Kildare secure home quarter-final as they see off Sligo in Tailteann Cup

HOME QUARTER-FINAL: Kildare secured their home quarter-final and a weekend’s rest by overcoming Sligo in Dr. Hyde Park this afternoon, but Tony McEntee’s side exposed a vulnerability in the Tailteann Cup favourites that will give hope to a handful of other counties over the next month.

Tailteann Cup Group 1: Kildare 4-19 (4-2-15) Sligo 1-24 (1-4-16)

Kildare secured their home quarter-final and a weekend’s rest by overcoming Sligo in Dr. Hyde Park this afternoon, but Tony McEntee’s side exposed a vulnerability in the Tailteann Cup favourites that will give hope to a handful of other counties over the next month.

The return of Daniel Flynn has addressed what was perceived as a significant Kildare weakness by giving them a cutting edge in front of goal and the Johnstownbridge man starred in Roscommon with 2-3, including a second half goal that looked as if it had killed off the Sligo challenge.

But despite holding a 15-point lead 10 minutes into the second half, Kildare started to flounder at midfield, even against a Sligo side that took far too long to start to exploit the strong wind.

With 15 minutes to play there was still 11 points between the teams, and even though kickouts from the town end goal were reaching the opposition 45m line, Sligo had raised just one orange flag, that from a free.

Then Pat Spillane came off the bench to kick a pair of them, Canice Mulligan added another, and the crowd was roused into life.

By then, Sligo had taken control at midfield where Cian Lally and Mulligan were winning the kickout battle, and despite some touch-tight defending from Mark Dempsey, Niall Murphy seemed to be able to find the posts from all sorts of angles.

With five minutes to play, Murphy lobbed up a shot and let the wind do the rest to reduce the gap to two points (4-17 to 1-24), and when they reflect on this game during the week, Sligo will know that they had their chances to keep that momentum going. 

Lee Deignan put one two-point attempt wide, Lally turned down the chance to take on another when he had time and space some 50 metres out, and the game ultimately hinged on a handpass from Murphy where he looked to connect with Patrick O’Connor in behind the Kildare full-back line, but on a weekend where there were several last-ditch defensive plays that changed results, a fingertip interception from Dempsey averted the danger.

Two insurance points later, Kildare were confirmed as winners, but not in the comprehensive manner than many might have expected when they scored three goals in the first 15 minutes.

Sligo’s Lally got the game out to a sensational start by slicing through the centre of the Kildare defence and rifling the ball into the top corner, but on the next attack  Flynn replied in kind, collecting a pass from Alex Beirne and scoring at the second attempt, after his first effort was parried by Aidan Devaney.

Colm Dalton set up James McGrath for their second with Alex Beirne hammering the ball into the roof of the net for their third after 15 minutes.

Crucially however, Kildare struggled to tack on enough points to really and truly put Sligo away, with good peripheral defence restricting them to just two two-pointers.

Excellent points from Flynn, Callum Bolton, and then a fourth goal from the left foot of the rampaging full-forward, looked like it might have been enough.

Instead Sligo – eventually – found their attacking rhythm. It wasn’t enough to win the game, but what they did will make for interesting viewing for Kildare’s future opponents in what looks like a wide-open competition.

Scorers for Kildare: D Flynn (2-3), A Beirne (1-6, 1tpf, 1 45, 0-1f), J McGrath (1-0), C Dalton (0-3, 1tp), R Sinkey and T Gill (0-2 apiece); N Kelly, C Bolton and B McLoughlin (0-1 apiece).

Scorers for Sligo: N Murphy (0-10, 1tpf, 0-2f), P Spillane (0-5, 2tp), C Lally (1-0), P O’Connor (0-3); D Quinn, C Mulligan (1tp), A McLoughlin (2f) (0-2 apiece).

KILDARE: C Burke; M Dempsey, B Byrne, H O’Neill; T Gill, D Hyland, J McGrath; K Feely, B Gibbons; C Dalton, A Beirne, B McCormack; R Sinkey, D Flynn, B McLoughlin.

Subs: J Hyland for McCormack (2), N Kelly for Hyland (28), C Bolton for Gibbins (ht), K Flynn for Bolton (49), J McKevitt for Gill (67).

SLIGO: A Devaney; P McNamara, E McGuinness, E Lyons; B Cox, D Cummins, J Lavin; A Reilly, P Kilcoyne, D Quinn, C Lally; C Mulligan; A McLoughlin, S Deignan, N Murphy.

Subs: L Towey for McNamara (ht), R Doherty for Lavin (43), D Conlon for Deignan (49), P Spillane for Reilly (49), L Deignan for Cummins (67) 

Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).