The 16th Man

Down 1-16 Kildare 1-14

Controversy consumed one of the battles of the year to leave a very skilful and very deserving Down team in the battle of North vs. South in this year’s All-Ireland final and a repeat of the Under 21 final of 2009 against Cork.

This encounter billed as the tightest of semi finals since Tyrone vs. Armagh of 2003 started at a frantic pace that the Kildare team were able to control way too easily for James McCartan’s liking, but in saying that the momentum that the lilies had built up wasn’t capitalised on and Down responded through the genius of Martin Clarke, a long ball in from Clarke was helped into the net from the fist of Benny Coulter to leave the Kildare fan’s enraged from what was an obvious square ball and turned the tables on Kildare.

The Down men though didn’t show much sympathy for the Kildare side and went about driving home the lead through incisive play bordering on fantastic from Clarke and point taking that was a joy to behold from Coulter and Daniel Hughes.  McGeeney and his selectors were getting worried and they had every reason to be as their normally solid players were committing error after error. Clarke though was signifying the youthful exuberance of Down with his intelligent play and Down’s midfield of Kalum King and Peter Fitzpatrick were directing proceedings with a magical display of high fielding and passing to leave their side 1-9 to 0-7 up going into the half time break.

The half-time break was a case of déjà vu to last week’s game, the Dubs were flying high and thought they could drive this result home; the Down fans were becoming expectant and hopeful, could they hold on?

The Down side of 2010 has been boosted somewhat fantastically by the Clarke and he showed why in the 2nd half, his professionalism steadied what could have been a nervous side. But the dogged nature of this Kildare side began to show and they showed admirable steely resolve to bring them back from the dead to leave the score at 1-10 to 1-14 after another goal that probably shouldn’t have stood after pacey corner forward Eamonn Callaghan broke through the Down defence while taking eight steps en route before sticking into the net. Justice was returned to the lilies and the crowd got behind them in full voice sensing the comeback was on.

Down however weren’t lying down and their resilience to achieve their first final since 1994 was hot on their minds and further points from substitute Conor Maginn and Fitzpatrick sent them on their way…...or so they thought!

Drama ensued at injury time, when a superb move started by captain fantastic for Kildare, Johnny Doyle, caught a ball and lobbed into James Kavanagh who won a free after a scrum in the Down square, Pat McEnaney gave the ball to Doyle and told him “next score wins”, the 13 metre free was do or die for the lilies.

The free was amazingly saved by the mere fingertips of King and was duly cleared to cue empathic celebrations of jubilant Down fans to set up the final date with Cork on the 19th of September.

Down: Brendan McVeigh; Daniel McCartan, Dan Gordon, Damien Rafferty; Declan Rooney, Kevin McKernan (0-2), Conor Garvey; Peter Fitzpatrick (0-1), Kalum King; Daniel Hughes (0-2), Mark Poland (0-3), Paul McComiskey (0-1); Benny Coulter (1-2), John Clarke, Martin Clarke (0-3). Subs: Aidan Brannigan, Conor Maginn (0-1), Ronan Murtagh (0-1), James Colgan.

Kildare: Shane McCormack; Peter Kelly, Hugh McGrillan, Andrew MacLochlainn; Morgan O’Flaherty (0-1), Emmet Bolton (0-1), Brian Flanagan; Daryl Flynn, Hugh Lynch (0-2); James Kavanagh (0-1), Padraig O’Neill, Johnny Doyle (0-6); Eoghan O’Flaherty, Alan Smith, Eamonn Callaghan (1-1). Subs: Ronan Sweeney, Karl Ennis (0-1), David Lyons (0-1), Robert Kelly, Tomas O’Connor.

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