Kildare advance to Tailteann Cup semi-finals after narrow win
Kildare manager Brian Flanagan and Alex Beirne celebrate the Tailteann Cup quarter-final win over Offaly. Photo: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
Just a point separated Kildare and Offaly at the end of this pulsating Tailteann Cup quarter-final but it meant the world to Kildare as they progressed to the last four of the competition.
In many ways, this team will take more from a one point win than if they won by ten at a canter. Kildare have been the wrong side of so many narrow defeats in recent years but when the pressure was on in the final stages they managed to hold on, just.
Cillian Bourke had the chance to win it for Offaly with a shot from two point range with the last kick of the game and such has been Kildare’s luck down through the years that nobody who braved the miserable rainy conditions in a packed Cedral St Conleth Park would have been too surprised to see the shot fly through the posts. It didn’t. On this occasion, it was Kildare’s night.
The belief and confidence they can take from this win is huge. A last gasp sucker punch like that would have been unspeakably cruel as it was deserved win in the end.
Although there were some nervy moments during the first half, like when the superb Brian Byrne needed to clear off the line from Daire McDaid, Kildare edged proceedings in the opening half thanks mainly to magnificent goal by James McGrath.
The Athy man probably wasn’t thinking about a goal when he initially received the ball in the 22nd minute but things opened up in front of him as he carried the ball forward. Perhaps Offaly were thinking that the defender would look to pass to a forward as he got closer to goal but McGrath sensed his opportunity and kept going before spectacularly firing past Paddy Dunican.
Kildare led 1-7 to 0-8 at half time and then played some of their best football of the year in the opening ten minutes of the second half with a brilliant two pointer from Alex Beirne helping to push them into a seven point lead.
Offaly needed a spark to get them back into the game and Jordan Hayes duly obliged with two scores from outside the two point arc, either side of a fisted effort by Dylan Hyland.
There were crucial scores as the game flowed from end to end in the final stages but one off Mick O’Grady’s left foot near the end shortly after he was introduced was huge for Kildare.
That put Kildare three clear but a two point free by Offaly goalkeeper Paddy Dunican left just a point in it heading into injury time.
A close range free from the again excellent Beirne, his seventh of the game, pushed Kildare two clear but Shane Tierney quickly replied and both teams’ season came down to the final play of the game inside the last minute of injury time.
The game could have went any way at that stage but Kildare had defended resolutely throughout and did enough in the final play of the game to force Bourke to shoot wide.
It means that Kildare end their season in Newbridge with five wins from five games across three competitions in Cedral St Conleths Park but they now need to break their hoodoo at Croke Park as they head for a semi-final at HQ next weekend.
A Beirne 0-7 (1tp, 2fs), J McGrath 1-0, D Kirwan 0-3, R Sinkey 0-3, K Feely 0-1, D Flynn 0-1, D Hyland 0-1, M O'Grady 0-1.
J Hayes 0-4 (2tp), P Dunican 0-3 (1tpf, 1’45), K O'Neill 0-2, D Hyland 0-2 (1f), C Flynn 0-2 (1tp), S Tierney 0-2 (1m), D McDaid 0-1, J Furlong 0-1m, J Bryant 0-1, C Bourke 0-1.
Cian Burke; Harry O'Neill, Mark Dempsey, Brian Byrne; Ryan Burke, David Hyland, James McGrath; Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Tommy Gill, Alex Beirne, Colm Dalton; Ryan Sinkey, Daniel Flynn, Darragh Kirwan. Subs: Niall Kelly for Sinkey (53); Kevin Flynn for Gill (54); Mick O'Grady for Gibbons (58); Brian McLoughlin for Kirwan (71).
Paddy Dunican; Lee Pearson, David Dempsey, Daire McDaid; Aidan Bracken, John Furlong, Cormac Egan; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Kyle Higgins, Cathal Flynn, Cillian Bourke; Dylan Hyland, Jack Bryant, Keith O'Neill. Subs: Ruairí McNamee for Higgins (42); Shane Tierney for Bryant (54); Rory Egan for Pearson (68 ).
Thomas Murphy, Galway,
