Kildare promotion hopes rest on final round after second successive defeat
Offaly’s Daire McDaid celebrates winning a penalty after being fouled by Harry O'Neill Photo: ©INPHO/James Crombie
Kildare’sa after facing into a must-win tie Allianz Football League Division 3 defeat, and a first to Offaly in fourteen games dating back to 2006.
It was all going swimmingly for new manager Brian Flanagan when they started the campaign with four successive wins but after losing to Clare and Offaly, only a win against Antrim next weekend in Newbridge will guarantee Kildare promotion to Division 2.
Kildare deserved nothing more than they got from a sluggish performance in Glenisk O’Connor Park, one which harked back to some of the poorer performances last year, and Flanagan has his work cut out to lift a team that looked, by his own admission, heavy-legged and short on ideas against a small but nimble Offaly team who cut loose in the final quarter after Kildare had seemed to wrestle back the initiative after half-time.
In front of a good crowd, and considering what was at stake, it was as strangely listless affair by and large. Offaly looked nervous at the start and Kildare looked a little bit slicker in attack as they opened up a 0-3 to 0-2 lead by the twelfth minute thanks to points from Callum Bolton, Cathal Hagney and Ben McCormack. McCormack might have had another point in the second minute when bearing down on goal but went for the three-pointer and shot weakly at Paddy Dunican in goal.
Kildare didn’t fashion another goal chance and therein lies a recurring tale. They also failed to register a two-pointer and with Offaly scoring two goals and two two-pointers the difference was telling.
Offaly livened up midway through the opening half and Dylan Hyland showed bravery in a 50/50 challenge with McCormack to set himself up for a wonderful two-pointer. He repeated that dose soon after and when Cormac Egan ran through the cover and fisted off the post, Shane Tierney improvised with an overhead kick to push the Faithful 0-8 to 0-3 ahead after 24 minutes.
Kildare ate into that lead in the run up to half-time, without looking particularly convincing. Points from Bolton, Sinkey (twice), Alex Beirne, Jimmy Hyland (free) and Kevin Feely (two, one free) brought them back to just one in arrears at the break (0-11 to 0-10) and Flanagan would have bitten your hand off for that scoreline at various points in the opening half.
The visitors did carry the greater threat in the third quarter and points from Hagney, Colm Dalton and Feely sent them two clear with Offaly failing to respond until the 47th minute, thanks to a Hyland free. His namesake Jimmy responded with a point for Kildare.
Kildare should have pressed home their two point advantage, but Dalton shot wide, and an out-of-sorts Beirne kicked short.
Offaly then broke through for the crucial score on 54 minute, the goal that gave them oxygen for the remainder of the game. Corner back Daire McDaid carved Kildare open and laid off to Tierney who in turn fed Rory Egan for a calm finish across Didier Cordonnier.
When Jimmy Hyland was turned over Cathal Flynn led a break that finished with another Hyland point and suddenly Offaly were playing with all the confidence in the world.
Meanwhile, Dalton, one of Kildare’s better players, had an effort blocked and substitute Brian McLoughlin was wide with a two-point attempt as the away side began to look increasingly flustered.
Cormac Egan drove just over the crossbar from a goal chance and Tierney beat Brian Byrne to a ball inside to lay off to Hyland who made it 1-15 to 0-14 with ten minutes left.
Kildare threatened briefly when Dalton shot over despite being fouled and Hagney drove over a fine score, bringing the gap to two with seven minutes remaining.
But comical defending four minutes from time from Kildare saw four defenders sent in the wrong direction by McDaid and when Harry O’Neill was adjudged to have brought him down in the box, Hyland stepped up to put his spot kick just out of reach of the diving Cordonnier.
Feely from a free and the classy Cormac Egan, Offaly’s best player, with an emphatically fisted point six minutes into injury time, concluded the scoring as Offaly recorded one of their most encouraging wins of the last few years.
The standard did not paint Leinster football in a great light and from a Kildare perspective it was a performance that emphasised that they are in Division 3 for a reason. Flanagan has his work cut out to arrest the slide next Sunday.
Didier Cordonnier; Ryan Burke, Mick O’Grady, Brian Byrne; Harry O’Neill, James McGrath, David Hyland; Callum Bolton 0-2, Cathal Hagney 0-3; Ben McCormack 0-1, Alex Beirne 0-1, Colm Dalton 0-2; Ryan Sinkey 0-2, Kevin Feely 0-4 (2fs), Jimmy Hyland 0-2 (1f). Subs: Brian McLoughlin for McCormack 44, Jack McKevitt for Burke 44, Aaron Masterson for Sinkey 52, Darragh Swords for Beirne 58, Niall Kelly for Hyland 67.
Paddy Dunican; Lee Pearson, Aidan Bracken, Daire McDaid; Rory Egan 1-0, John Furlong 0-1, Cormac Egan 0-3; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Kyle Higgins, Cathal Flynn, Keith O’Neill 0-2 (1f); Dylan Hyland 1-9 (1-0 pen, 2tps, 3fs), Jack Bryant 0-1, Shane Tierney 0-1. Subs: Aaron Leavy for O’Neill 49, Nigel Dunne for Tierney 69.
Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).
