Kildare pass the stress test

FOR a long time, this game was moving towards an apparently inevitable Kildare victory without the bite or intensity you expect from games between these two, no matter what’s at stake.

In the end, the Lilywhites did prevail but the temperature had raised enough by the final whistle that Meath manager Seamus McEnaney was squaring off with his Kildare counterpart, Kieran McGeeney, over a decision to award a hop ball when Ronan Sweeney had appeared to have over-carried.

McEnaney dismissed it afterwards as “spur of the moment” and McGeeney described it wonderfully as “tickling bellies”, although he did chastise himself for losing his discipline.

In truth, there was little to it, but it showed that this mattered, as did the pumped fist by the currently injured Dermot Earley from his seat in front of the press box.

The new Meath boss might have been discussing another defeat and the spectre of relegation afterwards but with Kevin and Graham Reilly to return to training this week and Stephen Bray is also expected home from his honeymoon.

“It’s Meath’s first performance of the year,” he said.

“We’d be very happy with the performance. We put a serious bit of fight into it. We conceded a goal and it probably was the difference in the end, but I couldn’t complain about the Meath players today. Lads have been working tremendously hard; it just hasn’t been showing in the games, but today is the first of that and hopefully a foundation to build on.”

McGeeney was satisfied his team had once again shown their ability to recover from setbacks like the present of a goal they awarded to Shane O’Rourke to give Meath hope.

“When we gave the goal away I thought it was a case of history repeating itself,” McGeeney mused.

“We did the same in Navan last year when we were on top and you can’t replicate those things in training until they happen in a match. I wouldn’t have chosen to do it that way but it was good to see the fellas react in the right way and chip back the points.”

While Kildare had impressive performers in Mick Foley, Gary White, Padraig O’Neill and Ronan Sweeney, star billing went to Rob Kelly, who kicked four points from play and had a hand in a host of other scores, including Johnny Doyle’s goal.

Brian Farrell and Shane O’Rourke had helped Meath establish a one-point advantage when Doyle struck from close range after good work by White, Sweeney, Kelly and Emmet Bolton.

Kildare led by 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval and though substitute Cian Ward converted a couple of frees for Meath, some excellent scores by Sweeney, Kelly and O’Neill had Kildare leading by 1-10 to 0-9 with 12 minutes to go.

Then came O’Rourke’s goal but with Fionn Dowling outstanding as an outlet for his suppliers, Kildare managed to carve out some excellent opportunities.

White, Sweeney and James Kavanagh all raised white flags and though Farrell and Paddy O’Rourke got ones back, Meath never really looked getting something from the game.

Scorers for Kildare: J Doyle 1-3 (0-3fs), R Kelly 0-4, E O’Flaherty (1 45, 1f), R Sweeney 0-2 each, G White, J Kavanagh, P O’Neill 0-1 each.

Scorers for Meath: C Ward 0-4f, S O’Rourke 1-1 (0-1f), J Sheridan (1 45), B Farrell (1f) 0-2 each, P Gilsenan, P O’Rourke, S Kenny 0-1 each.

KILDARE: S Connolly; A Mac Lochlainn, M Foley, H McGrillen; E Bolton, B Flanagan, G White; T Moolick, R Sweeney; E O’Flaherty, P O’Neill, K Cribbin; J Doyle, D Flynn, R Kelly.

Subs: J Kavanagh for Moolick (45), D Whyte for Flanagan (49), F Dowling for Cribbin (56), M O’Flaherty for Bolton (58).

MEATH: B Murphy; E Harrington, C King, S McAnarney; G O’Brien, B Menton, C McGuinness; B Meade, N Crawford; P Gilsenan 0-1, S O’Rourke 1-1 (0-1f), S Kenny 0-1; B Farrell 0-2 (1f), J Sheridan 0-2 (1 45), B Sheridan.

Subs: C Ward 0-4(fs) for B Sheridan (ht); A Moyles for Kenny inj (47); M Ward for Crawford (54); A Nestor for Harrington (58); P O’Rourke 0-1 for Gilsenan (68).

Referee: Marty Duffy (Sligo)