Moran's second-half goal helps Kildare withstand stiff Offaly challenge
Colm Moran's second half goal was key for Kildare in their win over Offaly in the Leinster U20 Football Championship at Manguard Park Photo: James Lawlor
Kildare’s Under-20 footballers had to withstand a Jack Ryan-inspired Offaly comeback in the second half before clinching their place in the quarter finals with a five-point win at Manguard Park on Wednesday night.
With wind advantage in the opening half, Niall Cronin’s home side took full advantage with five two-pointers helping them to a 0-13 to 0-2 lead by the 24th minute.
Corner-forward Ronan Kelly raised two of those orange flags from frees with Euan Cowzer, Colm Moran and Ruaidhrí Lawlor adding to those from play. Pacey wing-back Harry Redmond, Cowzer and TJ Nolan added single points.
Moran, though, passed up a big opportunity for a goal when blazing wide from close range on thirteen minutes.
Offaly themselves came close to a goal five minutes later when Conor Bracken’s snapshot on the ground was saved at the second attempt by goalkeeper Charlie Carroll.
Kildare, playing some slick football, looked comfortable approaching the interval but in the last three minutes of the half Offaly gave themselves real hope with a well finished goal from Dylan Dunne from a bustling run from Cian McNamee.
Then Kaelem Bryan added a close-range free and goalkeeper Ryan punished a Kildare kick-out indiscretion in the most emphatic way possible with a free from just inside the arc driven impressively into the wind.
That left Offaly only six behind at the interval (0-13 to 1-4) and with the lethal boot of last year’s minor star Ryan in their armoury they would have been confident of reeling that lead in.
Kildare too would have been wary about Ryan having lost a minor semi-final last year to his late heroics with Cronin in charge of that Lilywhite side.
In this case, forewarned wasn’t sufficiently forearmed, though, with Ryan landing two two-pointers to narrow the gap to two points seven minutes into the second half, the second of those an audacious effort from near the right sideline with the right boot.
But Kildare regained their composure and cleverly held possession for long spells to deny Offaly momentum and a point from Moran got the scoreboard ticking again for them.
Immediately from the resultant kick-out, a brilliantly executed hand-passing one-two between Moran and Liam Kelly down the right ended with the Athy man finishing to the net for the game’s crucial score. That restored Kildare’s six-point advantage at the three-quarter mark.
The powerful Nolan added two more points either side of another Ryan two-pointer before a sweeping Kildare move instigated by the very impressive Ben Ryan, saw corner-back Finn Dowling run out of room with the goal seemingly at his mercy.
Despite two more Ryan orange flags, Kildare kept their opponents in check in the final quarter to advance to the knock-out stages.
Offaly, who managed only 1-2 from play all game, all in the first half against the wind, were a beaten docket when Ronan Kelly landed a free to stretch the lead to seven points, though star man Ryan raised his fourth orange flag, off the post this time, to round off the scoring.
Kildare are guaranteed top spot in the three-team Group 3 following their win over Wicklow last week and they will meet the runners-up in Group 1 in the quarter-final with Westmeath and Dublin vying for that spot next week with both having lost to holders Louth to date.
Charlie Carroll (Eadestown); Finn Dowling (Kilcock), Ben Ryan (Round Towers), Rob Murray (Naas); Harry Redmond (Sarsfields) 0-1, Cian McKevitt (Naas), Liam Kelly (Milltown); Evan Boyle (Carbury), TJ Nolan (St Laurence’s) 0-3; Daniel Colbert (Clane), Euan Cowzer (Naas) 0-3 (1tp), Ruaidhrí Lawlor (St Laurence’s) 0-2 (tp); Cian Keaveny (Athy), Colm Moran (Athy) 1-3 (1tp,1f), Ronan Kelly (Athy) 0-5 (2tpfs,1f). Subs: Hugh Martin (Suncroft) for Lawlor and Luke Murray (Celbridge) for Keaveny 43, Calum Keaveny for Cowzer 55, Austin Donegan for Redmond 60.
Jack Ryan 0-9 (4tpfs,1f); Tomás Carroll, Jack Maher, Patrick Kenna; Jake Maher 0-1, Christian McKeown, Harry Goulding; Charlie Duffy, Eoin Dunne; Brian Carroll, Dylan Dunne 1-0, Eoin Rouse; Conor Bracken, Cian McNamee, Kaelem Bryan 0-2 (1f). Subs: Ruairí Woods for Bracken and Colm Egan for E Dunne 43, Cillian Foran for Duffy 52.
Seamus Farrelly (Dublin).
