Kildare relegated as Cats show their claws in second half comeback
Kildare's Simon Leacy goes eye-to-eye with Mossy Keoghan of Kilkenny during the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship tie this evening in Nowlan Park
At half-time of this Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in Nowlan Park, Kildare stood on the cusp of perhaps the greatest win in the county’s history.
Despite playing into a strong wind, Kildare were only a point behind, 0-11 to 0-10, and Kilkenny were down to 14 men following the 34th minute dismissal of Cian Kenny.
Their illustrious hosts were playing poorly and had hit 13 wides and dropped four shots short as the support in the stands became increasingly restless.
However, by the final whistle not only had Kildare’s dreams of a historic result been emphatically dashed but worse was to follow as news filtered through from Tullamore that Offaly had beaten Wexford. Those two results ensured that Kildare’s stay at the top table in Leinster would be a short one and their immediate return to the Joe McDonagh Cup was confirmed.
Such a disappointing end to the day didn’t seem likely during a first half in which Kildare dared to dream, particularly during a purple patch when they scored five points in a row between the 22nd and 28th minute to level up the scores at 0-8 apiece.
Kildare never actually led but there was no doubt that Brian Dowling, leading his team out against his native county and only a short puck out away from his club O’Loughlin Gaels, was happier of the two managers as they headed to the dressing rooms ahead of the change of ends.
Whether Kilkenny became aware of the news of Dublin’s win over Galway during the break, which increased their need for a win, or simply a dressing down from manager Derek Lyng they were a completely different team in the second half.
After shooting so poorly in the first half, they registered 2-4 before their first wide after the restart.
TJ Reid will be remembered forever in the annals of the sport's history and has shone in much bigger games than this one for Kilkenny but this was another example of his greatness as even at 38 years of age, he tormented the Kildare backline.
He scored after just 15 seconds of the second period but the first four points were shared evenly between the teams with Conan Boran and Darragh Melville scoring at the far end.
Once Eoin Cody sent Reid in for the first goal of the game in the 38th minute you knew that Kilkenny meant business.
Jack Sheridan missed a decent opportunity from a free shortly after and within seconds the ball travelled the length of the field and Cody was the provider again for Kilkenny’s second goal, this time for Harry Shine on his return from injury.
Worse was to follow for Kildare in the 48th minute when Rian Boran was adjudged to have fouled Reid after a typical piece of majestic high fielding on the edge of the Kildare square and not only was a penalty awarded but a black card was also shown to Boran. Reid made no mistake with the penalty.
Kildare’s scoring threat completely dried up in the second half and a Jack Sheridan free was all that they had to show for their efforts between the 37th minute and James Burke marking his return after an 11-month injury lay off with the last point of the match.
Even when they won a penalty in the 63rd minute after Muiris Curtin was fouled, Eoin Murphy was able to push Jack Sheridan’s effort on to the post.
Kilkenny wrapped the win with Cody adding their fourth goal in the 66th minute.
Kildare had hoped to at least bring their Championship season to the final round and force a do-or-die encounter with Offaly next Sunday but the Faithful County’s form so far is such that they will go into that game still with aspirations of reaching the knockout stages of the Championship.
For Kildare, they will have to take their medicine and go away and plan to make an immediate return to the top grade. For large parts of their games against the best in Leinster they have not looked out of place, but equally, there have been spells in each game that have been costly and they are the fine margins that they need to improve upon if they get the chance to play in such elevated company again.
Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Mikey Carey, Ivan Bolger; David Blanchfield 0-1, Darragh Corcoran, Paddy Deegan 0-1; Killian Doyle 0-1, Cian Kenny 0-1; Liam Moore 0-2, Eoin Cody 1-2, Tom Phelan 0-3; Martin Keoghan 0-4, TJ Reid 2-6 (1-0pen, 0-3fs), Harry Shine 1-2. Subs: Adrian Mullen 0-1 for Moore (53); Richie Reid for Corcoran (56); Timmy Clifford 0-1 for Phelan (58); Stephen Donnelly for Shine (63); Shane Murphy for Carey (64).
Paddy McKenna; Liam O’Reilly, Rian Boran, Simon Leacy, Paul Dolan, Conan Boran 0-1, Daire Guerin; Cathal McCabe, Dan O’Meara 0-1; Jack Travers 0-1, Gerry Keegan 0-2, Jack Sheridan 0-2fs, Darragh Melville 0-3, Cathal Dowling 0-2, Muiris Curtin 0-1. Subs: Cian Boran for Dolan (43); Richy Hogan for Leacy (52); Caolan Smith for Keegan (58); Alan Goss for Dowling (65); James Burke 0-1 for Curtin (68).
Eamon Furlong (Wexford).
