Kildare's season ends on emotional afternoon in Armagh
Kildare manager Pat Sullivan (middle) observes a minutes silence in memory of his father, Edward Sullivan with the rest of his management team before Saturday's game in the Athletic Grounds Photo: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott
Kildare’s season came to an end on an emotional afternoon in the Athletic Grounds in Armagh.
Just 24 hours before the game, Kildare manager Pat Sullivan received the devastating news that his father, Edward, had passed away. Even in the midst of receiving such horrific news, Sullivan was intent on focusing on Kildare’s attempts to reach an All-Ireland semi-final and, with his family’s blessing, attended the game as usual.
“It's been a really, really tough 24 hours personally with the loss of my father. Look, I'm probably here today because as my mam said, ‘you need to be in Armagh and your father would expect you to be there’. So, that's why I'm here,” said Sullivan.
“I felt very comfortable being here today with a bunch of players because that's the bond that we've built and I felt in a comfort zone being here with the conditions that are going on and the absolute tragedy of what's happened, and where we are. I feel today that it was my duty to be here, with what they've given up to me, and me to give back to them,” said Sullivan.
Captain Laoise Lenehan said that it had been a difficult build-up to the game and that the players were devastated that they couldn’t land a win that would have meant so much.
“I think the 24 hours that he's had has just been so horrific for him. So, to see him on the bus this morning with us just showed the commitment that he has put towards us this year, and the belief he has in us. He genuinely believes that we could have gone all the way today.
“And I just wish we could have done it for him. But look, that's the way it goes. I think everybody gave it everything today, which is what he wanted and what we wanted to do for him. I wish we could have got over the line but we did everything we could.
“I think for him to be here today, it just says a lot about who he is as a manager,” said a tearful Lenehan.
The disappointment was all the greater as it was a game that Kildare could, and perhaps should, have won. It was a match that mirrored many of Kildare’s throughout an up and down 2026 season. Under Sullivan, Kildare have progressed to be a team that can make life uncomfortable for any team in the country and yet, the finest of margins are counting against them and stopping them from racking up some big wins that they justifiably claim they deserve.
Lara Curran had already seen a tenth minute shot cleared off the line but Kildare were comfortable at 0-5 to 0-3 ahead going into the last five minutes of the first half despite playing in a strong wind.
Things unravelled in a nightmare 60 seconds. After Kelly Mallon pulled back a point, Corla Nallen’s kickout went straight to an orange jersey and Armagh got back on level terms with a Blaithín Mackin point. Again from the kickout, Armagh won possession and this time went for goal through Aimee Mackin and found the Kildare net.
Kildare were clearly shell shocked at this stage and conceded another goal two minutes later when Aimee Mackin fed the ball inside to Mallon and kept going for the return pass and then blasted into the top corner of the Kildare net.
Mackin hit the foot of the post early in the second but Kildare gamely battled on. The game looked to be up, however, in the 48th minute when a ball into the Kildare square was touched home by Mallon to make it 3-7 to 0-9.
Kildare weren’t down though and two minutes later Alannah Prizeman beat Brianna Mathers to give them a glimmer of hope. They almost got a second moments later but Molly Aspell was inches the wrong side of the post with a powerful shot.
There was frustration as Kildare threw everything forward in an attempt to salvage the game. Infuriatingly, the referee blew for a Kildare free and brought play back ten metres rather than playing an advantage when Nanci Murphy appeared to have a clear run on the Armagh goal, then Prizeman saw a close range effort blocked.
Right down to the last score of the game when Ruth Sargent, who earlier in the half had brought a superb save out of Mathers, fired just over the crossbar, Kildare kept up the fight but it just wasn’t to be.
Lenehan summed up feelings on the game, and the season in general, by saying:
“We're such a young team and the growth from back in November when we started training to now is huge. And for some of the girls, the improvements is amazing. I'm so proud of them all,” she said.
In the end, it’s a season that had a relegation from Division 1, a Leinster final defeat and matching last year’s achievement of reaching an All-Ireland quarter-final. It could perhaps have been better but with the age profile of this squad there’s every reason to believe that is just a step along the way on the journey for this team and they could have some major days ahead of them.
Brianna Mathers; Alana Donnelly, Clodagh McCambridge, Cait Towe, Emily Druse 0-1, Lauren McConville, Grace Ferguson; Blaithín Mackin 0-1, Christina O’Reilly; Lara Marsden, Aoife McCoy, Catherine Marley, Aimee Mackin 2-3 (2fs), Caroline O’Hanlon 0-1, Kelly Mallon 1-2fs. Subs: Cassie Henderson for O’Reilly, 37; Roisin Mulligan 0-1 for McCoy, 49; Caoimhe McNally for Marsden, 52; Niamh Reel for Mallon, 56; Maeve Ferguson for Donnelly, 58.
Corla Nallan; Hazel McLoughlin, Mia Doherty, Lia Reilly, Molly Aspell, Ruth Sargent 0-1, Laoise Lenehan; Lisa Shaw 0-1, Nanci Murphy 0-1; Mayah Doyle 0-1, Jessica Harney, Gillian Wheeler, Alannah Prizeman 1-2, Lara Curran 0-1, Aoife Rattigan 0-4(2fs). Subs: Aoife Murnane for Wheeler, 38; Ciara Moran for Harney, 42; Abaigh Cahill 0-1 for Curran, 48; Emma Wheeler for Reilly, 56; Aisling Irhue for Shaw, 57.
Anthony Marren (Monaghan).
