Crotty recovers from early error to play key role in Kildare victory 

Nowhere are the highs and lows of sport more magnified than between the posts as a goalkeeper.

It’s the position where the smallest mistakes can lead to the biggest moments but also offers the chance to be the hero as well.

Kildare goalkeeper Joe Crotty rode the rollercoaster of all those emotions during an epic Leinster Minor Football Final in Portlaoise on Friday evening.

His game couldn’t have got off to much worse of a start when just four minutes in, Cormac Walsh’s looping shot slipped from his grasp and was tapped into the net by Liam O’Donoghue.

Crotty had been almost flawless on Kildare’s run to the final and this was pretty much his first major mistake. There’s been many goalkeepers in the past who have crumbled after making such an error but Crotty showed a steely resolve to push it to the back of his mind and he went on to be a key figure in Kildare’s success.

“Obviously, there was a lot of pressure on after the first goal went in but the important thing is just to keep the head up and that's something I've learned this year. Just let it go, just forget about it. If you make a good save, forget about it, just treat every ball with respect,” he said.

Kildare had conceded just two goals in five games on the way to the final and Crotty said a lot of that was down to the players in front of him.

“A lot of that's on my teammates. All year, I think I've had maybe three or four shots on target. That's just a testament to them. All the lads, full back line, everyone. I’m just delighted to get over the line. It's a big relief, I have to say,” said Crotty.

The goalkeeper went on to make an excellent save in normal time but his big moment came in the penalty shoot-out when he kept out the effort by Meath captain Harry McGuirk.

“I have a really, really, really good goalkeeper coach and he just told me don't guess, just wait and at the last second, they'll look and then you'll be able to guess or be able to tell which way they're going. I went with that and I got it in the end,” said Crotty.

He enjoyed the moment as he celebrated his save with the Kildare supporters who had congregated behind the goal for the shoot-out and he said the atmosphere really helped the team.

“That makes such a big difference. It’s something that I've thought throughout the year, the support has been so good. Lads around our age, or even parents or people from the club, it's brilliant,” he said.

It was a great night for the whole county but especially so for the St Kevin's club as Crotty starred at one end and Logan Tennyson came up with crucial scores at the far. Going into the game, Crotty was convinced that his clubmate would come up with something special to celebrate his birthday.

“We were on the way over tonight and I said to him that I think something big was going to happen tonight. I know Logan's a serious player, he’s a great soccer player as well so I had full confidence in him going into the penalty shoot-out as well.”