Rathangan edge out Newbridge Town in Kildare Masters Cup Final

Rathangan 1 - 0 Newbridge Town FC

The final piece of KDFL silverware was contested on a bitterly cold Saturday evening, as Division One Masters Champions Newbridge Town faced Rathangan in the Kildare Masters Shield final. Newbridge Town, dominant over Rathangan in the league, had three wins and scored twelve goals without conceding. They were rightfully favoured heading into this showdown.

Newbridge Town settled quicker and looked to involve Milton Benitez early on. Milton had a decent run down the right flank, but was well shepherded by Patrick Murphy, who got his body across to block the danger with a steadfast piece of defending. Rathangan initially held a solid shape, being compact and hard to break down, with Jame McEvoy, Johnny Igoe, and German Angelini all working diligently to establish a foothold.

Newbridge Town had more possession, thanks to Robbie Donnelly and Richie Kelly, who picked passes from the back with little pressure. Trevor Connelly got in behind twice, but his crosses were cut out by the Rathangan defence—Cassidy, Murphy, Stenson, and Thompson—all working seamlessly to thwart the attack. Kyle Moloney made two quick saves after Milton Benitez and Leandro Macedo missed good opportunities following tidy play by Noel Curran. Despite this, Newbridge finally broke through as Gary Connelly's ball found Milton Benitez, who raced clear before rounding Kyle Moloney; however, Robert Thompson made a phenomenal goal-line clearance with twenty-five minutes on the clock.

Rathangan started to find their rhythm offensively with Paul Lynch controlling a long diagonal from Robert Thompson, then getting to the endline to deliver a low cross. JP McDonagh made a quick save, and Eoin Hetherington’s follow-up clearance kept the sides level at half-time. Credit goes to Rathangan’s solid defensive effort for denying Newbridge any goals in the first half.

In the second half, Rathangan showed more attacking intent, committing more players forward to support Paul Lynch. JP McDonagh had to make two routine saves early on from efforts by Johnny Igoe and James McEvoy. Rathangan also crowded Benitez, who had to drop deep to get involved, with McEvoy, Angelini, and Igoe all swarming him, much to his frustration.

The physical battle intensified as both sides challenged fiercely, disrupting the flow of the game—a situation more beneficial to Rathangan as it progressed. Paul Loughlin delivered excellent set pieces for Newbridge, with Noel Curran forcing Kyle Moloney into another vital save with a powerful header, and Patrick Murphy sweeping up leftovers to keep the match tied with fifteen minutes remaining.

Almost an hour in, Paul Lynch struck a beautiful dipping volley from thirty yards, narrowly missing JP McDonagh's right-hand post. The match was end-to-end, played at a frantic pace, yet neither side created the clear-cut chances of the first half. Curran found himself in a prime position, but Dean O’Toole overhit the pass, allowing Kyle Moloney and Patrick Murphy to intercept in a three-way collision, as both sides' intent was to win the ball.

Rathangan were awarded a free-kick after Hetherington and Lynch contested a JP McDonagh kick-out. Hetherington won the header, but the referee judged an infringement, giving James McEvoy—again outstanding in the second half—a chance on goal. McEvoy’s well-placed free-kick looked destined for the top corner but was brilliantly saved by JP McDonagh, who could only parry it away. Paul Lynch reacted quickest, pouncing on the loose ball to smash it into the net from four yards, bringing jubilant Rathangan supporters rapturous applause with five minutes remaining.

In the closing moments, Newbridge had to abandon their build-up play, resorting to a long, route-one approach with time of the essence. They created two opportunities—Milton Benitez’s free-kick that didn’t trouble Kyle Moloney and Dean O’Toole’s shot flying over the bar. Tensions and Passions boiled over into injury time, but Rathangan’s got the vital interceptions down the home stretch secured a memorable victory. Best for Newbridge:, Eoin Hetherington CB, Richie Kelly RB, Noel Curran CM, Milton Benitez ST. Best for Rathangan: Kyle Moloney GK, Patrick Murphy CB MOTM, Johnny Igoe CM, James McEvoy CM, Paul Lynch ST.

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