Longford 2-6
Kildare 0-10

Ger McNally reports from Hawkfield

LONGFORD CAUSED SOMETHING of an upset in beating Kildare at the quarter-final stage in the EirGrid Leinster U21 football championship at a windswept Hawkfield tonight.

Two Nigel Rabbitte goals in the opening 12 minutes gave the winners the ideal start and they restricted Kildare to a solitary point in the first half.

They took a 2-3 to 0-1 lead to the dressing room at half time despite losing captain Shane Kenny to injury during the opening 30 minutes.

Two goals for Abbeylara player Nigel Rabbitte tonight. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Kildare also lost a key player to injury at the break in senior forward Ben McCormack.

The second half was a very different affair and for the first 20 minutes of the second half, Longford struggled to even make it out of their own ’45.

Paddy Woodgate scored the first five points after the restart and in all, Kildare scored nine in a row with Jack Robinson putting them ahead in the 50th minute.

The game looked to swung in Kildare’s favour but Conor Berry kicked two massive points for the visitors and Jayson Matthews completed the win injury time.

Scorers for Longford: Nigel Rabbitte 2-0, Conor Berry 0-2, R Brady 0-1, S Kenny 0-1, Jayson Matthews 0-1, David McGivney 0-1 (0-1f).

Scorers for Kildare: Paddy Woodgate 0-6 (0-6f), Cian Costigan 0-2 (1f), Conor Hartley 0-1, Stephen Comerford 0-1

Longford

Conor Gallagher (Grattan Óg)

Kevin Sorohan (Rathcline)
Conor Farrell (Cashel)
James Mooney (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s)

Cian Brady (Abbeylara)
Dessie Reynolds (Sean Connollys)
Russell Brady (Abbeylara)

David McGivney (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s)
Shane Kenny (Rathcline)

Joe Kelly (Ballymahon)
Nigel Rabbitte (Abbeylara)
Paul Lynn (Grattan Óg)

Rian Brady (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s)
David Carrigy (St Patrick’s Ardagh)
Aidan McElligott (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s)

Subs

Conor Berry (Abbeylara) for Kenny (22)
Eoin Higgins (St Mary’s Granard) for Russel Brady (40)
Jayson Matthews (Mullinalaghta St Columba’s) for Carrigy (47)
Darragh Doherty (Mostrim) for Lynn (52)
Cillian Lee (St Brigid’s) for Rabbittee (58)

Kildare

Declan Campbell (Raheens)

Mark Hyland (Athy)
Darren Maguire (Maynooth)
Mark Dempsey (Moorefield)

Rúádhan Ó Giollan (Maynooth)
Shea Ryan (Sarsfields)
Stephen Comerford (Round Towers)

Jamie Flynn (Round Towers)
Daniel Courtney (Kilcock)

Con Kavanagh (Sarsfields)
Barry Kelly (Athy)
Conor Hartley (Sarsfields)

Paddy Woodgate (Raheens)
Eoghan Boyle (Rathangan)
Ben McCormack (Sarsfields)

Subs:

Cian Costigan (Sarsfields) for Flynn (half-time)
Jack Robinson (Clogherinkoe/Balyna) for McCormack (inj) (half-time)
Kevin O’Callaghan (Celbridge)
John Costello (Celbridge) for Kelly (56)

Referee: Stephen Murphy (Louth).

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