Ladies grind out victory over Tipperary to make it 18 wins in-a-row

Lidl National Football League Division 2 Round 4

Kildare 0-8

Tipperary 0-7

It was an enthralling fixture as Kildare held on to beat Tipperary in what was undoubtedly their toughest game to date in 2024. After holding a five-point lead at one stage in the second half, it all came down to a late Emma Cronin free-kick deep into added time to decide whether the points would be shared or not.

Those of a Kildare persuasion no doubt feared they were going to see their side drop their first points of this Division 2 campaign. However, Cronin’s effort would drop short at the back post and Kildare won a free to secure all the points and come out of this battle relatively unscathed.

Kildare’s opening point of the afternoon came when substitute Trina Duggan slipped through Róisín Byrne who drilled one between the sticks. Duggan was an early replacement for the injured Laoise Lenehan who Kildare lost after just five minutes. They will of course be hoping it won’t be any long-term absence for their star full-back.

Tipperary equalised in fine style through wing-back Katelyn Downey who cut across the ball superbly to raise her side’s first white flag of the afternoon.

Kildare’s incisive passing was nowhere near as cutting in this game, credit in part must go to their opponents, but in truth little can be done if The Lilywhite’s are as crisp as they can be in moving the ball.

There were flashes of Kildare’s best however, Róisín Byrne combined brilliantly with Sarah Munnelly for Kildare’s third point. That score came just a couple minutes after Byrne had restored Kildare’s lead from a free.
It would be another free-kick converted by Byrne that extended Kildare’s lead out to three.

Tipperary would have a chance to wipe out that lead in one fell swoop as they broke quickly from their defensive shape following a turnover. Marie Creedon was bearing down on goal and unleashed a vicious shot that was superbly blocked by Ellie O’Toole following a tireless recovery run.

The home side would still have the final say in the opening half as Emma Morrissey knocked over a close range free. The sides went in at the break with Kildare holding an 0-4 to 0-2 lead.

In a now familiar tail, Tipperary sat in against Kildare putting all but one player behind the ball in attempts to frustrate them. To their credit, they were perhaps the first to do it effectively this year as Kildare failed to break them down by stretching the pitch like they had done in previous games.

The leading side gave the travelling fans exactly what they wanted to see after the break as they kicked the first three scores after the restart. A Róisín Byrne free was followed by two excellent points from range from Ellen Dowling and Aoife Rattigan.

The minutes that followed were puzzling to watch as Tipperary slowly but surely crept their way back into this game. It seemed certain with a five-point lead and surely renewed shooting confidence that Kildare would kick on and win this game with relative ease given the flow of the game to that point.

Tipperary still trailed by four with seven minutes remaining, but as Kildare slowly retreated backwards the home side gained confidence and took the game to The Lilywhites.

The well-seasoned Tipperary front-line played their cards well as they looked to close the gap. Three consecutive free-kicks in as many minutes would reduce the gap to just a single point as the Tipp’ forwards earned themselves chances at the posts through fouls that more than raised a few eyebrows.

The last of those free-kicks would be missed deep injury-time as Kildare made it four wins from four games in the league and 18 wins in-a-row since their last loss.

Scorers: Kildare, Róisín Byrne 0-6 (0-4 frees), Ellen Dowling 0-1, Aoife Rattigan 0-1.

Tipperary, Emma Morrissey 0-3 (0-3 frees), Katelyn Downey 0-1, Niamh Martin 0-1, Nora Martin 0-1, Emma Cronin 0-1 (0-1 frees).

Game at a Glance

MAIN PLAYER
Ellie O'Toole
O’Toole was dropped into this Kildare side at the last minute before the Donegal game, when Ruth Sargent was a late injury miss. The Kilcullen player has kept her place since, even with Sargent’s return, and has certainly shown her value to Diane O’Hora’s side in that time. Her crucial goal-saving block in the first half, as well as an overall strong showing earns her this accolade.

TURNING POINT
The concession of late free-kicks made this game a lot of more nervy than it ought to have been. However, the validity of some of the supposed infringements late on were also up for debate.

TALKING POINT
Through all the noise and concerns behind the scenes, this great team marches on to another win. It wasn't their best performance, but sometimes you have to win ugly, and they did.

WHAT NOW?
Kildare now face Laois on March 3 in Manguard Park for their first home game since their opening day win over Monaghan.

KILDARE: Anna Dunlea; Fiona Troute, Laoise Lenehan, Aoife Clifford; Mia Doherty, Ruth Sargent, Lara Gilbert; Grace Clifford, Ellie O'Toole; Aoife Rattigan, Ellen Dowling, Sarah Munnelly; Neasa Dooley, Róisín Byrne, Hazel McLoughlin. Subs: Trina Duggan for Laoise Lenehan (5 minutes), Aoife Kilkenny for Hazel McLoughlin (47 minutes), Lisa Shaw for Sarah Munnelly (49 minutes)

TIPPERARY: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Nora Martin, Lucy Spillane, Emma Cronin; Katelyn Downey, Maria Curley, Niamh Martin; Laura Morrissey, Anna-Rose Kennedy; Neasa Towey, Marie Creedon, Emer McCarthy; Emma Morrissey, Angela McGuigan, Clara English. Subs: Laura Dillon for Emer McCarthy (44 minutes), Anna Downey for Neasa Towey (51 minutes).

Referee: Kevin Phelan, Laois