Critchley vocalises regret and relief

Relief, regrets and controversy all hung around in the gathering gloom of St Conleth's Park, Newbridge. Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes knew they should have won whereas Carlow's eternal challengers Eire Og have been around enough to know that they might well have been beaten.

Their manager Pat Critchley reflected the sense of relief. "We got away to a great start and the first half was very even. For long stretches of the second half it looked very ominous for us but when (Brian) Carbery got a fabulous point from the wing for us - he'd a great game for us, the 19year-old in his first Leinster final - that steadied it. And when we got level it looked as if we could win it but we were happy enough with the draw."

He paid tribute to Hughie Brennan, a veteran of Eire Og's tilts at the club championships and the man who captained Carlow to the All-Ireland B title four years ago.

"Hughie gave us a bit more physical presence and won some vital ball, but we were struggling to win possession around the middle. Our defence tackled well and made it hard for them to score when they were on top and they were still within striking distance when we had the recovery."

His Kilmacud counterpart, Robbie Kelleher, was more subdued. "If you'd the luxury of being a neutral it would have been a great game of football. I didn't have that luxury, unfortunately. We had enough chances in the second half and didn't take them. Fair play to them, they dug in and kept going. We didn't put them away."

Kilmacud and Dublin corner forward Mick O'Keeffe ended the day as top scorer but was disappointed at the number of chances missed.

"The pitch was very heavy, Eire Og closed us down well and it was hard to turn in the mud, but some of the chances we missed, there was no excuse. On another day myself and Ray (Cosgrove) would have taken those chances.

"There's a feeling of despondency but people have to realise we've got to pick ourselves up. We're playing a good side and we've the opportunity to redeem ourselves next Sunday."