Kildare minors into Leinster semi-finals
Sean Gleeson on the attack for Kildare during the win over Westmeath
Kildare withstood a spirited second half comeback from Westmeath to secure a six-point win in their final Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship Group 2 tie at Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Thursday night.
Having drawn with holders Longford and beaten Meath with a late smash-and-grab win last week, the result qualified Kildare for a semi-final spot.
Kildare dominated the opening half exchanges thanks to their dominance at midfield and despite a Will Scahill goal led at the break by 0-12 to 1-5. They then looked to be coasting when registering the first six points of the second half to go ten clear, but Westmeath got a second wind and by the 54th minute, with the help of a couple of two-pointers, were within three points.
Credit to Niall Cronin’s side, who produced their most mature performance of the campaign so far, they saw off the midlanders with the final three points of the game. The ‘downside’ of winning the group is that they’ll have to wait a few weeks while the Preliminary Quarter Finals and Quarter Finals play out.
Westmeath looked dangerous early on and were three points to one up with each of their full forward line, Dean Kelly, Will Scahill (free) and Seán Whittaker, scoring, with Rory Thompson replying for Kildare.
But Kildare began to dominate midfield with the likes of TJ Donohue, Seán Gleeson and Ollie Deller winning the vast majority of the Westmeath kickouts and they took advantage of that possession with six points in a row from play between the seventh and sixteenth minutes, Suncroft’s Hugh Martin scoring three of those with Deller, Thompson and Niall McAndrew adding to those.
Kelly and Scahill (free) replied for Westmeath to make it 0-7 to 0-5 but Kildare hit back again with three quickfire points from Donoghue (two) and Gleeson.
Westmeath needed a goal to get back in the game and it came in the 28th minute when corner-back Ross Tully broke through the cover and crashed a shot off the crossbar with the much-lauded Scahill, who had a great battle with Senan Gallagher of St Laurence’s, on hand to pick up the rebound and complete the job with an unstoppable shot past Jamie Wall in goal.
Kildare, though, who hadn’t attempted any two-pointers previously, were awarded a free outside the arc after a late tackle by Anthony King Carroll on Gleeson and Pauric Carty from Rathangan converted the opportunity to give the home side a 0-12 to 1-5 half-time advantage.
The Lilywhites shot out of the blocks at the start of the second half. McAndrew set up the impressive Deller for a point, immediately followed by a free from Thompson and a point from Carty from play.
By the time the half was only eight minutes old, Charlie Doran, substitute Cillian Long, with his first touch, and the impressive Martin with his fourth point, had stretched the lead to 0-18 to 1-5.
Westmeath suddenly sprang to life, however. Kelly might have goaled when slicing a chance over the bar for a point, then Scahill pointed from a two-point free and from a ‘normal’ free. On 43 minutes Kildare wing-forward Mark Travers was heroic in blocking a goalbound effort from Finn Higgins after a pinpoint pass from Scahill and from the follow up shot Travers again got his body in the way to put it out for a ’45 which Whittaker converted.
That made it 1-10 to 0-18, though Gleeson lifted the siege to point for Kildare.
Still Westmeath kept plugging away and a two-point free from Scahill and a minor from substitute Stephen McWade had the home crowd biting their fingernails with the lead down to three points and six minutes on the clock.
But Kildare, to their credit settled again and a great break led by McAndrew ended with Martin’s fifth point from play before Carty’s two-point free attempt was tipped over by Westmeath ‘keeper John Paul to limit the damage to one. On injury time Long registered his second point to round off the scoring and a fine performance from Cronin’s young charges.
Jamie Wall (Round Towers); Dan Sargent (Eadestown), Niall McAndrew (Naas) 0-1, Senan Gallagher (St Laurence’s); Charlie Cullen (Ellistown), Seán Gleeson (Round Towers) 0-2, TJ Donohue (Sarsfields 0-2; Callum Keaveny (Athy), Ollie Deller (Round Towers) 0-2; Rian Curran (Raheens), Hugh Martin (Suncroft) 0-5, Mark Travers (Naas); Pauric Carty (Rathangan) 0-4 (1tpf, 1f), Rory Thompson (Raheens) 0-3 (1f), Charlie Doran (Clane) 0-1. Subs: Cillian Long (Naas) 0-2 for Curran 37, Robbie Milham (Naas) for Keaveny 38, Nathan Dunne (Naas) for Gleeson 56, Conor McBrien (Ellistown) for Deller 60, Aran Martin (Naas) for McAndrew 62.
John Paul; Anthony King Carroll, Eoin Donohue, Ross Tully; Conor Casey, Oisín McCauley, Seán Byrne; Cian Fleming, Rory McCaul; Finn Higgins, Dillon Burke, Jack Duignan; Dean Kelly 0-3, Will Scahill 1-7 (2 tpfs,3fs), Seán Whittaker 0-2 (1’45). Subs: Conor Cleary for Duignan HT, Michael Fry for McCaul 44, Seán Keegan for McCauley 51, Stephen McWade 0-1 for Higgins 51, Aaron Connaire for Whittaker 55.
Dan Stynes (Dublin).
