Moorefield leave it late to save Kildare title

Sarsfields 1-13 Moorefield 0-16

Sarsfields manager John Crofton was quick afterwards to declare the glass half-full. He pointed out that it was the first time in 13 years and five meetings that his club hadn't lost to Moorefield in a final. Yet when your team is leading by five with less than 10 minutes left, maybe you'd hope for more than a draw.

For the second time however in yesterday’s Kildare football final, Sarsfields lost the initiative while sitting on a good lead and their experienced cross-town rivals pounced.

A good crowd of 5,796 came to St Conleth’s Park in intermittently torrential rain but were rewarded with an exciting match and a replay in a week’s time.

If Sarsfields had the more obvious cause for disappointment, Moorefield left plenty behind them in a second half during which they lost the initiative established by the break.

Led from the heart of the attack by Ray Cahill, whose immaculate dead ball kicking and opportunism from play left him top scorer on the afternoon, Sarsfields looked for longer the better team. Younger and less experienced they were livelier going forward but when they tuned out, virtually nothing was detectable.

At times their decision making wasn’t great, which Crofton afterwards put down to experience, and too often in the first half particularly they conceded needless frees and gave the ball away cheaply.

Apply pressure

Moorefield have been long enough on the road to know when to apply pressure and how to make it pay.

They too had an economical afternoon from the placed ball with Adam Tyrrell and Éanna O'Connor, son of Kerry All-Ireland winning manager Jack, who was in attendance, combining for nine points.

Sarsfields made the early running, recovering from an early deficit to get back on terms and then in the 17th minute, Alan Smith made inroads from the right corner and fisted the ball up into the danger area for Declan McKenna to punch in the only goal of the match for a four-point lead, 1-5 to 0-4.

Moorefield responded with a succession of scores from O'Connor and Tyrrell, one of which a '4'5 from the former after substitute Eddie Heavey had got in on goal but was blocked by Steven Lawlor. They led by 0-10 to 1-6 at half-time.

On the restart they too however faded out and were outscored 0-6 to 0-1, the pick of the points coming from replacement Ben McCormack, one of the three minors from Sarsfields’ championship final winners, controversially fixed for earlier yesterday.

Moorefield somehow recovered. Captain Ronan Sweeney dropped to centrefield and helped steady the team and the defending champions pushed relentlessly to save their title.

Crucial chances

Ross Glavin, Ciarán Kelly and Tyrrell scored points and with Sarsfields missing crucial chances to maintain the lead, it was Tyrrell with two late frees – one in injury-time – who tied it all up.

“Moorefield are a very experienced crew with lots of ring-craft,” said Crofton afterwards. “They are a strong, physical side and used the bench very well. We compromised things by playing a couple of fellas who had played in the first match (minor final). They did very well and I’m massively proud of them.”

His opposite number Luke Dempsey praised his side's resilience.

“We were five points down with less than 10 minutes left but this Moorefield team never gives up. That’s the way they are. We addressed where positional switches needed to be made. Bringing Ronan Sweeney out to midfield was an important move. Hew got to grips with the game, he has a ‘never say die’ attitude.

“We started getting the ball in to our forwards – you could see their potential at the end of the first half and they showed it again at the end of the second half.

“It’s a concern that Sarsfields enjoyed so much of the play in the middle third for so long. It’s an area we’ll have to address. We gave away silly frees, had some wild shooting and gave away possession needlessly at times. That can happen in a county final when the pressure is on.”

SARSFIELDS: P O'Sullivan; C Duffy, D McDonnell, S Lawlor; B Coffey, S Campbell, R Confrey; M Byrne, G White; R Fitzgibbon (0-1), R Cahill (0-10, six frees), M Browne; S Dempsey, D McKenna (1-1), A Smith. Subs: B McCormack (0-1) for Dempsey (half-time), C Kavanagh for Fitzgibbon (57 mins), C McInerney for McCormack (62 mins).

MOOREFIELD: T Corley; L Callaghan, G Naughton, L Healy; R Houlihan, R Glavin (0-1), P O'Flynn; D Flynn, C O'Connor; A Tyrrell (0-6, four frees), R Sweeney (capt.), K Murnaghan; E O'Connor (0-5, four frees and 45), C Kelly (0-2), N Hurley Lynch (0-1). Subs: E Heavey (0-1) for O'Flynn (22 mins), J Lonergan for Naughton (41 mins), K Duane for Flynn (53 mins), J Murray for Glavin (56 mins).

Referee: Noel McKenna (Ballyteague).