Kildare to face Fermanagh in Tailteann Cup semi-finals

Kildare will play Fermanagh in next Sunday’s Tailteann Cup semi-final after this morning’s draw.

The two teams met in the opening round of the league at the end of January earlier this year when Kildare were comfortable winners in Cedral St Conleths Park but this will be a very different encounter.

It will be the third Championship meeting between the teams. Kildare beat the Ulster side at Croke Park, the counties only previous clash at the venue, during Kieran McGeeney’s first year in charge in 2008 in an infamous game when it took over 25 minutes for the first score.

In 2018, Kildare played Fermanagh in the game following the “Newbridge or nowhere” clash against Mayo and turned in perhaps the best performance of the Cian O’Neill era when winning by 11 points in a free scoring display.

Fermanagh made an inauspicious start to this year’s Tailteann Cup when they were beaten in the opening round on their home ground by Carlow in Joe Murphy’s first game in charge after departing Naas but just as in the League, Kieran Donnelly’s team got better as the competition progressed and they reached the last four after beating Sligo last weekend.

The game will take place at Croke Park next Sunday as part of a double header with the second Tailteann Cup semi-final between Wicklow and Limerick.

While Kildare have been installed as firm favourites to lift the Tailteann Cup after the weekend’s results, to do so they will have to do something that they haven’t done since 2010 and that’s win on successive visits to Croke Park.