Gutsy 14-man Kildare make their point in Tyrone
Darragh Swords celebrates his goal for Kildare late in the first half Photo: ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty
Against the odds and against the expectations of many, even within their own county, this reporter included, Brian Flanagan’s youthful and injury-hit Lilywhites dug deep to secure a point in this topsy-turvy National League Division 2 opener at a drizzly and windy Healy Park, Omagh.
Missing at least a dozen players through injury, not to mention having to deal with four significant retirements and other absentees, the most inexperienced Kildare team to line out competitively in a quarter of a century showed grit and resolve that was hugely encouraging.
They overcame the concession of two second half goals and the sending off of Brendan Gibbons to fight tooth and nail to the last, with Brian McLoughlin’s dramatic two-pointer four minutes into injury time securing the draw.
It was a point that was richly deserved, though it looked likely to evade them, when they went down to fourteen men for Gibbons’ second yellow card after 45 minutes, immediately after Joe Oguz had goaled for Tyrone to put them 1-11 to 1-10 ahead.
Tyrone were bolstered by the arrival from the bench of the classy Darragh Canavan and Eoin McElholm and when two points from the former stretched their advantage to four by the 61st minute it looked as if Kildare would fall short. Bravely short, but short, nonetheless.
Kildare still had time but had they the energy, had they the spirit, and, crucially, had they the football to rescue matters?
All those questions were answered in the affirmative, with man-of-the-match McLoughlin taking centre stage bolstered by some outstanding contributions from the likes of Alex Beirne, Kevin Feely and younger tyros such as Eoin Lawlor, James Harris and Callum Bolton.
McLoughlin won and converted the close-range free that narrowed the gap to three and when the untypically error-prone Niall Morgan was turned over out the field Kildare were frustrated when Feely was unable to connect with Beirne with men over. Beirne was soon knocking over a free to make it a two-point gap though.
But a fine interception from young substitute Colm Moran, one of eight league debutants on the night, started the 69th minute attack that saw Lawlor set up McLoughlin to land a thunderous two-pointer to level matters.
The gods seemed to be laughing in Kildare’s faces though as we headed into injury time. Pádraic Spillane emphatically knocked down Morgan’s kickout, but Tyrone hands swallowed it up and a quicksilver move ended with Ethan Jordan blasting their second goal past Cian Burke.
That made it 2-16 to 1-16 and the jig surely was up. Not on this occasion as it turned out. McLoughlin got himself into the scoring zone and although his shot off his weaker foot was less than emphatic, Morgan tipped it over for a point.
It was hard to believe Kildare were a man down as they chased the game down and when Feely and Beirne combined in a tight space to funnel the ball back out beyond the arc in a central position there was only one man you wanted there clutching the pass. McLoughlin.
Sure enough, the 2018 All Ireland Under 20 winner, who carried his sparkling pre-season form into this one, launched a sumptuous left-footed effort that sailed between the posts straight over the black spot for a famous leveller.
Tyrone had an opportunity to snatch the win through Ciaran Daly but he dropped his effort short.
Kildare had not won on Tyrone soil since 1927 but they almost broke that spell in one final attack, with the last seconds running down on the clock. Feely’s high crossfield pass in his own half was wild and wayward but Lawlor rescued it from the skies, and the ball was worked to substitute Ryan Sinkey. His effort from the arc line hadn’t the legs but bounced awkwardly in front of Morgan who was able to claw it out to Aidan Clarke as the final whistle sounded.
The game had been a slow-burner with Tyrone taking a 0-7 to 0-3 advantage after fifteen minutes thanks mainly to two two-pointers from Jordan with the aid of the wind. Kildare, though, were playing some neat football, with corner forward Eoin Cully’s pace causing Tyrone all sorts of problems, the Carbury man landing the visitors’ first two points with McLoughlin registering their third on the way to a nine-point haul for the Clane man.
The next fifteen minutes saw Kildare hit four points without reply to level things at 0-7 apiece with Tyrone very wayward in front of the posts. Beirne, whose physicality and directness caused Tyrone plenty of problems, accounted for two points from play before a McLoughlin free and Feely effort from play levelled.
Michael Conroy’s free was answered by one from McLoughlin before Kildare appeared to take a significant grip on the game with a goal on 34 minutes. Ben Loakman won Morgan’s kickout and McLoughlin scampered through on the right before passing across goal to Cully.
He spilled the ball, but McLoughlin got a toe-poke to it to send it back across the goal where Darragh Swords, a late change for Harry O’Neill with Liam Kelly going back to defence, side-footed the ball soccer style past Morgan.
That left Kildare 1-8 to 0-8 ahead at the interval, but Tyrone upped their game at the start of the second half with points from McElholm and Jordan. Callum Bolton tested his range with the wind behind him to land a two-pointer to cancel those out.
Ronan Cassidy danced through the Kildare defence too easily to point, and Joe Oguz then sidestepped Gibbons a little too easily and finished to the net despite Brian Byrne’s attempt to block.
That goal put Tyrone ahead and Gibbons’ second yellow for an off-the-ball foul from the kick out seemed to swing the game firmly in the Red Hands’ control.
Jordan and Beirne swapped two-point frees, but with Kildare going eleven minutes without a score, Jordan’s point from play and Canavan’s two saw them go four ahead coming down the home straight.
But Flanagan’s youngsters showed a never-say-die attitude that augurs well for their campaign, with a crucial home tie against neighbours Offaly to come next Saturday night in Cedral St Conleth’s Park.
Cian Burke; Brian Byrne, Pádraic Spillane, Ryan Burke; James Harris, Eoin Lawlor, Liam Kelly; Callum Bolton 0-2 (tp), Brendan Gibbons; Brian McLoughlin 0-9 (2tps,3fs), Alex Beirne 0-5 (1tpf,1f), Darragh Swords 1-0; Ben Loakman, Kevin Feely 0-1, Eoin Cully 0-2. Subs: Ryan Sinkey for Swords HT, Colm Moran for Harris 65, Sam Doran for Cully 68.
Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Aidan Clarke, Joey Clarke; Ben Cullen, Michael McKernan, Ronan Cassidy 0-1; Joe Oguz 1-0, Conn Kilpatrick; Cathal Donaghy, Ciaran Bogue 0-1, Ciarán Daly 0-1; Michael Conroy 0-1 (f), Matthew Donnelly, Ethan Jordan 1-9 (1tp,2tpfs,1f). Subs: Frank Burns for McKernan (temp) 3-15, Brian Kennedy for Bogue and Eoin McElholm 0-1 for Conroy (both HT), Darragh Canavan 0-2 for Donaghy 51, Burns for Cassidy 67.
Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).
