15-point swing and chances galore as Kildare hurlers fall to Down in Division 2 final

Down 4-22

Kildare 3-18

Kildare came up just short in their bid to marry promotion to Division 1B with a league title when they faced Down in their decider. The Lilies may have finished seven adrift, but this was a nip and tuck final in a slippery Grattan Park.

It was start as you mean to go on for these teams as they took turns pointing in the opening quarter of an hour. A breathless early battle left the sides level 0-6 to 0-6 after 15 minutes.

Kildare made use of the significant wind at their backs to lead when Cian Boran fired over his second from the middle of the park.

Down responded twice through Eoghan Sands with the wing-forward in superb form in this final.

It was Kildare who raised the first green flag of the afternoon and eventual scorer Jack Sheridan had teammate Jack Higgins to thank for it. The Éire Óg Corra Choill man completed an excellent bursting run before offloading to Sheridan who found the net.

A David Qualter free and Paul Dolan point from range then pushed The Lilies four clear.

Paddy McKenna was needed to deny a Down goal in the 25th minute. Chris Egan swept his effort towards goal, but he was denied by the knees of the Clane stopper to keep this game at 1-9 to 0-8.

James Burke then put Kildare five clear, but what looked like a job well done for a first half with the wind at your back was soon undone.

Three Down points in the five minutes before the break made this game much more precarious for Kildare.

A Tom McGrattan free was followed by a first for many in attendance, including this reporter, when Chris Egan scored a point from a header after the wing-back added some height to the sliothar with the top of his helmet following a sideline cut.

The third point, from Pearse Óg McCrickard, in the sequence sent these sides in with Kildare leading 1-10 to 0-11 at half-time and mixed feelings for The Lilies despite the lead.

However, The Lilies mood would lift exponentially after the restart with two goals in as many minutes for the leading side.
An incisive David Qualter run opened up the Down defence and the Maynooth man set-up Jack Sheridan for the finish and his second goal of the game.

Down responded instantly with a Tim Prenter point, but no sooner were Kildare in again. The Lilies poured forward and seized their chance when the ball was fired across to several waiting men in white. Darragh Melville was the man to step forward and knock the ball into the back of the net as the Kildare contingent erupted.

Kildare then went eight points clear, at 3-11 to 1-12, through a David Qualter free in the 39th minute.

Down took to the skies in response and a long, searching ball into the Kildare box paid dividends for the trailing side. The wind, rain, and pressure caused havoc and Tom McGrattan swept the loose ball into the back of the net.

Two McGrattan frees, as well as scorers from Tim Prenter and Chris Egan made a quartet of points within two minutes. While Kildare struggled to hold the ball, Down were clinical and were now back within a point of The Lilies.

Kildare's response was led by the steely nerves of free-taker David Qualter who grabbed the next two scores of this game to make it 3-13 to 1-16 in Kildare’s favour.

Substitute Gerry Keegan put the finishing touches on a slick Kildare move, but it was not enough to shift the momentum back in their favour though and Down had the physical and metaphorical wind at their backs.

Down grabbed their second goal in the 52nd minute when Ronan Beatty caused further trouble at the top end of the pitch. The full-forward muscled away from his opposite number and slipped the ball to Tom McGrattan for his second goal of the game. McGrattan rifled the ball into the corner of the net leaving Paddy McKenna with no chance.

A minute later Down midfielder Donal Hughes grabbed his third point of the afternoon and levelled this game.

James Burke edged Kildare back in front with a point that made it all look so simple when the Naas man took possession before turning sharply and firing over the bar.

Down took the lead in the 61st minute and it was the most disappointing concession of them all for The Lilies. A Marc Fisher free from his own 45’ was sent long into the box as the ball soared with the wind. Fisher’s effort dropped short and to nobody in particular, but found the only hardened piece of turf in a wet Grattan Park and bounced into the roof of the net.

Down now led, 3-18 to 3-16, for the first time since Jack Sheridan’s first goal in the 18th minute and it was a hammer-blow to Kildare’s already dented confidence.

With seven minutes remaining, David Qualter reduced the gap to one with another free before four Down points in as many minutes put them well clear.

Qualter brought Kildare to within four and a minute into injury time the Maynooth man was standing over a close-range free in the hopes of giving The Lilies a big finale.

The corner-forward unleashed an effort on goal that was deflected away by one of the many men on the line after getting past the Down goalkeeper. Jack Sheridan was clipped in the ensuing scramble for the rebound and another free was given with extensive protestations and questions as to why the infringement was not a penalty.

It wasn’t given and Down once again got out of dodge from close-range. It would be the eventual winners who finished with a flourish as they sprung a counter-attack and Tim Prenter grabbed a goal in the 74th minute.

The scoreline was harsh on The Lilies as they came up short at 4-22 to 3-18.

Down, Tom McGrattan 2-5 (0-4 frees), Eoghan Sands 0-6, Tim Prenter 1-3, Donal Hughes 0-4, Marc Fisher 1-0, (1-0 frees), Chris Egan 0-2, Pearse Óg McCrickard 0-2.

Kildare, David Qualter 0-7 (0-5 frees), Jack Sheridan 2-0, Darragh Melville 1-0, Cian Boran 0-2, Paul Dolan 0-2, Gerry Keegan 0-2, James Burke 0-2, Daire Guerin 0-1, Rian Boran 0-1, Jack Higgins 0-1.

DOWN: Stephen Keith; Matt Conlan, John McManus, Tom Murray; Marc Fisher, Caolan Taggart, Liam Savage; Donal Hughes, Phelim Savage; Chris Egan, Tim Prenter, Eoghan Sands; Tom McGrattan, Ronan Beatty, Pearse Óg McCrickard. Subs: Finn Turpin for Phelim Savage (48 minutes), Niall McFarland for Liam Savage (48 minutes), Paul Sheehan for Chris Egan (57 minutes), Michael Dorrian for Marc Fisher (64 minutes), Shea Pucci for Donal Hughes (69 minutes).

KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Liam O'Reilly, Simon Leacy, Rian Boran; Daniel O'Meara, Cian Boran, Paul Dolan; Daire Guerin, Cathal McCabe; James Burke, Jack Higgins, James Dolan; Jack Sheridan, Darragh Melville, David Qualter. Subs: Gerry Keegan for James Dolan (Half-time), Muiris Curtin for Darragh Melville (44 minutes), Jack Travers for Jack Sheridan (67 minutes).

Referee: Brian Keon (Galway)

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