Kildare exit Minor Championship in heartbreaking fashion
Hugh Martin shapes to shoot at the posts for Kildare Photo: Martin Rowe
Kildare minor footballers suffered heartbreak in Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore on Wednesday night as Offaly goalkeeper Jack Ryan kicked a superb fifty metre two-point free to secure a place in the Leinster Final.
Niall Cronin’s Kildare side had been idle for three weeks while Offaly were playing two competitive knock-out games against Wicklow and Meath which both went down to the wire and while he was reluctant to attribute any part of their defeat to that, it may have contributed in some way to a sluggish start that saw the young Lilywhites concede two early goals to Cian McNamee to trail 2-4 to 0-3 after twenty minutes.
To their credit, Kildare hit a purple patch in the run up to half-time, dominating the Offaly kick out and registering 1-7 without reply to lead by three points at the interval, the goal coming from Pauric Carty with Hugh Martin registering three points including a two-pointer from play.
But after stretching that lead to four ten minutes into the second half, Kildare allowed Offaly back into it with a third goal from Ruairí Woods and when substitute Cian Duffy netted their fourth major with six minutes remaining, the home side were now two clear. Truthfully, Offaly could have added at least another three or four goals on the night.
In a frantic finale with both sides showing their raw inexperience, Kildare rallied and appeared to have sent the game into extra time when Martin scored two quick fire points in the final minute of normal time.
That wasn’t the end of the drama, though. McNamee hit a post from a scoreable free, and Charlie Cullen made a brave block to deny Dylan Dunne, but referee Stephen Fagan called play back in the fourth minute of injury time for that decisive late, late free.
To his credit, Ryan, who had missed three earlier attempts, struck this one as sweet as a nut to give his side a two-point advantage.
Kildare had one last chance, a two-point effort from Martin, but it tailed to the right and wide and Offaly were through to a Leinster Final against Louth.
It was another frustrating visit to Tullamore for a Kildare football team and meant the men’s teams at all three grades have been beaten at the provincial semi-final stage for the second year in a row.
While it was of little consolation to Cronin and his players on the night, they will get a chance to attempt to retain the Paul McGirr Cup having won the Tier 2 competition for beaten provincial semi-finalists last year.
Jack Ryan 0-2 (tpf); Caden Ó Beirne, Tomas Carroll, Cormac Farrell; Patrick Duffy, Tadhg Kelly, Eoin Rouse; Eamon Maher, Charlie Duffy; Cathal Weldon 0-1, Dylan Dunne 0-1, Aaron Daly 0-1; Tony Furey 0-1 (f), Cian McNamee 2-2, Ruairí Woods 1-1. Subs: Cian Duffy 1-0 for Furey 44, Darragh Stewart for Daly 49, Isaac Ryan for Weldon 56, Stephen Byrne for Charlie Duffy 63.
Jamie Wall (Round Towers); Daniel Sargent (Eadestown), Senan Gallagher (St Laurence’s), Charlie Cullen (Ellistown); Charlie Doran (Clane), Niall McAndrew (Naas) 0-1, Mark Travers (Naas) 0-1; Sean Gleeson (Round Towers), Callum Keaveny (Athy) 0-1; Rian Curran (Raheens), Ollie Deller (Round Towers) 0-2, TJ Donohue (Sarsfields) 0-1; Pauric Carty (Rathangan) 1-2 (0-2 tpf), Hugh Martin (Suncroft) 0-5 (1tp), Rory Thompson (Raheens) 0-3 (2fs). Subs: Cillian Long (Naas) for Curran 23, Eoghan Lyons (Clane) for Gleeson 52, Robbie Milham (Naas) for Keaveny 55, Turlough Donnelly (Kilcullen) for Deller 56.
Stephen Fagan (Wicklow).
