The 16th Man

PHEW!!! That was close.

The last 30 seconds of Down’s All-Ireland semi-final were among the most unnerving of any football match of recent years.  In the end, Down held their nerve and fought off a late Kildare fight-back to book a titanic tussle against Cork on the third weekend of September.

With ten minutes to go, Down fans’ thoughts were seemingly turning to securing tickets for the showpiece event in the GAA calendar but Kildare had other ideas. Kalum King’s fingertips ended up being the difference between the sides as the Bryansford man’s fingers did enough to deflect Robert Kelly’s injury time shot onto the crossbar. Had the ball rippled the net Down would have bowed out.

In truth, it would have been an injustice. After a decidedly shaky start Down rallied to dominate large periods of play and could have put the game beyond Kildare.

But as James McCartan was at pains to say in the aftermath, Kieran McGeeney’s sides never give up. McGeeney’s charges though have been notoriously slow-starters all year. That was until Sunday. The Lilywhites raced out of the blocks and dominated midfield, where Ambrose Rodgers was missing for Down and Dermot Earley was absent for Kildare.

Eamonn Callaghan pointed for the Leinster team after two minutes but four wides in the first seven minutes from Kildare meant that Down were not as far out of sight as they perhaps should have been. James Kavanagh managed to add a second point for Kildare on eight minutes but Kevin McKernan burst forward and pointed with assurance to reduce the deficit to a single point seconds later.

Johnny Doyle got Kildare back on track but on 12 minutes but thereafter the momentum of the game swung in Down’s favour.

A quick Down break saw Marty Clarke in possession with time and space to play with, a dangerous scenario for any team to defend against. He played a long ball into the square where Benny Coulter rose highest to fist past Shane McCormack in the Kildare goal.

The score had come out of the blue. It looked like a square ball and Coulter admitted post-match that that seemed to be the case but Down were not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

The score lifted Down and when McKernan added another point on 13 minutes the red and black contingent of the Croke Park crowd began to find their voice.

Two frees from Mark Poland were interrupted by scores from Morgan O’Flaherty and Johnny Doyle. Down continued to ride their luck when Kavanagh skewed a routine free wide of the target.

Danny Hughes took full advantage before Marty Clarke cancelled out another Johnny Doyle point with a score from play. When McComiskey opted to fist over when a goal was on the feeling was that Down had firmly gained control. Another Hughes point and a wonderful Coulter strike with the outside of his boot before the break put Down in a commanding half-time lead of 1-09 to 0-07.

Marty Clarke pointed soon after the re-start to leave Down five points in front.
Kildare rallied and Emmet Bolton, Johnny Doyle added scores to reduce the arrears. Down still carried a considerable threat. Peter Fitzpatrick burst through the middle of the Kildare defence only to see his shot saved well by McCormack and McComiskey saw his effort from the rebound meet the same fate.
It didn’t knock Down and Poland’s free conversion made it 1-11 to 0-09 in Down’s favour.

The sides traded scores through sub Karl Ennis and Martin Clarke but when substitute Conor Maginn looped over a point from distance Down looked all but unstoppable.

Marty Clarke added another point to underline that fact. But the next movement proved that Down could take nothing for granted. Seemingly, out of nowhere Down conceded a goal, one that gave hope to Kildare for the first time since the 12th minute that they could turn the game around.

A long rudimentary ball forward was collected by Eamonn Callaghan who rounded Brendan McVeigh expertly before thumping the ball home. The White flags were raised but only by Kildare fans as Down stuck to their task resolutely.

A superb Benny Coulter point from the left-wing helped to steady any Mourne nerves but two amazing long-distance scores from Hugh Lynch brought Kildare within three points of Down.

Down still looked capable of adding scores, even if they looked equally as capable of conceding them at the other end. A patient move was eventually finished by substitute Ronan Murtagh, who got his obligatory score from distance on 65 minutes. It proved to be Down’s last of the day.

Four points to the good with five minutes to go is a lead most teams would yearn for. It was a gap that Kildare yearned to close and a point from the irrepressible Johnny Doyle reduced the margin to three.

When Robert Kelly hit the post and the ball sailed subsequently wide Down may have thought the footballing gods were smiling on them. It was merely the calm before the storm. Kelly made amends by pointing a free on 70 minutes to leave Kildare trailing Down by two.

Then came the injury-time drama. A long ball saw a scramble for possession in the square Down were frantically defending.

Referee Pat McEnaney blew for a 14 metre free, indicating it was to be the last kick of the game. A wall of red and black was put together on the goal-line and luckily for the Mourne men it was made of stern stuff. Kelly’s goal-bound effort was flicked onto the crossbar by King and seconds later the whistle blew, much to the relief of every person in red and black in Croke Park.

The jubilation was borne of sheer relief. McKeeney’s Kildare had run Down all the way and can rightly be lauded for their never-say-die attitude but there was no denying it was Down’s day and on reflection, it was no more than their endeavour deserved.

After a series of epic battles all summer the onus is now on Down to lift the level of performance once more. They have reached their sixth All-Ireland final. They famously have an unblemished record when they get down to the last two. Cork will be favoured to take that record from them on September 19th but this Down team have delighted in defying the odds all year. The aim now for this Down side is to make some history of their own.

DOWN: Brendan McVeigh, Dan McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty, Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan (0-02), Conor Garvey, Peter Fitzpatrick (0-01), Kalum King, Danny Hughes (0-02), Mark Poland (0-03), Paul McComiskey (0-01), Benny Coulter (1-02), John Clarke, Martin Clarke (0-03) (Subs) Aidan Brannigan, Conor Maginn (0-01, Ronan Murtagh (0-01), James Colgan

KILDARE: Shane McCormack, Peter Kelly, Hugh McGrillen, Aindriú Mac Lochlann, Morgan O’Flaherty (0-01), Emmet Bolton (0-01), Brian Flanagan, Daryl Flynn, Hugh Lynch (0-02), James Kavanagh (0-02), Padraig O’Neill, Eoghan O’Flaherty, Johnny Doyle (0-05), Alan Smith, Eamonn Callaghan (1-01) (Subs) Ronan Sweeney, Karl Ennis (0-01), David Lyons (0-01), Robert Kelly, Tomás O’Connor

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