ALL-IRELAND MFC QUARTER-FINAL - BREFFNI PARK, CAVAN
ARMAGH 2-14 KILDARE 2-8
YOU get the feeling that Bryan Murphy means it when he tells his players that he’ll personally carry every one of them in on his back.
His courageous minor team left nothing in the dressing room as they gave their all in pursuit of another set of favourites and just when they were poised to catch their first big fish one of their heroes had to play the part of the villain.
Midfielder Tomás Moolick got back brilliantly to break down an Armagh attack just before Andrew Murnin arrived in the square to pull the trigger on a second Armagh goal but as Moolick tried to off-load the ball to goalkeeper Mark Donnellan his quick thinking proved a weakness at a time of its greatest strength.
Donnellan had already moved from his line, anticipating the pass, but Moolick missed his run and the ball went to the net instead.
Having hit four wides in three minutes during the pursuit of a two point deficit another 90 seconds of action would never be enough for the Lilies to mount a full recovery after this blow.
Moolick was no one’s villain though. His manager took him to one side on the 45, away from the rest of the grieving squad, and he spoke words of encouragement and words of strength.
They stood tall together, Murphy determined his midfielder would not leave the field a broken player, and after a few moments they turned back to the rest of the team, Moolick moving forward under his manager’s oxter.
As much as he might have wanted time alone his manager would not let him suffer in silence.
He had given his all and if it meant that the Corkman would have to carry him in off the field then so be it.
It had been a long journey getting here, five games in the Leinster championship before defeat in a replayed final to Dublin, and today’s trip had begun by meeting at
8.15am in Naas.
There wasn’t much of a welcome though, just a savage lesson in Ulster football from the provincial champions.
The side that struggles to score in the first half made another appearance only to draw an ace after six minutes when Kevin Fitzpatrick coolly found the back of the net after a persistent Kildare attack in which they refused to settle for a point. It wasn’t just a flash of lightning against a darkening sky. Three minutes later Paul Cribbin ran half the length of the field, rounding defenders like they were immovable obstructions and eventually settling for a sweet left-footed point from 25 metres. And so Kildare led by two, 1-2 to 0-3, after giving up the first three points, but then they reverted back to type.
Five Armagh points followed in the next seven minutes as the two man full-forward line of Robbie Tasker and Eugene McVerry caused all sorts of problems for the Lilies full-back line.
McVerry hit two in that spell of six that he would total in the opening half, and with 20 minutes gone a goal that seemed likely all through finally fell Armagh’s way.
Gavin McParland got on the end of a sweeping move and though the ball went to ground his shot from the deck had too much power for Mark Donnellan, evading his left hand and finding the bottom corner.
Armagh left the field to a standing ovation from their large squad of supporters on the back of a 1-10 to 1-3 interval lead and not for the first time Bryan Murphy would have to rally his troops at the break.
Kildare swapped points with their opponents through the third quarter, and the margin was still six with 47 minutes played although Cian Reynolds could have found the net for the Lilies just after the interval when his close range shot went over the bar while Sean Hurley had a goal disallowed for being in the square before John Comerford’s booming delivery arrived.
They weren’t without hope of a green flag and corner-forward Darroch Mulhall is never short of confidence. With nine minutes left he set his eyes on the top left corner of the Armagh goal and blasted his powerful shot to the net.
Two minutes later Paul Cribbin arrived on the 20 metre line after another epic run down the left wing, curling the ball over with his left foot and in the next play Sean Hurley’s spectacular shot from 25 metres was brilliantly turned away by Stephen O’Reilly.
as they might Kildare couldn’t hit the target after that and by the end of normal time they had shot wide four more times, twice the number of chances needed to draw level.
Armagh were a panicked side and even when their opposition’s defence opened up in the first minute of injury time, the final ball was short of its target only this time there was an unlucky Kildare man in position to stem the white tide.
Sometimes your luck runs out. “Football is a microcosm of what life is, you get knocks and you have to get up and go at it again,” said manager Murphy afterwards.
This knock is fatal for now but county minors always have bright futures.
KILDARE: Mark Donnellan; Des Holton, Thomas Barron, Donncha McDonnell; Colin O’Shea, Kevin Corrigan, Eoin Doyle; Tomas Moolick, John Comerford; Kevin Fitzpatrick (.-.), Paul Cribbin ( Sean Hurley (.-.); Darroch Mulhall (.-.fs), Padraig Fogarty (.-.), Cian Reynolds (.-.). Subs: Jonathon Byrne for McDonnell, ..; Willie Burke for Holton, h/t; Philip Cocoman for Fitzpatrick, ..
ARMAGH: Stephen O’Reilly; Kealan Downey, Ronan Finnegan, Kevin Nugent; Declan McKenna, Niall Rowland (.-.), James Morgan (.-.); Peter Carragher, James Donnelly; Rory Grugan ( .fs), Andrew Murnin (.-., .f), Conor King (.-.); Robbie Tasker, Eugene McVerry (.-., .f), Gavin McParland (.-.). Subs: Ryan Rafferty for King, ..; Thomas McAlinden for Donnelly, ..
REFEREE: Gregory Walsh, Antrim