Crucial Kildare goal a killer blow for score shy Longford minors

Kildare . . . 1-9    Longford . . . 0-3

But Tony Devlin’s side are still in huge trouble in the Leinster minor football championship as they will need to win away against a resurgent Offaly side and get a favour from Laois (who play Kildare) in the final round of the group stage on Thursday April 27th in the hope of reaching the knockout stage.  

A strong wind that blew towards the town end of the county ground had a huge bearing on the tie, but a wonderful Longford defensive effort in the first half while playing into the teeth of the breeze saw the sides get to the break with just six points on the board, 0-4 to 0-2 to Kildare. 

A measure of the strength of the breeze is that two Longford shots from inside the ‘arc’ both dropped short, and realistically, anything more than 25 metres from goal was outside scoring range. Despite this a point from James Hagan and a Patrick Mollahan free were registered, and there could have been even more, with Mollahan, Hagan and Cormac Flynn all unlucky from close range. 

Longford’s strength was their half-back-line where Jack Fitzpatrick and Kevin Baskett were outstanding, with Baskett carrying a world of ball right into the heart of the Kildare defence.

 For their part, the Lily Whites looked strong on the break, but Longford got bodies back quickly, regularly putting all 15 players behind the ball, and they frustrated their opponents, with only Harry Redmond making any impact by scoring 0-2 from play. 

After the impressive Joey Cunningham opened the scoring in the second half for Kildare by fisting the ball over the bar at the end of a lung-busting 70 metre run, the contest changed utterly in the 38th minute when one mistake undid all that patient, disciplined Longford defending. 

A free out from the left corner of the back line was played across goal and held up in the breeze, with Cian Keaveny able to pounce and play in Jack McCabe, and once he scrambled a shot past the opposing keeper Darragh Egan, Longford had a mountain to climb. 

And because the Longford lads had to come out and chase the game, largely through deploying either Shane Donohoe or later on, Daniel Carey close to the Kildare goal, their defensive shape suffered, and Kildare were able to punch holes in the back line much more easily. 

Sloppy deliveries into the square that drifted too far wide for Donohoe or Carey to attack them posed no threat, and while players like Alex Nugent, Ryan Keogh and Fitzpatrick continued to defend well, eventually points from Joey Cunningham and man of the match Ben Ryan (son of Kildare senior manager Glen Ryan) were enough to ensure a comfortable win for Kildare who advance a stage further in the championship.

 LONGFORD: Darragh Egan (Carrickedmond); Patrick Clancy (Killashee), Alex Nugent (Mostrim), Ryan Keogh (Killoe); Jack Fitzpatrick (Killoe), Sean Egan (Carrickedmond), Kevin Baskett (Clonguish, 0-1 free); Shane Donohoe (Killoe), Tommy Killian (Killashee); Jamie Dorr (Clonguish), Patrick Mollahan (Killashee, 0-1 free), Conor Doherty (Killoe); James Hagan (Clonguish, 0-1), Davin Donnelly (Killoe), Cormac Flynn (Clonguish).

 Subs:- Daniel Carey (Clonguish) for T Killian (42 mins); Dylan Vance (Dromard) for C Doherty (45 mins); Paul Eivers (Killoe) for P Clancy (55 mins); Daniel Lee (Killoe) for J Dorr (55 mins); Enda Quinn (Killoe) for C Flynn (60 mins).

 KILDARE: Cathal Moore; Liam Kelly, Rob Murray, Michael Chambers; James Donnelly, Seanan Murphy, Colm Moran; Evan Boyle, Ben Ryan (0-1); Donnchadh Kinch, Joey Cunningham (0-5, two frees), Evan Donnelly; Cian Keaveny, Jack McCabe (1-1, 0-1 free), Harry Redmond (0-2).

Subs:- Paul O’Dea for E Donnelly (45 mins); Liam O’Connor for D Kinch (48 mins); Rúaidhrí Lawlor for C Moran (53 mins); Alex Lenehan for R Murray (56 mins); Ronan Kelly for C Keaveny (60 mins).

Referee: Niall Ward (Westmeath).