Sin-bin shocker, chances aplenty and referee rage as Kildare ladies lose out to Donegal in relegation play-off

TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Championship Relegation Qualifier

Donegal 0-9

Kildare 0-8

Kildare are into a relegation final against Laois following their controversial loss to Donegal in Kingspan Breffni Park. Referee Eddie Cuthbert was, as no official should seek to be, the headline story after this game.

Kildare fan frustration had been building throughout this game following the awarding of several Donegal frees and perceived lack of punishment when the shoe was on the other foot. Tensions boiled over when Lara Gilbert was given a yellow card on 54 minutes as Kildare pushed for an equaliser.

The Kildangan-Nurney player was sent to the line after receiving possession and quickly changing direction before a Donegal player barrelled into the Kildare wing-back. Eddie Cuthbert bizarrely interpreted the collision as charging on Gilbert's end and reduced The Lilies to 14 in a baffling decision.

The loss of Gilbert stunted Kildare’s momentum and Donegal closed out for win with no more scores at either end.

Despite the controversy, Kildare problems were in part their own making as they missed plenty of chances and perhaps should have been out of sight in the first half.

The Lilies got off the mark early in this game through Neasa Dooley. The Athy forward was being pulled and dragged and won an advantage before knocking her effort between the posts regardless.

Donegal answered, as they so often did in the first half, with a Susanne White free.

Less than a minute later and Kildare would be presented with a golden opportunity to raise a green flag. Róisín Byrne shifted the ball across goal before Leah Doran fed in Ruth Sargent. The Eadestown player laced her effort goalwards but was superbly denied by Clare Friel in the Donegal goal.

Donegal would then punish Kildare miss with a point at the other end when Susanne White got her first from play.

Kildare would get another goal opportunity after Byrne again brilliantly found Leah Doran running through on goal. Doran was under pressure and ultimately failed to challenge Friel with her effort. The miss meant The Lilies let a second goal chance pass them by within four minutes of one other.

Róisín Byrne leveled this game with a free that was almost slapstick in nature as her effort hit the inside of the post before falling onto the crossbar and over the bar.

Erin Brereton Foley was introduced after 11 minutes for Ruth Sargent, who was heavily-strapped pre-match. The Castlemitchell forward made her presence felt with a brilliant score to put Kildare ahead.

Donegal equalised through Abigail Temple Asokuh and there was little to separate the sides for the remainder of the opening half, but Foley got on the scoresheet again with a fantastic score to send Kildare in with an 0-6 to 0-5 lead at half-time.

Kildare’s first half had been wasteful and a reaction was to be expected, but it was Donegal who came out firing for the second half.

Donegal hit four scores without reply and Kildare looked to be letting this game pass them by when the game closed in on 10 minutes to go.

Kildare’s next goal chance was this time halted by the referee as Róisín Byrne set up Leah Doran. The Balyna forward’s chance was cut short by the referee failing to play advantage.

The Lilies reacted in the right way by winning two frees (and scoring them) to reduce the gap to one with six to go. It was one-way traffic as Kildare poured forward in search of an equaliser.

Lara Gilbert's sin-bin was the next major event in this game and the controversial decision all but ended it as Kildare were reduced to 14. Donegal closed out for victory with their extra player, but also finished the game with 14 after Caoimhe Keon dragged Neasa Dooley to the ground in cynical fashion deep in added time.

Keon took one for the team and her side avoided the dreaded relegation final with their 0-9 to 0-8 win.

Speaking after the game, Kildare manager Diane O'Hora said, “You couldn’t question the performance of the players, they died with their boots on out there. It is very frustrating with all the decisions that went against them. You could hear it in the crowd. Even Donegal players and fans were laughing at some of the decisions that were made against Kildare.

“That is really hard to take. For players to be resilient to what is happening on the pitch is one thing but when you throw something external into it.”

MAIN PLAYER

Erin Brereton Foley

The Castlemitchell forward was introduced after 11 minutes and was brilliant from then on. While Róisín Byrne was double or triple marked, Foley stood up to be counted and hit three superb scores from play, including one just two minutes after her introduction.

TURNING POINT

Lara Gilbert's controversial dismissal was the turning point in this game. Kildare's momentum was at all-time high as they poured forward in search of an equalising score. That momentum was immediately stunted by the wing-backs dismissal and Donegal closed out the remaining minutes.

TALKING POINT

Disappointingly after a game between two great teams, the talking point was almost solely referee Eddie Cuthbert.

WHAT NOW?

Kildare now face Laois in Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow, next Saturday July 13 at 1.30pm in the relegation play-off final.

Scorers: Donegal, Susanne White 0-6 (0-4 frees), Abigail Temple Asokuh 0-1, Katie Herron 0-1, Amy Boyle Carr 0-1.

Kildare, Erin Brereton Foley 0-3, Róisín Byrne 0-3 (0-3 frees). Neasa Dooley 0-1, Grace Clifford 0-1.

KILDARE: Anna Dunlea; Fiona Troute, Alex Reynolds, Aoife Clifford; Ellie O'Toole, Ruth Sargent, Lara Gilbert; Grace Clifford, Leah Doran; Claire Sullivan, Neasa Dooley, Mia Doherty; Ellen Dowling, Róisín Byrne, Aoife Rattigan. Subs: Erin Brereton Foley for Ruth Sargent (10 minutes), Niamh Farrelly for Aoife Rattigan (39 minutes), Sarah Munnelly for Claire Sullivan (44 minutes).

DONEGAL: Clare Friel; Shannon McLaughlin, Abigail Temple Asokuh, Evelyn McGinley; Katie Dowds, Niamh Boyle, Tara Hegarty; Róisín Rodgers, Eva Gallagher; Caoimhe Keon, Niamh McLaughlin, Amy Boyle Carr; Susanne White, Katie Herron, Niamh Carr. Subs: Blathnaid McLaughlin for Katie Dowds (39 minutes), Katie Long for Eva Gallagher (53 minutes).

Referee: Eddie Cuthbert (Down)