Magical performance lands historic win for Kildare hurlers
Muiris Curtin had a brilliant game for Kildare during their win over Antrim Photo: ©INPHO/Grace Halton
The sense that we are living in a golden era of Kildare hurling was heightened as Brian Dowling’s charges secured a first win at Division 1B level since 1978 with an impressively dominant performance against Davy Fitzgerald’s Antrim at Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
After a disappointing season opener against Dublin the week before, Kildare were under pressure to get some points on the board, as were Antrim, who sat at the bottom of the table after reversals against Wexford and Clare.
But, despite Antrim notching the opening two points, it was clear that Kildare were well up for this and the quality of their hurling, in both defence and attack was arguably above anything we have seen from them up to now, save perhaps for the Joe McDonagh Cup final win over Laois.
Time and again Antrim forwards ran into a swarm of three or more Kildare defenders and with eight different players, including all six forwards, getting on the scoresheet before the interval, the home side hit the front after nineteen minutes through Jack Sheridan (0-8 to 0-7).
By half-time they were three ahead (0-14 to 0-11) with defenders Paul Dolan and Daire Guerin rounding off the first half scoring for Kildare, but it was the period immediately after the break when they took total control, thanks to three top quality goals the likes of which Newbridge has not seen for a long, long, time, if ever.
Kildare had already stretched their lead to five points on forty minutes when Cathal McCabe fed Muiris Curtin who skipped inside his man and his pass to substitute James Dolan was accepted with glee by the Celbridge man as he sent a rocket to the top right-hand corner.
Dolan wormed his way through again shortly afterwards and offloaded to Cathal Dowling to drill to the net, but referee Eamonn Furlong was a little quick on the whistle, and it was brought back for Sheridan to point a close-range free.
If that first goal was impressive, Curtin’s effort seven minutes later was right out of the top drawer. Cian Boran swept up a loose ball at the back and drove it long into penalty area where the Moorefield man plucked it imperiously from the skies before rifling it to the same top corner as Dolan had earlier.
If Antrim were reeling then, they were dead and buried a minute later. Dowling, minus the hurley, audaciously chipped the sliotar into his hands and fed Curtin and though the finish wasn’t as crisp this time, it had enough to beat Domhnall Nugent in goal.
That put Kildare 3-18 to 0-14 ahead and although Seán Elliott’s free-taking and Ryan McCambridge’s marksmanship from play kept Antrim’s score ticking over, the game was essentially over as a contest. Sheridan brought his tally to nine points and substitute Conn Kehoe scored a deft point in an excellent late cameo at full forward.
Tellingly, the clinical home side did not shoot a second half wide until Curtin’s effort three minutes into injury time, while Antrim’s frustration boiled over when substitute Jack McCloskey lashed out with the hurley at Harry Carroll, despite having been awarded the free. The red card was as inevitable as it was unnecessary.
From the central defensive spine of Rian and Cian Boran to the outstanding marksmanship of man-of-the-match Curtin and free-taker Sheridan, this was a performance to savour and provides real hope that Kildare can acquire the necessary points to extend their stay in Division 1B beyond one year.
Paddy McKenna; Liam O’Reilly, Rian Boran, Simon Leacy; Paul Dolan 0-2, Cian Boran, Dan O’Meara; Daire Guerin 0-1, Conan Boran; Cathal McCabe 0-2, Gerry Keegan 0-1, Jack Travers 0-2; Jack Sheridan 0-9 (6fs), Muiris Curtin 2-2, Cathal Dowling 0-1. Subs: James Dolan 1-0 for Travers 35+1, Alan Goss for P Dolan 52, Conn Kehoe 0-1 for Dowling 60, Harry Carroll for O’Meara 64, Tom Power for Keegan 68.
Domhnall Nugent; Niall O’Connor, Paddy Burke, Ruairí McCormick; Stephen Rooney, Joe Maskey, Gerard Walsh; Ryan McCambridge 0-4, Eoin O’Neill 0-1; Conor Johnston, Seán Elliott 0-11 (9fs,1’65), Seán Duffin; Ruairí Donaghy 0-1, James McNaughton 0-1, Conal Cunning 0-2. Subs: Keelan Molloy for Duffin and Scott Walsh for Donaghy (both h-t), Eoin McFerran for McCormick 42, Paul Boyle for O’Neill and Jack McCloskey for Johnston (both 56).
Eamonn Furlong (Wexford).
