Kildare show their class to see off Louth in Leinster U20 Final
Kildare's Ben Ryan and Colm Moran pictured as they lift the Dalata Hotel Group Leinster U20 Football Championship cup Photo ©INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon
First of all, what a wonderful advertisement this was for under-20 football. An enthralling battle that went one way and then the other from start to finish and seemed destined to be heading towards extra-time as it reached its denouement.
The dramatic win they fashioned, deservedly so, in the end, though, was a much-welcomed pick-me-up for Kildare football and their supporters too after the travails of the senior team this year and coming hot on the heels on an emphatic provincial quarter final win over Westmeath at minor level 24 hours earlier.
No one would have argued against another twenty minutes if it did come down to that but to the victor the spoils and there was no doubting that Niall Cronin’s superbly coached Kildare outfit deserved to edge out the holders Louth and lay claim to a fourteenth Leinster title at the grade, when its under-21 precursor is included.
Louth fielded no fewer than nine of last year’s All Ireland final starting team, but they came up against a resilient, athletic Kildare team who showed impressive composure at various stages, most notably when Louth opened up a two-point lead with six minutes remaining.
That came thanks to Tony McDonnell’s two-pointer that put Louth 1-18 to 0-19 ahead and looking set for victory.
But Kildare showed huge character from there to the finish to kick four points without reply. Athy Leaving Cert student Ronan Kelly, who scored seven points in all and was a strong contender for man-of-the-match, converted a brought-forward close range free before clubmate Calum Keaveny soloed through to level matters.
With extra time looming Jimmy Lynch, with his supposedly weaker right foot, then danced into the scoring zone to give them the lead on the stroke of normal time.
Then, when senior panellist Liam Kelly blocked Cormac McKeown’s late effort in the third minute of injury time at the other end, Kildare broke downfield and wrapped up the title with a fisted point from the other Kelly.
Kildare dominated possession early on playing with a very slight breeze (they won all bar one of their opening half kick-outs) and would have been disappointed to be only 0-4 to 0-1 ahead after ten minutes, those four points coming in a marvellous three-minute spell from Keaveny, Colm Moran, Lynch (free) and Kelly.
They had a shout perhaps for a 13th minute penalty when Ben Ryan appeared to be pushed when rushing on in on goal and from the resultant end-to-end counter the excellent Louth corner forward Adam Gillespie finished brilliantly to the net.
That gave the holders confidence and courtesy of two-pointers from Gillespie and goalkeeper Tiarnan Markey they moved five points ahead (1-7 to 0-5), the biggest margin either side had during the game, Euan Cowzer having landed Kildare’s fifth point.
Kildare efforts never dropped though, and they found their scoring boots in the run up to half time with Kelly, from a free that bounced over off the crossbar, and St Laurence’s classy Ruaidhrí Lawlor (twice) landing two-pointers in a glorious three minute spell before the hard-working Evan Boyle set up Kelly for a point to send them in at the break a point clear (0-12 to 1-8).
Louth started the second half strongly and Pearse Grimes-Murphy, who had caused problems down the right side of the Kildare defence all game, stole in to draw a fine save from Charlie Carroll at the expense of a ’45 which Markey converted. Grimes-Murphy then set up Shane Lennon for the lead point.
Louth were very much in the ascendancy at that stage, and it took an inspirational block from Ben Ryan to deny Colm Hackett another score.
Kildare needed a score and Liam Kenny, starting despite the injury he picked up against Meath the week before, got them level. But Markey’s second two-pointer on 37 minutes put Louth two clear.
Kildare stuck at it with five points in eight minutes to draw level, those coming from the excellent Moran, Lynch (2), Lawlor and Kelly with Louth responding through Grimes-Murphy, Lennon and Gillespie.
But Cowzer drove in from the right wing to edge them 0-19 to 1-15 ahead before McDonnell replied with a point and then the two-pointer that seemed to signal a Louth win.
Kildare, though, came strong to claim their first title at the grade since 2023 and a fourteenth overall, just two behind Dublin at the top of the roll of honour.
Apart from the four points, those final six minutes plus injury time saw the impressive Daniel Colbert and his midfield colleague Boyle take some superb high catches as Kildare showed remarkable composure and stamina, not to mention no little skill to see the game out and they managed the game to its conclusion superbly.
There’s little time to rest on their laurels, unfortunately, with the All-Ireland semi-final against Ulster Champions Tyrone, a repeat of the 2022 decider, fixed for next Wednesday evening (venue TBC).
Charlie Carroll (Eadestown); Cian McKevitt (Naas), Ben Ryan (Round Towers), Senan Gallagher (St Laurence’s); Liam Kelly (Milltown), Finn Dowling (Kilcock), Calum Keaveny (Athy) 0-2; Evan Boyle (Carbury), Daniel Colbert (Clane); Ruaidhrí Lawlor (St Laurence’s) 0-5 (2tps), Colm Moran (Athy) 0-2, Liam Kenny (Naas) 0-1; Euan Cowzer (Naas) 0-2, Jimmy Lynch (Clogherinkoe) 0-4 (2fs), Ronan Kelly (Athy) 0-7 (1tpf,2fs). Subs: Harry Redmond (Sarsfields) for Kenny 38, Rob Murray (Naas) for McKevitt 53, Hugh Martin (Suncroft) for Cowzer 57.
Tiarnan Markey 0-5 (2tpfs,1’45); Padraic Tinnelly, Cormac McKeown, Daniel Craven; Keelin Martin 0-1, Micheál Reid, Tadhg Devaney; Conor McGinty, Colm Hackett; Shane Lennon 0-3, Tony McDonnell 0-3 (1tp), Pearse Grimes-Murphy 0-2; Adam Gillespie 1-4 (1tp), Seán Flynn, Conor McCriosta. Sub: Andrew O’Reilly for Hackett 42.
Seamus Farrelly (Dublin).
