Sallins beaten by last kick two-pointer in extra-time of thrilling All-Ireland semi-final with An Ghaeltacht

An Ghaeltacht 0-18

Sallins 1-14

Kildare champions Sallins were beaten by the last kick of the game against An Ghaeltacht to exit AIB Football All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship at the semi-final stage.

Sallins trailed by four with 10 minutes to go in regular time but a Stephen Kelly goal, which was quickly followed by a Luke Killian point had the sides level just three minutes later. Kelly was on the end of a brilliant team move that was kicked off with a driving Daragh Mangan run before reaching James Dalton and Luke Killian, the latter of whom passed across goal for Kelly to punch in.

An Ghaeltacht led by one deep into added time thanks to an exceptional point from a tight angle from Éanna Ó Conchúir. The Kerry men were disgusted to see extra-time after a clear 3v3 violation from the Sallins side late into proceedings, but play carried again and James Dalton equalised in the 63rd minute of the game.

James Dalton got Sallins’ extra-time off to the perfect start when he cut inside to score after just 25 seconds of play. The Kildare side held that lead for most of the opening half of extra-time before Tomás Ó Sé (BB) fired over after sustained An Ghaeltacht pressure.

Sallins did still carry a lead into half-time of extra-time when Luke Kelly found himself in space following an incisive run. Kelly had a good look around before realising he himself was the best option and then knocked the ball high over the bar.

Sallims smartly held possession in the early parts of the second half with bodies hurting and indeed dropping on both sides. They maintained their advantage thanks to a heroic block from Seán Ó Domhnaill, who stopped a certain An Ghaeltacht equaliser.

It was something akin to the Walking Dead late on with players trudging through the final minutes absolutely exhausted.

Sallins were almost there and reached the 20-minute mark, but, after Darren Keane fired wide for Sallins, when keeping the ball was the most important thing, An Ghaeltacht got one more chance.

Sallins looked to have won the resulting kickout but the Kerry side forced a turnover for steps which was subsequently brought forward for not handing back possession in what seemed a harsh call in the moment with Emmet Ralph on the ground face down. Éanna Ó Conchúir opted for a two-point effort to win it and stood over the free after having a fine game in front of goal. The An Ghaeltact full-forward struck it beautifully to win this incredible game for his club.

With the last kick of the game, An Ghaeltacht reached the AIB Football All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship final on a scoreline of 0-18 to 1-14 over Sallins.

An Ghaeltacht, Ruaidhri Ó Beaglaoich 0-8 (0-4 frees, 1 x 2ptf), Éanna Ó Conchúir 0-4 (1 x 2ptf), Aodán Breathnach 0-2 (1 x 2pt), PJ Mac Laimh 0-1, Seán Ó Gairbhí 0-1, Aodhna Ó Beaglaoich 0-1, Tomás Ó Sé (BB) 0-1.

Sallins, Luke Killian 0-5, Stephen Kelly 1-0, James Dalton 0-3, Cian Grimes 0-2 (0-2 frees), Luke Kelly 0-2, Paul Farrelly 0-1, Glen McEvoy 0-1.

AN GHAELTACHT: Seán Ó Lúing; Cian Ó Murchú, Peter Paul Sauerland, Adam Mac Amhlaoibh; Pádraig Ó Sé, JJ Mac Liam, Aodhna Ó Beaglaoich; Aodán Breathnach, Seán Ó Cuinn; Gavin Ó Cinnéide, Ruaidhri Ó Beaglaoich, PJ Mac Láimh; Conn Ó Riagáin, Éanna Ó Conchúir, Seán Ó Gairbhí. Subs: Conor Ó Corrduibh for Conn Ó Riagáin (half-time), Brian Ó Beaglaoich for Adam Mac Amhlaoibh (44 minutes), Cathal Ó Beaglaoich for Peter Paul Sauerland (48 minutes), Tomás Ó Sé for Gavin Ó Cinnéide (56 minutes), 20 for Ruaidhri Ó Beaglaoich (62 minutes), Diarmuid Ó Séaghdna for Aodán Breathnach (5 minutes of ET), Óigí Ó Sé for  Cathal Ó Beaglaoich (5 minutes of ET), Steven Ó Conchúir for Seán Ó Cuinn (11 minutes of extra-time).

SALLINS: Matthew Farrelly; Ruairí Ó Domhnaill, Mark Moynihan, Seán Ó Domhnaill; Luke Kelly, Darren Keane, Glen McEvoy; Daragh Mangan, Paul Farrelly; Cian Grimes, Colm Dalton, Luke Killian; Stephen Kelly, Emmet Ralph, James Dalton. Subs: Alan Marshall for Emmet Ralph (38 minutes), Aaron Carney for Mark Moynihan (40 minutes), Colm Dalton for Darren Keane (45 minutes), Darren Keane for Paul Farrelly (6 minutes of ET), Seán McDonnell for Cian Grimes (13 minutes of ET), Lorcan McKenna for Seán Conway (15 minutes of ET).

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary)

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