Defiant Kildare comeback not enough to deny Offaly

Offaly 2-17 Kildare 0-13: Five minutes into the second half and with Kildare looking at a 13-point deficit Pádraig Nolan's side were facing an inglorious exit from what would have been a brutal and short championship.

However, an almost surreal fight-back, with Offaly failing to score and the Lilywhites scoring 1-6 in the final 22 minutes, saw Kildare leave the pitch with some pride, but Offaly quitting the field with the next round of the Qualifiers to look forward to.

Offaly's 2-17 to 1-16 victory was won in short periods before and after the half-time break when they rattled up a haul of 2-6.

Goals from Pascal Kellaghan and Niall McNamee just before the break made all the difference and manager Gerry Fahy admitted as much after the game.

"We got goals at a crucial stage and they came within a short time of each other and that gave us a great lift," said Fahy.

"My first reaction after that game is that you have to take your hat off to Kildare considering that they were beaten last week and they only had six days to recover.

"The way they went at it in the second half it was one of the best performances I have ever seen from a team.

"It's hard to know about the six days, seeing the way they played in the second half. They were full of fire and energy so it is a difficult one to call," he added.

"Of course I was worried when they started to come back at us, we played them in the league and they came up the field and got a goal on us in that one too.

"Kildare are always capable of doing that. They move the ball quickly and close to each other and they are always capable of scoring a goal.

"Thankfully we held out. We never thought it was in the bag. You can score goals within six seconds from one end of the field to the other.

"You cannot rest on your laurels, you have to keep on working to the end and that is the lesson this team has to learn.

"We got a bit casual at one stage and we almost paid the price for it," he concluded.

Kildare boss Pádraig Nolan was left to face the media following Kildare's second disappointing defeat in a week.

But while the Wexford match was one of the worst Kildare performances in recent years yesterday's second-half display against Offaly brought pride back to the Lilywhite jersey and valuably saved some face for Nolan.

"The game just turned on the five or six minutes before half-time. But no blame. We regrouped well this week, we started off well and we got into the game. But we gave ourselves a mountain to climb at half-time," he said.

"But, in fairness, we promised ourselves at half-time that they were not going to go out there without a fight. And I am fierce proud of every single one of them.

"It is not easy to play championship football after six days and it is not easy to come out when you are nine points down. But every single one of the players was so up for it at half-time. And it was the players that drove it on in the second half.

"We threw caution to the wind and when you look at it there was nothing in it, just a rub of the green and we could have won it."

Asked whether any team can perform to their best with only six days to prepare for a championship match, Nolan was reluctant to make excuses.

"It is a tough one and it can be done. But when you look around this time we are the only team that has had to play a genuine team after only six days.

"Dublin had London, Fermanagh get a walkover. But that is the way of the championship and I do not make any excuses.

"I wish Offaly well and I am fierce proud to be managing this team - they never threw in the towel in that game."

OFFALY: P Kelly; S Sullivan, C Evans, S Brady; B Mooney, C Daly, K Slattery; M Daly (0-2) J Grennan (0-1); N McNamee (1-1), P Kellaghan (1-3), J Coughlan (0-6); N Coughlan (0-2), T Deehan (0-2), J Reynolds. Substitutes: J O'Neill for M Daly (47 mins), A McNamee for Grennan (66 mins), R Malone for N McNamee (71 mins), C Quinn for Kellaghan (68 mins).

KILDARE: E Murphy; D Hendy, R McCabe, A McLoughlin; E Callaghan, M Foley (0-1), G Ryan (0-1); D Earley (0-1), K Brennan; K Ennis, M O'Sullivan, D McCormack (0-1); T Rossiter, P Donnelly (0-1), J Doyle (0-8). Substitutes: E Fitzpatrick for D Hendy (24 mins), A Rainbow for McCabe (38 mins), W Heffernan for Brennan (38 mins), T Fennin (1-3) for Rossiter (28 mins), A Barry for Donnelly 41 mins).

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).