Kildare champs Sallins lift Leinster title with dramatic win over Tubberclair

Sallins 2-11

Tubberclair 2-4

Kildare champs Sallins are AIB Leinster Club Intermediate Football Champions after their thrilling win over Tubberclair in Cedral St Conleth's Park.

The game’s first score followed five minutes of extended possession for both sides, all of which all ended in turnovers. The first flag raised was an orange one when Cian Grimes curled over a superb score in front of the stand.

Two minutes later Sallins had doubled their advantage. With his team on the attack down the wing, Luke Killian sharply switched the ball to the middle where Emmet Ralph had time to set himself and fire over the game’s second two-pointer.

The swirling wind at the Tubberclair first half shooting end was causing trouble for the Westmeath men and it was clear that Sallins were looking to capitalise on their shooting advantages as they took aim from outside the arc on a number of occasions and with mixed degrees of success.

Tubberclair got their first score in the 13th minute when Kealen Connell offloaded to a darting Matthew Whittaker who fired over. It would be the only time that the fervent Tubberclair fans got to applaud a score in their favour in the first half.

Sallins responded instantly with their third two-pointer and Cian Grimes’ second, this time from a free, to give them an 0-6 to 0-1 lead after 15 minutes.

Tubberclair then enjoyed their best spell in the game to this point as they prodded and probed at Sallins but failed to make their possession and racked up five first half wides.

There were audible groans when Colm Dalton, who was nursing a hamstring injury throughout the game, was removed the 24th minute. Dalton’s day was not over though as he came back on to play out the final 20 minutes of this Leinster final as best he could.

Sallins got the half’s last score too when Cian Grimes fired over a free to send his side in with an 0-7 to 0-1 lead. There was uncertainty as to whether that buffer would be enough to combat the change in conditions.

The second half got off to a nightmare start for the leading side when Sallins ‘keeper Matthew Farrelly spilled an innocuous bouncing ball, which was headed wide, back into his own box where Daire O’Connor was on hand to smash into the vacant net.

Stephen Kelly was the man to answer for Sallins with a well-taken free, having seen his last effort at the posts almost stop dead in the face of the wind.

A superb point from Matthew Whittaker, struck off the outside of his boot, raised Tubberclair’s second white flag of the day.

Cian Grimes then knocked over a close-range free at the other end after a foul further back was brought forward for dissent.

Whittaker was the man to take centre-stage for Tubberclair once again and he did so driving through the heart of the Sallins backline and, after a quick one-two, laced the ball into the back of the net. The wing-back peeled away and towards the roaring stands in celebration of his goal as Tubberclair reduced the gap to one at 0-9 to 2-2 with 44 minutes on the clock.

Five minutes later this game was level after Paul Keegan latched onto an effort from outside the arc that dropped short. There were 10 minutes remaining and it looked for all the world like it was going to be Tubberclair’s day with Sallins’ problems mounting and momentum building at the other end. Dalton’s injury, Matthew Farrelly’s uncharacteristic error, and midfielder Paul Farrelly, who also had to be taken off with a knock, gone.

However, Sallins were not going to be denied and dug deep to surge again. Cian Grimes, when his side needed a spark most, injected some pace into their attack and linked with Sean Conway. The substitute fed the ball back into Grimes’ path and just ahead of goalkeeper Kevin Fagan, who soon saw the ball fly past him and into the net as it met Grimes’ fist. An incredible moment of magic that put Sallins three clear once again.

Less than a minute later they were in again and it was wing-back Glen McEvoy who took his chance and fisted over from close-range. Sallins’ momentum continued with Grimes knocking over yet another free into the stiff breeze. 

Tubberclair reduced the gap back to four points through Eoghan McCabe with his point making this game 1-11 to 2-4 in the 55th minute.

The destination of this final was sealed on the hour mark when James Dalton got his hands on the ball on the counter-attack. Dalton flicked the ball off the deck and into his hands before linking with Stephen Kelly who was driving towards goal, Kelly returned possession to Dalton who slapped the ball into the net to give Sallins a seven-point, and at that stage unassailable, lead. 

At a full-time score of 2-11 to 2-4, Sallins became Leinster Club Intermediate Football Champions.

Sallins, Cian Grimes 1-7 (0-4 frees, 1 x 2pt, 1 x 2ptf), James Dalton 1-0, Emmet Ralph 0-2 (1 x 2pt), Stephen Kelly 0-1 (0-1 frees), Glen McEvoy 0-1.

Tubberclair, Matthew Whittaker 1-2, Daire O'Connor 1-0, Eoghan McCabe 0-1, Paul Keegan 0-1.

SALLINS: Matthew Farrelly; Ruairi O'Domhnaill, Mark Moynihan, Sean O'Domhnaill; Luke Kelly, Eoin McConnon, Glen McEvoy; Daragh Mangan, Paul Farrelly; Cian Grimes, Colm Dalton, Luke Killian; Stephen Kelly, Emmet Ralph, James Dalton. Subs: Alan Marshall for Colm Dalton (24 minutes), Sean Conway for Paul Farrelly (37 minutes), Colm Dalton for Emmet Ralph (39 minutes), Darren Keane for Eoin McConnon (44 minutes), Aaron Carney for Mark Moynihan (50 minutes).

TUBBERCLAIR: Kevin Fagan; Stephen McGonagle, Cathal Tighe, Liam Staunton; Taylor Slevin, Tom Kelleher, Matthew Whittaker; Sean Claffey, Eoghan McCabe; Paul Keegan, Fred Kelleher, Tom Bourke; Kealen Connell, Daire O'Connor, Gavin Delaney. Subs: Kyle Fagan for Liam Staunton (52 minutes), Oisin O'Meara for Taylor Slevin (54 minutes), Finn Duffy for Tom Bourke (54 minutes), Paul Garvey for Cathal Tighe (56 minutes).

Referee: Stephen Fagan, Wicklow

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