Kildare 1-21
Longford 3-15

Fintan O’Toole reports from Tullamore

(After extra-time)

IT’S A YEAR this weekend since a miserable day at the office for the Kildare footballers in Tullamore as they were dumped out of the Leinster race by Carlow.

They didn’t make an exit at the same stage today but still endured a dramatic and nerve-shredding experience as Longford pegged them back twice to force a Leinster quarter-final replay next Sunday.

Kildare's Eoin Doyle in action against Longford's Colm P Smyth. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Trailing by seven points early in the second half of normal time, Longford plotted a route back into the game and took Kildare to extra-time. They faltered initially in that additional period but again managed to reel Kildare in when Mickey Quinn scrambled home an 82nd minute goal. It was frenzied and frenetic in the second half of extra-time but neither side would score again. They finished tied and will cross paths again next Sunday. Dublin’s semi-final opponents are still to be determined in the province.

Kildare had headed for the dressing-room at half-time, invigorated by the manner in which they had closed out the half as they outscored Longford 1-4 to 0-1 after the 21st minute. The goal was smashed home emphatically to the net by Adam Tyrrell in the 35th minute, David Slattery opting to go it alone initially but after his shot rebounded off the leg of goalkeeper Paddy Collum, it fell kindly for the Moorefield man.

Tyrrell weighed in with 1-4 in a fine first-half display, swinging over a free for the final score of that period after Kildare opted for a change in that department with Eoghan O’Flaherty having floated two shots wide of the target.

Longford had much to be pleased about in their opening half showing. A third of their starting side had pleasant memories of the stadium after Mullinalaghta’s landmark club triumph last December. They started tentatively with four shots flying over the crossbar of the goal they were defending but then Longford settled.

They reeled off four in a row to draw level, had a couple of bright sparks up front in Daniel Mimnagh and Jamies McGivney before moving into the ascendancy in the 21st minute. It was a lovely free-flowing move after they won their own kickout with Michael Quinn scything through the central corridor of the Kildare rearguard and offloading to Darragh Doherty who finished neatly to the net.

But Kildare countered impressively before half-time to canter into a 1-12 to 1-8 lead. That impetus was maintained early in the second half with Tyrrell, Conor Hartley and David Hyland rattling over points to leave them sailing clear 1-15 to 1-8. What happened then until the final whistle was tricky to fathom. Kildare only struck two more points in the remainder of normal time and neither were form play as Tyrrell snapped over two frees.

Longford got closer with a few points and then were boosted by the second goal they registered. Mark Donnellan’s short kickout for Kildare in the 54th minute went desperately wrong as David McGivney intercepted, transferred across to Mark Hughes and seconds after coming on the substitute found himself planting the ball in the back of the net.

Mark Hughes hit Longford's second goal.

Kildare tried to stem the tide with Tyrrell’s placed balls putting them three to the good once more yet Longford thundered towards the finish line. Hughes, Barry McKeon and Aidan McElligott all notched impressive scores. James McGivney had one last boot from distance against a packed Kildare defence in an attempt to find a winner for Longford but it tipped the upright and the action headed towards extra-time.

There Kildare made an initial burst with substitute Jimmy Hyland a real livewire yet they were knocked back by Quinn’s goal. No further scores posted on the board thereafter and round two beckons next Sunday.

Scorers for Kildare: Adam Tyrrell 1-7 (0-3f), David Hyland 0-4 (0-1 mark), Ben McCormack 0-3, Jimmy Hyland, Fergal Conway, 0-2 each, Eoghan O’Flaherty (0-1f), Conor Hartley, Paddy Brophy 0-1 each.

Scorers for Longford: David McGivney (0-4f), James McGivney 0-4 each, Mark Hughes 1-1, Michael Quinn 0-1, Daniel Mimnagh 0-3, Darragh Doherty 1-0, John Keegan 0-1.

Kildare

1. Mark Donnellan (Maynooth)

2. Mark Dempsey (Moorefield)
3. David Hyland (Athy)
4. Mark Hyland (Athy)

5. Peter Kelly (Two Mile House)
6. Eoin Doyle (Naas)
7. Keith Cribbin (Johnstownbridge)

8. Kevin Feely (Athy)
9. Fergal Conway (Celbridge)

10. David Slattery (Confey)
11. Ben McCormack (Sarsfields)
12. Eoghan O’Flaherty (Carbury)

13. Adam Tyrrell (Moorefield)
14. Paddy Brophy (Celbridge)
15. Neil Flynn (Maynooth)

Subs

19. Conor Hartley (Sarsfields) for McCormack (half-time)
22. Niall Kelly (Athy) for O’Flaherty (50)
17. Jimmy Hyland (Ballyteague) for Flynn (56)
26. Cathal McNally (Johnstownbridge) for Tyrrell (67)
18. Tommy Moolick (Leixlip) for Conway (67)
11. McCormack for Brophy (start of extra-time)
20. Cian O’Donoghue (Clane) for Cribbin (80)
23. Kevin O’Callaghan (Celbridge) for Slattery (87)

Longford

1. Paddy Collum (Fr Manning Gaels)

2. Patrick Fox (Mullinalaghta)
3. Andrew Farrell (Cashel)
4. Barry O’Farrell (Carrickedmond)

5. Colm P. Smyth (Abbeylara)
6. Pádraig McCormack (Killoe)
7. Darren Quinn (Clonguish)

8. John Keegan (Mullinalaghta)
9. David McGivney (Mullinalaghta)

10. Gary Rogers (Mullinalaghta)
11. Barry McKeon (Colmcille)
12. Michael Quinn (Killoe – captain)

13. Daniel Mimnagh (Killoe)
14. James McGivney (Mullinalaghta)
21. Darragh Doherty (Mostrim)

Subs

20. Joseph Hagan (Dromard) for Farrell (black card) (51)
17. Mark Hughes (Killoe) for Doherty (52)
26. Shane Kenny (Rathcline) for Rogers (59)
19. Aidan McElligott (Mullinalaghta) for Smyth (65)
24. Ronan McEntire (Dromard) for Kenny (75)
21. Doherty for Hughes (87)

Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)

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