Division 3 round-up: Tipp beat Clare while Kildare win again

Tipperary 2-7 Clare 1-7

Brian Fox netted the crucial goal eight minutes from time as Tipperary scored their first Allianz Football League Division 3 victory of the season.

Clare had drawn level at 1-7 apiece with their previous attack, Jamie Malone scoring a super goal, but Tipp’s response was emphatic as inspirational new captain Peter Acheson set up Fox for a palmed finish.

This tie was played in atrocious conditions at Sean Treacy Park in Tipperary Town and Clare didn’t make best use of the wind in the first half, registering ten wides before the break.

Tipp led by 1-4 to 0-4 at the interval, Conor Sweeney netting in the third minute for Tipp.

Clare, to their credit, came out and made a real game of it in the second half, with David Tubridy kicking a couple of brilliant frees against the elements to haul the Banner men back into contention.

They refused to go away and with nine minutes remaining, the tide appeared to have turned in their direction when Jamie Malone slammed home a brilliant goal, shortly after Tipp had Jimmy Feehan black-carded.

But the home side’s response was brilliant within a minute as Acheson set up Fox for the game’s final score.

Tipperary: C Kenrick; C McDonald, A Campbell, C O'Shaughnessy; J Feehan, R Kiely, D Leahy; A Moloney, M Dunne; J Keane (0-1), P Acheson (0-1), B Fox (1-1); N O'Donovan, C Sweeney (1-0), P Austin (0-4, 2f). Subs: J O'Callaghan for D Leahy (53), S Leahy for Feehan (b/c 60), K O'Halloran for Sweeney (62), B Hewitt for Austin (66), D Butler for O'Donovan (68).

Clare: J Hayes; C O'Dea, K Hartnett, M McMahon; J Malone (1-0), G Kelly, P Lillis; G Brennan (0-2), C O'Connor; S Collins, E Coughlan, S McGrath; K Sexton, E Cleary (0-2, 1f), D Tubridy (0-3f). Subs: D McMahon for Coughlan (h.t.), P Burke for Sexton (60), S Haugh for McGrath (60), D Nagle for Lillis (67).

Referee: P O'Sullivan (Kerry).

Kildare 1-12 Offaly 1-8

Cian O’Neill spotted plenty resemblances of a positive and negative nature as Kildare made it two wins from two in their bid to make a quick return to the second tier of League football.

The home team tore out of the traps with Niall Kelly kicking three points in the first six minutes and when the brilliant Kevin Feely scored his first point in senior inter-county football, they were five points clear after quarter of an hour.

Niall McNamee finally got Offaly off the mark after 18 minutes and Pat Flanagan’s side would not have been too disappointed going in at the break 0-8 to 0-4 in arrears, given their poor start and the strength of the wind.

Cathal McNally finished brilliantly for a goal in the 47th minute after being sent clear by a delightful kick pass by Eamonn Callaghan and though Offaly did goal five minutes from time, as Peter Cunningham converted a penalty, the result was never in doubt.

“(It was) very similar to last week where we controlled the early parts of the game and for some reason we kind of drift out of a match when we should be controlling it and let the other team in and I think that’s what happened in the second quarter of the game” said O’Neill.

“We brought them back in through needless fouls and sloppy play.

“But we regrouped at half time and I was very happy with the way we started the second half. We came out showing a real level of intent and probably didn’t take a couple of chances we had. But once we got a grip around midfield again, I think that’s really where the match was won and lost.”

Scorers - Kildare: N Kelly, N Flynn(fs) 0-4 each; P Cribbin 0-2; K Feely, A Tyrrell 0-1 each.

Offaly: P Cunningham 1-1(pen); N McNamee 0-2; C Donoghue, G Guilfoyle, S Moriarty, B Allen(f), J Maher(f) 0-1 each.

Kildare: M Donnellan, P Kelly, D Hyland, O Lyons, R Houlihan, F Conway, C O'Donoghue, Daniel Flynn, K Feely, A Tyrell, P Cribbin, C McNally, N Flynn, E Callaghan, N Kelly. Subs: E O'Flaherty for Cribbin (ht), P O'Neill for Tyrell (45), E Bolton for Houlihan (53), E Powderly for Lyons (60), M Sherry for Callaghan (63), J Byrne for O'Donoghue BC (65).

Offaly: A Mulhall, B Darby, E Rigney, S Pender, N Darby, C Donoghue, J O'Connor, G Guilfoyle J Gethings, C McNamee, W Mulhall, S Moriarty, B Allen, P Cunningham, N McNamee. Subs: J Maher for Allen (ht), N Smith for Gethings (45), A Sullivan for C McNamee (46), N Bracken for Moriarty (55), D Brady for B Darby (62), M Brazil for W Mulhall (64).

Referee: J Henry (Mayo).

Sligo 1-11 Westmeath 1-10

Kyle Cawley second half goal helped Sligo to their first win in division three of the Allianz National Football League at rainy Markievicz Park on Sunday.

Battling Westmeath were trailing by just a point when full forward Cawley struck for the goal that stunned the Leinsteremen who had edged their way back into contention having squandered a bagful of scoring opportunities in the opening half.

Four points by midfielder Nial Murphy in the opening 12 minutes of the first half gave the wind assisted Yeatsmen a dream start with top scorer John Heslin getting the visitors off the mark on ten minutes.

Westmeath staged a spirited rally in the closing stages of the half with a goal from the penalty spot by Ger Egan towards the end of the half bringing the visitors to within a point of their hosts 0-8 t0 1-4 at the interval.

Mark Breheny opened the second half scoring with a Sligo point from a free after sixty seconds but Heslin kept his side well in touch until Sligo struck for the all important goal when the game appeared to be slipping away from the home side.

Both sides were forced to make some late changes but Westmeath will feel that they deserved a draw at least considering the manner in which they staged a recovery having missed at least seven or eight scoring chances over the opening thirty five minutes

Bitterly disappointed Westmeath manager Tom Cribbin said Sligo were “hungrier for the win” while Westmeath weren’t playing well.

Cribbin said that his teams “decision making was poor” and they got caught out badly for the Sligo goal.

Sligo boss Nial Carew was pleased that his team “had the finishing touch this time”.

Carew said that he knew Westmeath “were there for the taking at half time and we knew there was a goal in us”.

Sligo: A Devaney, J Kelly, K McDonnell, E Flanagan, K Cawley, B Egan, G O' Kelly, Lynch (0-1), E McHugh, N Murphy (0-5), N Ewing, P Clarke, N Gaughan, B Egan (0-1),K Cawley (1-0),C Breheny. Subs: M Breheny (0-4) for Clarke, A McIntyre for Egan half time, M Gordon for Kelly 47mins, J Hynes for Keelan Cawley 60mins, C Davey for Gaughan 68 mins, D Maye for C Breheny 72mins, D Rooney for Ewing 73mins.

Westmeath: D Quinn, J Gonoud, A Stone, K Maguire, D Lynch, P Holloway, J Connellan (0-2),D Corroon, R Connellan, G Egan (1-0),P Sharry, K Martin,(0-1),C McCormack, J Heslin (0-6), F Boyle. Subs: S Dempsey (0-1) for Boyle half time, J Dolan for K Daly 47mins,M R Foley for Stone 71mins, D Lynch for Gonoud 69mins.

Referee: S McLaughlin, Donegal.

Longford 0-13 Limerick 1-8

Longford looked in big trouble when they were five points down (1-8 to 0-6) midway through the second half after Limerick substitute Tom Lee grabbed a goal.

But Denis Connerton’s side came storming back to fire over seven scores in a row to clinch a crucial win in the National Football League Division 3 clash at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park on Sunday.

Hit by the absence of the suspended Michael Quinn, Longford done well to be on level terms at the break (0-5 to 0-5) after playing against the wind in the first half and were denied a goal when Robbie Smyth cracked a shot against the crossbar in the 16th minute.

On target for the visitors in the first half were Ian Ryan (three frees), Danny Neville and Peter Nash while Brian Kavanagh landed three of the Longford points (two frees) along with a Francis McGee brace from play.

A Liam Connerton point in the early stages of the second half gave Longford the lead but Limerick regained the upper hand with Ian Ryan converting another couple of frees before Peter Nash kicked his second point.

The Limerick goal, scrambled over the line by Tom Lee in the 52nd minute, appeared to have settled the issue. But gritty Longford somehow found the energy to engineer the victory with their next seven points coming from Mark Hughes, Barry McKeon, Dessie Reynolds, Brian Kavanagh (two frees), James McGivney and Brian Farrell.

Longford: P Collum; D Masterson, B Gilleran, CP Smyth; D McElligott, D Brady, D Reynolds (0-1); M Brady, B McKeon (0-1); D Gallagher, J McGivney (0-1), R Smyth; F McGee (0-2), B Kavanagh (0-5, 4 frees), L Connerton (0-1). Subs: M Hughes (0-1) for M Brady (half-time); A Dalton for D Masterson (bc, 46 mins); B Farrell (0-1) for B McKeon (63 mins); P McKeon for D Gallagher (66 mins); R Connor for F McGee (67 mins); F McGee for B Kavanagh (bc, 71 mins).

Limerick: D O'Sullivan; J McCarthy, P Browne, S O'Dea; S Cahill, I Corbett, B Fanning; G Hegarty, S Buckley; C Sheehan, P Ranahan, D Treacy; D Neville (0-1), I Ryan (0-5, 5 frees), P Nash (0-2). Subs: M O'Donovan for D Treacy (26 mins); T Lee (1-0) for P Ranahan (half-time); T Childs for G Hegarty (63 mins).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway).