Goal ‘sneak’ Smith ready to do the damage for free-scoring Lilywhites

LIKE most clichés, the one about Kildare’s dearth of scoring ability has had more than a hint of truth about it. As this decade progressed, it became more and more appropriate.

In the first three years of the century, the Lilies kept themselves in contention because of goals, with Tadhg Fennin and Padraig Brennan doing much of the damage.

When Mick O’Dwyer ended his association with the county in 2002, Kildare had struck the net 14 times in 15 championship outings over three seasons.

Johnny Doyle and Fennin had tremendous days thereafter but the goals began to dry up.

For the next four campaigns from 2003 to 2006 inclusive, Kildare scored just five in 12 outings. Fennin shot three, Ronan Sweeney slotted a penalty in the 2003 Leinster final, and Doyle bagged the other. Doyle hit four of Kildare’s seven goals in eight ties over the next two seasons but he was getting little support.

When Kieran McGeeney came in as manager, he immediately identified the scoring problems, and the issue was a common theme in post-match interviews.

That problem has been addressed in no mean fashion this season, with the men from the Short Grass averaging almost 20 points a game in the championship.

With six goals from five games, they have their highest return in that department since 2002, when Kildare recorded seven.

There is a new duo doing the damage though. James Kavanagh has been around for some time, having made his debut in 2005, but he is finally delivering on his potential this year, providing much more than his two goals to date.

Alan Smith is what the Aussie Rules coaches would call a goal sneak.

Arsène Wenger labelled such an individual a “fox in the box”. Smith himself passes it off as being “in the right place at the right time”.

It is this invaluable gift that is making last year’s U21 star a much talked-about forward as we enter August and will be concentrating the minds of Ryan McMenamin and his defensive colleagues in Tyrone tomorrow.

The Sarsfields man knows that he faces a stern examination against the All-Ireland champions. Remember the manner in which he tormented Cork’s Anthony Lynch in last year’s quarter-final though? He is not afraid of the challenge.

“In the quarter-final you were always going to get a tough team,” he reasons.

“It was the same last year. So it was always going to be hard. This is how we learn by taking on the best and it will show us where we stand and what more we need to do to get to the top.

“There’s a lot of progress made but we’re only back to where we were last year so we’ll have to progress again.

“Our goal at the start of the year was to reach the All-Ireland final so we’re still not there yet. You wouldn’t be playing if you didn’t think you were going to win.”

So what about his happy knack of making the net bulge?

“I like to think I’ve the handy job. The guys are doing all the work out the field.

“It’s often a simple tap-in for me; it’s just to be in the right place at the right time.

“We’re more focused this year, focusing on our tackling and our shooting.

“We’re sticking by our goals and working hard for each other.”

The one game Smith failed to find to raise a green flag in was the Leinster final. He was a real threat in the opening half with his style of sliding on one knee when collecting a low ball employed time after time. The supply dried up in the second half though as his team-mates further afield began to return to old bad habits and he became a peripheral figure as the game slipped away. The hangover didn’t last too long go as the next target was established and the defeat of Wicklow has put them back on a winning run.

“After training (on the) Tuesday night we were over it. We were back training and looking forward to the next game. So we’re moving on now.

“You look at Wicklow; they built up a bit of momentum over three weeks.

“We had two weeks off from the Leinster final and hopefully a bit of momentum will go our way after winning again and that will do us the world of good.”