Another minor final penalty cliffhanger as Kildare edge Meath

There have been some thrilling provincial deciders in the minor football grade, this one being the latest Friday night

AWAY: Kildare's Charlie Doran breaks free of the clutches of Meath's Harry McGuirk in their dramatic Leinster MFC final in Portlaoise. The Lillies wil now face Kerry in the quarter final of the All-Ireland with Meath playing Munster champions Cork. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Leinster MFC final: Kildare 2-13 Meath 1-16 (aet, Kildare win 5-3 on pens)

LOGAN Tennyson nailed the super sub role with a series of dramatic interventions to secure the Leinster MFC title for Kildare.

Brought on early in the second half of a tense decider, the St Kevin's man firstly broke Meath hearts by forcing extra time with a late 1-1.

Then after 20 extra minutes he popped up with another equaliser, this time a pointed free, to force the game to penalties.

Tennyson was one of the five Kildare penalty takers to convert spot kicks too, with goalkeeper Joe Crotty pulling off a crucial save from Meath captain Harry McGuirk.

That was unfortunate for McGuirk after a powerful performance but Meath are still alive and will face Munster champions Cork in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

Kildare, meanwhile, will face Munster runners-up Kerry and will hope for another tour de force from player of the match Greg Kelly who, like Tennyson, scored 1-2 in Portlaoise.

Kildare had five points to spare when the sides previously met in early April in Skryne, the home club of Meath manager Trevor Giles.

That was Meath's second loss after defeat to Louth so they had to beat Laois in their last group game just to advance.

But they did so in style, slamming in five goals and they added six more against Wicklow, five against Offaly and two in the semi-final win over Dublin.

The only blot on Kildare's copybook was a group game loss to Louth, a result they avenged with a 1-11 to 0-10 semi-final win.

They got the brighter start this time too, sniping early points from Eoghan Lyons and Jack Reilly.

Wind-assisted Kildare were the better side for the first 25 minutes too but a fourth minute Liam O'Donoghue goal kept Meath in it.

And when the Royals finished out the half with points from Milo Stafford and Conn Brennan, they tied it up at 1-5 to 0-8.

That was more than acceptable from their perspective considering the wind and a couple of decent point chances, and a goal opportunity, that Kildare wasted.

The third quarter was tense and the sides split four points between them, Jack Reilly with a couple of Kildare points from frees, 1-7 to 0-10.

That's when Meath came alive with their best passage of play, reeling off four more points without response.

McGuirk pulled the strings as Stafford, Leo Kavanagh, Brennan and Cormac Walsh finished off sweet moves, leaving Meath 1-11 to 0-10 up deep into stoppage time.

But Kildare simply refused to relent and when Fiachra Martin's shot at goal was blocked, Tennyson swept up the crumbs and fired to the net.

Almost inevitably, Kildare then conjured the equaliser four minutes into stoppage time, Tennyson the hero again as he tied it up at 1-12 to 1-12.

They scored a point each in the first half of extra time - which suited Meath as they'd played into the wind.

The Royals thought they'd won it when they cancelled out Kelly's 74th minute goal with four points, including a two-pointer from Stafford.

But Tennyson intervened again, curling over the leveller from a free that was won by Kelly to set up the penalty shoot out.

Kildare scorers: G Kelly, L Tennyson (1 free)(1-2 each); J Reilly (0-5, 4 frees); E Lyons (0-2, 1 free); F Lawlor, P Ryan (0-1 each).

Meath scorers: M Stafford (0-6, 3 frees, 1 tp); L O'Donoghue (1-0); C Brennan, H McGuirk (0-3 each); C Fitzsimons (1 free), L Kavanagh, C Walsh, T Dillon (0-1 each).

KILDARE: J Crotty; L Shanahan, R Crawford, E Markey; F Lawlor, J Doran, L Mescal; C Doran, P Ryan; J Flood, G Kelly, E Lyons; J Reilly, A Tobin, C Kehoe.

Subs: L Tennyson for Flood (35); A Bergin for Tobin (46); F Martin for Kehoe (54); R Cooke for Ryan (59). G Clare for Lawlor (70); C Cowzer for Doran (74).

MEATH: C Fitzsimons; B Browne, T Clarke, N Rogan; L O'Donoghue, J Killoran, N Smyth; C McKenna, C Brennan; H McGuirk, T Proudfoot, A Keane; C Walsh, M Stafford, D Loughran.

Subs: L Kavanagh for Proudfoot (43); T McKeever for Loughran (52); H Keating for Browne & T Dillon for Walsh (62). Loughran for Killoran & D Glynn for Rogan (83).

Ref: E Kelly (Westmeath).