Shot-shy Kildare face crunch tie against Armagh
Miah Ryan takes the attack to the Meath backline Photo: Aisling Hyland
Kildare face a do or die tie away to Armagh next weekend after they fell to defeat to Shane McCormack’s team in the opening round of the All-Ireland series.
Deplorable conditions in the opening half made things extremely difficult for both teams and although the weather improved in the second half, it wasn’t a game that will live long in the memory.
Kildare scored the opening two points of the game inside the opening eight minutes through Lara Curran and Roisin Byrne but they didn’t score again until Alannah Prizeman scored two injury time points.
In reply to Kildare’s early scores, Meath levelled the game through frees by Emma Duggan in the 11th and 29th minutes and there was no separating the teams at half time.
Meath turned up the pressure when Duggan scored two more points inside the opening ten minutes.
It wasn’t that Kildare were short of chances but too often their final pass or decision in the Meath final third let them down.
Their chances of victory were given a boost when star Meath forward Vikki Wall was shown a yellow card and sent to the sin bin after 44 minutes. The best that Kildare could muster during their time with an extra was a flowing move minutes later that ended with an Ellen Dowling shot on the turn but her effort was well kept out by Robyn Murray.
Two Marion Farrelly put Meath four clear and left Kildare looking for a goal to spark their challenge back to life.
That never really looked likely in the remaining minutes and the best they could muster was two Prizeman frees either side of Emma Duggan’s fifth of the game and Kildare know that they need to beat Armagh next week to make the knockout stages of the Championship, anything less will mean they face the relegation play-offs.
Robyn Murray; Aine Sheridan, Mary Kate Lynch, Katie Newe, Aoibhin Cleary, Sarah Wall, Karla Kealy; Orlaith Sheehy, Marion Farrelly 0-2; Megan Thyne, Niamh Gallogly, Ciara Smyth, Emma Duggan 0-5 (3fs), Vikki Wall, Kerrie Cole. Subs: Katie Bermingham for Cole, 47; Shauna Ennis for Sheehy, 59.
Mary Hulgraine; Lia Reilly, Ruth Sargent, Mia Doherty, Lauren Murtagh, Molly Aspell, Laoise Lenehan; Lisa Shaw, Aoife Rattigan; Miah Ryan, Lara Curran 0-1, Ciara Wheeler, Ellen Dowling, Alannah Prizeman 0-2fs, Roisin Byrne 0-1. Subs: Claire Sullivan for Ryan, h/t; Leah McGovern for Dowling, 52; Gillian Wheeler for C Wheeler, 54; Ciara Moran for Rattigan, 56; Amy Mahon for Curran, 60
Seamus Mulvihill.
