Five-point win takes Galway U21s into final

Galway 2-10 Kildare 2-5

Galway qualified for their second Cadbury All-Ireland Under-21 Football final in three years with a five-point win over Kildare at O'Connor Park this afternoon.

An excellent defensive display by Galway late on helped book their place in the decider, on a day when Kildare were guilty of some really poor shooting - Kieran McGeeney's youngsters finished with 20 wides.

Half forward Sean Moran gave an excellent display for Galway, with the man-of-the-match firing home a vital second half goal for the winners.

Three points separated the sides at half-time on a 1-6 to 1-3 scoreline and although Kildare cut the gap to two points on the restart, Galway held that extra edge and were sharper in front of the posts.

Galway started brightly as Shane Walsh claimed the first of his three first half points inside the opening minute, but it was Kildare who lorded possession in the early stages.

The Lillywhites threw everything at the Galway defence during that period, but found it hard to make it count on the scoreboard.

The Tribesmen were dogged in defence and crucially Kildare failed to convert the bulk of their scoring chances. Four attacks from McGeeney's side yielded two wides and two chances were cleared out, with Paul Cribbin and Paddy Brophy both finding it hard to take scores.

Senior player Padraig Fogarty was also denied by Thomas Healy in the sixth minute, but Kildare eventually levelled through Daniel Flynn in the seventh minute.

Wind-assisted Galway were more resourceful though, Thomas Flynn firing a low shot past Kildare goalkeeper Mark Donnellan to give the westerners a 1-1 to 0-1 lead after 10 minutes.

While this was a major boost for Galway, Kildare failed to let this score unsettle them and three minutes later, they breached the Tribesmen goalmouth.

Niall Kelly and Daniel Flynn combined for Flynn to slot the ball to the back of the Galway net and tie the game for the second time.

Kildare claimed the lead for the first time in the 17th minute after they gained possession following a poor kick-out and Kelly popped over his only score of the opening half.

But Galway proved strongest in the second quarter, outscoring their opponents by four points to one before the break.

Damien Comer and Ian Burke landed quick points from back-to-back attacks in the 24th minute, while a Sean Moran score pushed Galway 1-5 to 1-2 ahead approaching the break.

Kildare were not without their scoring chances, but registered 11 wides before the interval. Fionn Dowling and Walsh swapped points to make it 1-6 to 1-3 at half-time.

Padraig Fogarty helped reduce the deficit to two points inside three minutes of the restart, but once again Kildare were wasteful in front of the posts.

Walsh popped over a brace of points, one each from play and a free inside a 90-second spell, to ensure a 1-8 to 1-4 scoreline in the 36th minute.

Defences were on top over the next 10 minutes, with a lone Paul Cribbin score during that period keeping Kildare in touch.

Moran was causing the Kildare defence huge problems. Although David Hyland put in a well-placed block on a Moran shot in the 44th minute, Galway continued to push hard for their second goal.

Ian Burke then played in Moran who snuck the ball past Donnellan in the Kildare goal to give Galway a 2-8 to 1-5 buffer.

Kildare bounced back thanks to a Sean Hurley goal three minutes later - the score set up by a Fogarty pass - but the Leinster champions were unable to kick on.

Galway, continuing to kick their scores, looked far sharper with Walsh and Cathal Mulryan on target late on to seal a five-point success.

Scorers - Galway: S Walsh 0-6 (0-3f), S Moran 1-1, T Flynn 1-0, D Comer, I Burke, C Mulryan 0-1 each

Kildare: D Flynn 1-1, S Hurley 1-0, N Kelly, F Dowling, P Fogarty, P Cribbin 0-1 each

GALWAY: T Healy; M Loughnane, J Shaughnessy, D Cunnane; G Canavan, D Burke, P Varley; D Comer, F Ó Curraoin; C Mulryan, S Moran, T Flynn; S Walsh, A Varley, I Burke.

Subs used: C Rabbitte for D Burke (41 mins), P Ezergailis for Cunnane (45), L Silke for Canavan (53), E Commins for Comer (59).

KILDARE: M Donnellan; M Konstantin, D Hyland, S Higgins; P Cribbin, D Conway, J Byrne; T Moolick, S Hurley; L McGovern, N Kelly, D Flynn; P Brophy, F Dowling, P Fogarty.

Subs used: H Mahon for Fogarty (49 mins), T Gibbons for McGovern (55), G Farrell for Dowling (55).

Referee: Barry Cassidy (Derry)