Clinical Lilywhites finish the job in style

Kildare 0-16 Tyrone 0-11:A FIRST national senior title in 84 years, a decent scalp in Croke Park to go with it, and some sublime football to finish it all off. Who cares if Division Two only delivers a pocket-sized trophy? Yet all Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney affords it is a dry smile, some faint praise, and a reminder that it's not yet summer.

As if we needed that – trying to blow some warmth into our cupped hands, the last of any body heat long since expended into the empty stands.

But if Kildare’s ultimate judgement day is indeed still some ways off then at least they are approaching it the right way.

Not only was it the first time McGeeney’s team had beaten Tyrone, but it also inflicted on the latter a first defeat in 13 games, and in such a way that Tyrone found themselves “really overwhelmed”, in the words of their manager Mickey Harte.

It felt a lot more like early spring than early summer in Croke Park, the strong, swirling wind not exactly working to the advantage of either side, no matter what direction they were playing.

As a game too it only really heated up in the last 10 minutes, at least as far as Kildare were concerned: without much warning they ignited like a Roman candle, and so much so that even Tyrone could only sit back and admire it.

Scoring seven points without reply, Kildare, in those final 10 minutes, would have been too hot for most teams in the country to handle – and presumably that’s the sort of football McGeeney intends playing for more extended periods come the summer.

Johnny Doyle, Eamonn Callaghan and Mikey Conway were leading the attacking onslaught, but commanding the way in an unexpected guise was substitute and recent under-21 standout Pádraig Fogarty, who dazzled us each time he touched the ball, took on the Tyrone defence with complete fearlessness, and ended up with three sweet points, all from play.

McGeeney said afterwards that Fogarty had stepped up here a few levels, and that much is true: a nephew, believe it or not, of Doyle, Fogarty was leading by example not just in those final 10 minutes but for the 10 minutes before that too, having replaced Alan Smith.

There was very nearly the headline stealer too when Doyle set up Fogarty for a point, although he did hit that one narrowly wide.

Still, he clearly injected considerable pace into the Kildare forward line, which had looked a little stiff in the opening 50 minutes.

Fogarty appeared to inspire too, because Doyle, who had a very ordinary first half, also finished with a flurry, kicking a point from the sideline on 66 minutes when the crazy wind should have demanded more caution.

This extraordinary run of scores also came against the backdrop of Tyrone holding an apparent advantage. With 55 minutes on the clock gone they were a point up, 0-10 to 0-9, with some typically incisive attacks that could well have yielded a goal or two.

Instead, they didn’t score again until the death, with a late free from Stephen O’Neill, and unfortunately for them too many of their big-game players – especially Seán Cavanagh and to a lesser extent O’Neill – failed to make the required impact.

That’s not saying the opening two-thirds of the game wasn’t even: indeed the first half was played out with the two teams running shoulder-to-shoulder jostling for the best position, like milers on the opening two laps.

They were level four times in the first 30 minutes, and Owen Mulligan did at least show enough flashes of his old brilliance to suggest that Tyrone might have the upper hand.

Tactically, both teams seemed content to bundle most of their players in their respective half-back lines, which hardly made for the most prolific attacking football.

Anyway, Kildare did edge themselves two points in front before the break, Aidan McCrory was forced to tip the ball over his own bar in a jump-off with Tomás O’Connor, although McCrory sustained a neck injury in the process, and was stretchered off, forcing a lengthy delay.

This was purely precautionary, and he’d made a full recovery in the dressing room afterwards.

That delay meant it was 48 minutes into the first half when Stephen O’Neill clawed one back with a free – his first real contribution.

Soon afterwards Mulligan set up O’Neill with a glorious pass, followed by a trademark catch and turn, but O’Neill’s shot blasted just right and wide and with that the sides were into the break with Kildare leading 0-7 to 0-6.

Overall Kildare had been carrying greater possession, but were more wasteful of it, and should have gone into the break more than one point clear.

Callaghan, a late replacement for Brian Flanagan, was controlling the half back line, and Morgan O’Flaherty too, but ironically some of Kildare’s best forward moves came from breakdowns in the Tyrone attack.

Mark Donnelly had looked threatening in periods, although Peter Harte didn’t enjoy one of his better days, and Niall McKenna was more shakes than moves at full forward.

The style of Kildare’s finish, the way they kicked away from their opposition with a sort of confidence and determination that is almost impossible to halt, must have impressed Harte, given it’s the style of blistering finish Tyrone once seemed to have the copyright on.

Deep down McGeeney must have realised that too, and perhaps somewhere along the line afforded himself a wider smile.

KILDARE: S Connolly; P Kelly, H McGrillen, O Lyons; E Bolton, M O’Flaherty, E Callaghan (0-1); M Foley, P O’Neill; E O’Flaherty (0-3, 0-2 frees, 0-1 45), M Conway (0-5, 0-4 frees), J Doyle (0-2, 0-1 sideline); A Smith, T O’Connor, J Kavanagh (0-1). Subs: P Fogarty (0-3) for Smith (48 mins), D Flynn for Foley (60 mins).

TYRONE: J Curran; A McCrory (0-1, own-point); C Gormley, PJ Quinn; C McCarron, P Harte, D McCaul; A Cassidy, C Cavanagh; R McNabb, M Donnelly (0-2), S Cavanagh (0-1); O Mulligan (0-4, 0-3 frees), N McKenna (0-1), S O’Neill (0-3, 0-2 frees). Subs: J McMahon for McCrory (35 mins, inj), Sean O’Neill for McCaul (63), M Penrose for McKenna (66 mins), M Murphy for C Cavanagh (70 mins).

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).