was waiting patiently to fist the leather to the net. Referee Fergal Kelly, who was never less than studious, consulted with his umpires before the sight of him scribbling in his notebook sent the vocal Kildare support wild with delight.
It wasn’t impossible but the situation was now fairly dire for Mayo and it wasn’t helped by the smart shot-stopping of Kildare ‘keeper David Byrne, who made four fine saves, including two at critical moments in the final six minutes. By then the winners were seven in front after Fitzpatrick had converted his third free. Mayo were now playing with hope rather than expectation.
Kildare’s defence, which had been rock solid all afternoon, gave up few opportunities and it was telling that their opponents managed just two points from play. When Mayo did manage to break through the tenacious cover, David Byrne was alert to any danger. His best save came in the 24th minute of the first half when he had to get down low to his right to prevent Diarmuid O’Connor’s punched effort trickling over the line but his important saves came in the closing stages.
In the 54th minute, he denied Kevin Carey, turning his shot around the post for a 45 and two minutes later, he blocked Sean Staunton’s effort. Had Mayo profited from either of those opportunities, there may well have been a grandstand finish but like their Leinster triumph, Kildare looked winners from a long way out. They added two points in the final minute of the game and left the field with dreams of All-Ireland glory. Having lost their first game of the championship to Dublin, it probably feels like they’re in bonus territory as it is.
KILDARE: David Byrne (Castledermot); Jake Kennedy (Monasterevin), Thomas O’Connell (Rathangan), Evan Dempsey (Prosperous); Cian O’Donoghue (Maynooth), Bryan Nolan (Castledermot), Eoin Farrelly (Confey); Aaron Bannon-Whelan (Monasterevin), Gary Savage .-. (Confey); Kelvin McNally .-. (Kilcullen), Wayne Fitzpatrick .-.fs (Monasterevin), Ryan Casey (Prosperous) ; Cathal Jennings (Confey), Emmet O’Keefe .-. (Castledermot), Neil Flynn .-. (.fs) (Maynooth). Subs: Conor Davin (Maynooth) for Farrelly, h/t; Dylan Hannon (Prosperous) for McNally, ..; Leon McCabe (Rathangan) for Flynn, ..; Rob Maguire (Maynooth) for Dempsey, ...
MAYO: Shane Strogan; Sean Staunton, Darren Keane. Jason Murphy; Noel McLoughlin, Joe Geraghty, Josh Healy; Paraic Holmes, Robert Fadden .-.; Seamus Cox, Darren Cleary, Diarmuid O’Connor; Finian McNamara, Liam Irwin .-. (.fs), Kevin Carey. Subs: Darren Flannery for Fadden, h/t; Conor Finnerty for McNamara, ..; Derek Langan for Keane, ..; Sean O’Malley for Cox, ..; Brendan Rowland for Carey, ...
REF: Fergal Kelly (Longford)