"We needed to work harder, fight like dogs, and we got there in the end"

Kildare manager James Costello was understandably thrilled after seeing his team beat Cork to qualify for the AirNav All-Ireland U-16 'A' Championship Final.

It came after Kildare mounted a second-half comeback and the manager explained the half-time message as they team tried to turn the game around.

“I just felt that we just need a little bit more energy in the middle third. Their runners were coming through and we just tried to shut that down. Our attacking play was going well but we just felt that was an area we had to get on top of. Close down the runners and luckily the players rose to the occasion. It was an amazing performance from goalkeeper to front, to the subs we brought on,” said Costello.

Given the heat, preparations for the game started well in advance of matchday.

“I think a huge credit has to go to the management team. We have such a great management team from a number of clubs across Kildare. They really tried to plan for today and they were making sure the girls were hydrated over the last number of days and so on like that because the heat is was savage here tonight,” he said.

While Kildare had to be physically well-prepared to win the game, they also had to be mentally strong as well. It would have been easy to drop the heads at six points down and drown under the pressure but instead, they chipped away at the lead and built some momentum.

“I think these are an amazing bunch of players. We have over 20 clubs represented here and they are a great bunch. We've been saying this all week, you have to believe and you just have to keep believing, believing, believing and we've done a lot of work on that last year. This time last year we lost the semi-final, we felt there was a few things we had to change, we tried to do that and one of the big things was trying to work on was that belief,” said Costello.

It means a first U16 ‘A’ All-Ireland final for the county and Costello feels the breakthrough could be huge.

We just want the best for our players all the time and I hope tonight gives all our teams the confidence to drive on and to go forward. This is the first All-Ireland ever at Under 16 level so it's just so positive. Kildare is such an amazing county of clubs and I hope this really helps to drive that on across the county,” said Costello.

The final will be against Cavan on Wednesday 15 July and Costello knows what to expect from the Ulster side.

“Cavan have such a strong tradition in underage and ladies football for so many years, they've been so successful. They're a very good team. We played them earlier in the year. They are a very strong team and it's going to be a great battle and one we're looking forward to,” said Costello.

One of the stars in the Kildare win was their inspirational captain and leader, Amy Wall.

Three years trying, some girls two, and we’ve lost in the semi-final every time” she said.

“It’s brilliant to win by a point. There was some last minute drama but we got through it.

“We figured out what was wrong and we just dropped back on the kick-out a bit and just held our own and went up when we could, and that was it. We went in at half-time and said we needed to work harder, fight like dogs, and we got there in the end, thankfully,” said Wall.