Kildare head off comeback by a nose

ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISIONS ONE & TWO: Kildare1-14 Meath 1-12:FOR A long time, this game was moving towards an apparently inevitable Kildare victory without any of the bite or intensity one comes to expect from games between these two, no matter what's at stake.

In the end, the Lilywhites did prevail, but the temperature had been raised enough by the final whistle that Meath manager Séamus McEnaney was squaring off with his Kildare counterpart, Kieran McGeeney, after an exchange just a minute earlier over a decision to award a hop ball when Ronan Sweeney had appeared to have over-carried.

McEnaney dismissed it afterwards as “spur of the moment” and McGeeney described it wonderfully as “tickling billies”, although he did chastise himself for losing his discipline.

While there was little to it, it did show that this game mattered, as did the pumped fist by currently injured Dermot Earley from his seat in front of the press box.

The new Meath boss might have been discussing another defeat and the spectre of relegation, but, with Kevin and Graham Reilly to return to training this week and Stephen Bray also expected home from his honeymoon, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s Meath’s first performance of the year,” said McEnaney. “We’d be very happy with the performance. We put a serious bit of fight into it. We conceded a goal and it probably was the difference in the end, but I couldn’t complain about the Meath players today.”

McGeeney was satisfied that his team had once again shown their ability to recover from setbacks such as the present of a goal they awarded to Shane O’Rourke in the 58th minute to give Meath hope.

“When we gave the goal away I thought it was a case of history repeating itself,” said McGeeney. “We did the same in Navan last year when we were on top and you can’t replicate those things in training until they happen in a match.”

While Kildare had plenty of impressive performers in the likes of Mick Foley, Gary White, Padraig O’Neill and Ronan Sweeney, star billing had to go to Rob Kelly, who kicked four outstanding points and also had a hand in a host of other scores, including Johnny Doyle’s 23rd-minute goal.

Kildare led 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval and, though substitute Cian Ward converted a couple of frees for Meath, some excellent scores by Sweeney, Kelly and O’Neill had Kildare leading by 1-10 to 0-9 with 12 minutes remaining.

Then came O’Rourke’s goal, but with Fionn Dowling outstanding as an outlet for his suppliers, Kildare managed to carve out some excellent opportunities.

KILDARE:S Connolly; A MacLochlainn, M Foley, H McGrillen; E Bolton, B Flanagan, G White (0-1); T Moolick, R Sweeney (0-2); E O'Flaherty (0-2, 1 45, 1f), P O'Neill (0-1), K Cribbin; J Doyle (1-3, 0-3f), D Flynn, R Kelly (0-4). Subs: J Kavanagh (0-1) for Moolick (45 mins); D Whyte for Flanagan (49); F Dowling for Cribbin (56); M O'Flaherty for Bolton (58).

MEATH:B Murphy; E Harrington, C King, S McAnarney; G O'Brien, B Menton, C McGuinness; B Meade, N Crawford; P Gilsenan (0-1), S O'Rourke 1-1 (0-1f), S Kenny (0-1); B Farrell (0-2, 1f), J Sheridan (0-2, 1 45), B Sheridan. Subs: C Ward (0-4, 4fs) for B Sheridan (half-time); A Moyles for Kenny (47); M Ward for Crawford (54); A Nestor for Harrington (58); P O'Rourke (0-1) for Gilsenan (68).

Referee:M Duffy (Sligo).