WE HAD THE Dubs and the Lilywhites facing off tonight in Páirc Tailteann for the first of this year’s EirGrid provincial U21 football finals. We were following all the action in the Leinster decider.
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Result: Dublin 3-10 Kildare 1-12
Here’s the teams named to start tonight.
DUBLIN
1 Loran Molloy (St Anne’s)
2 Shane Clayton (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
3 David Byrne (Nh Olaf)
4 Ross McGowan (Kilmacud Crokes)
5 Eric Lowndes (St Peregrine’s)
6 Conor Mulally (Cuala)
7 Eoin Murchan (Na Fianna)
8 Stephen Cunningham (St Sylvester’s)
9 Shane Carthy (Nh Mearnóg)
10 Gavin Burke (St Vincent’s)
11 Andrew Foley (Clontarf)
12 Niall Scully (Templeogue Synge St)
13 Cormac Costello (Whitehall Colmcille)
14 Conor McHugh (Na Fianna)
15 Colm Basquel (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
KILDARE
1. Colin Heeney (Celbridge)
2. Brian Byrne (Naas)
3. Darren Maguire (Maynooth)
4. Paul Mescal (Maynooth)
5. Ryan Houlihan (Moorefield)
6. David Hyland (Athy)
7. David Duke (Kilcock)
8. Ryan Moore (Moorefield)
9. Pascal Connell (Athy)
10. Chris Fenner (St Laurence’s)
11. David Fitzpatrick (Raheens)
12. Niall Kelly (Athy)
13. Neil Flynn (Maynooth)
14. Mark Sherry (Two Mile House)
15. Chris Healy (Two Mile House)
Kildare 0-1 Dublin 0-0
Niall Kelly gets Kildare off the mark with a point from play.
Kildare making the early running on a difficult night for free flowing football. Dublin yet to put a score on the board while Kildare’s leading forwards Niall Kelly and Neil Flynn have struck a point apiece.
Kildare 0-2 Dublin 0-1
Scratch that, we have a Dublin point! Killian O’Gara may be out injured but his replacement is certainly an able one with senior forward Cormac Costello just after notching a point.
Dublin 0-2 Kildare 0-2
Dublin hitting their stride now with midfielder Shane Carthy firing over a point that ties the teams.
Dublin 0-3 Kildare 0-2
Dublin push into the lead through a pointed free from Cormac Costello.
Kildare 0-3 Dublin 0-3
But Kildare regain parity with Neil Flynn converting his second free of the night.
Kildare 0-4 Dublin 0-3
Now Flynn shows that he can point from play. It’s his third score of the game with good approach work from Kelly and Chris Fenner. Kildare lead by one.
Dublin 1-3 Kildare 0-4
Decisive breakthrough made by Dublin. Costello is responsible for a fine delivery and it’s Colm Basquel who is on hand to fire home a goal for Dublin. The Ballyboden St-Enda’s man on target there.
Dublin 2-3 Kildare 0-4
Real daylight between the teams now. Conor McHugh surges through the Kildare defence and when he lays the ball across it is Costello who palms it to the net.
Dublin 2-3 Kildare 0-5
Kildare cut the gap to four through another Neil Flynn point.
Dublin 2-5 Kildare 1-7
Strong second-half start for Kildare as Neil Flynn points a free.
Subs: Robert Gaughan in for Dublin for Gavin Burke while Cein McMonagle replaces Ryan Moore on the Kildare side.
Kildare 1-9 Dublin 2-5
And it’s that man Flynn again with a pointed free, Kildare go in front by one.
Dublin 3-6 Kildare 1-10
Now the momentum is back with Dublin. Costello bags their second goal and then McHugh points.
Sub: Declan Flaherty in for Chris Healy for Kildare.
Dublin 3-6 Kildare 1-11
That’s 0-10 now for Neil Flynn for Kildare, a he points a free.
Sub: Kildare bring in Liam Power for Pascal Connell. Dublin take off Colm Basquel and draft in Aaron Byrne.
Dublin 3-7 Kildare 1-12
Flynn knocks over a ’45 and Kildare cut the gap to one but they’ve lost Niall Kelly to injury.
John Costello on for Kildare for Houlihan who has been black carded. Costello was fouled.
Iontach ar fad. The hurley stick. The Lions’ secret weapon in the first test!!