Tennyson celebrates 17th birthday in sensational fashion

It’s safe to say that Logan Tennyson will remember his 17th birthday for a long time to come after he celebrated by becoming Kildare’s hero in Friday evening’s Leinster Minor Football Final.

With Kildare four points down and three minutes of injury time signalled, Kildare looked dead and buried in Portlaoise. As the game ticked into the third minute of stoppage time, the Leinster trophy was being adorned with Meath coloured ribbons and many Kildare supporters were heading for the exits.

Kildare hadn’t scored for over 20 minutes in the second half and hadn’t scored from play since the 23rd minute.

Tennyson wasn’t giving up hope though and as Kildare prepared to take a free from just outside the Meath 45, he still believed Kildare could get back into the game.

Fiachra Martin probably intended for his booming free kick to land a little more centrally and closer to the Meath goal but Eoghan Lyons did a superb job to reach for the skies and secure possession. Martin was backing up the move and received the return pass and as his shot was half blocked down, the ball fell perfectly for Tennyson.

There was still a lot for him to do as he kept his eye on the looping ball before taking possession and stepping inside one defender. There was still another Meath defender on the goal line alongside goalkeeper Cormac Fitzsimons but they didn’t stand a chance as Tennyson blasted his shot home.

“I saw the scoreboard about 30 seconds beforehand and saw we were four points down so I knew we needed a goal.

“The ball fell just perfectly, I stepped inside my man and just smashed it and thankfully went into the net,” said the St Kevin’s clubman.

Tennyson and Kildare’s work was far from finished. They were still a point down and time massively against them.

Aodhan Bergin sent a hopeful ball into the square. It broke loose after Martin challenged three Meath defenders. It could have fallen to anybody but Tennyson was the most alert and like the very best forwards do, he latched on to the ball and drove an incredible equalising point.

“That was a similar situation but I had to just put it out of my head and focus on extra time,” he said.

Tennyson was needed again in the depths of injury-time in extra-time. Meath had responded to Greg Kelly’s 75th minute goal with four points in succession and once again had one hand on the trophy. Kelly’s endeavour forced a foul and won a free on the 20 metre line right in front of the goal.

It was the kind of free that Tennyson has practised hundreds of times and hardly ever missed but a routine free becomes something very different when a Leinster Final is resting on it. Tennyson had lots of time to dwell on it as Meath made a couple of substitutions but he stayed strong and knocked it over the bar to send the game to a penalty shoot-out.

“You have people whistling and there's subs being made. There’s loads of people here, it's something I would never have experienced before when taking a free, but they are ones I've taken loads and loads of times so I just got the head down and put it over,” he said.

By this stage, that end was beginning to feel like a lucky one for Tennyson so once that end was chosen for the shoot-out, it was no surprise to see him step up first for Kildare.

“I played a lot of soccer when I was younger, Athlone Town, Crumlin Utd, a fairly high level. I used to take penalties back then so I'd always back myself taking a penalty in Gaelic, my bottom left-hand corner is where I always go and thankfully it went in,” he said.

While there was pandemonium in the stands, it was noticeable the calmest people in the ground were those players on the pitch.

“It was such an exciting game but you just have to stay focused on winning the game and securing the title,” said Tennyson.

The manner in which this Kildare team did that will be remembered for the rest of their lives, but none more so than the birthday boy.