Clinical Kildare do enough to hold off battling Leitrim

A classy Kildare had just too much know-how and attacking class for a battling Leitrim who fought in Sunday’s TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship clash in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac DIarmada as if their lives depended on it but the Lilywhites always seemed to have an answer.

Five points separated the teams at the final whistle, a gap that could easily have been much smaller but just as easily, it could have been much bigger as the Leinster champions had just too much pace and power around the field for a Leitrim team who delivered a tremendous effort but just couldn’t land the killer blow.

With Kildare dominating possession throughout and often copying the tactics of the men’s game by holding onto the ball for prolonged periods of play over and back across the field, Leitrim tended to strike like a hurricane, a few blasts that almost threatened to topple the visitors.

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Every time Leitrim looked ready to strike a deadly blow to Kildare’s hopes, the Lilywhites struck with a deadly blow of their own - Leitrim got two goals in a three minute spell in the first half, trouble was Kildare also got two three-pointers themselves in that period.

Even towards the end when it looked as if an unlikely shock was on the cards, Leah Fox smashing home a goal just a minute after a Michelle Guckian free, Kildare simply burst straight down the field and planted the ball in the Leitrim net.

It was a stunning demonstration of the scoring power and intent Kildare possessed when they were in the mood because for long periods of time, the Leinster team were content to hold Jonny Garrity’s side at arms’ length, an approach that almost backfired on them.

Yet for all the feelings of a job well done for Kildare, Leitrim will probably take more from this game after the losses in the Division 4 and Connacht Finals - they struggled with Kildare’s pace and dangerous forwards but the spirit and resilience they displayed will stand them in good stead for their clash with Louth next Sunday.

Leitrim must win next Sunday game at Cooley Kickhams’s ground if they want to qualify for the knockout stages but Louth, the only team to defeat Kildare this year in League or championship, are always dangerous opposition on their home patch in Cooley.

Kildare's Neasa Dooley watches as her palmed effort flies into the Leitrim net Picture: Willie Donnellan

Kildare set the tone for the game early with Roisin Byrne punishing holding in the Leitrim defence from a free while Jasmine Maye blocked a shot from Neasa Dooley before the dangerous Kildare forward had a bad wide, all inside the first five minutes.

Leitrim hit back when Vivienne Egan did well get get to Charlene Tyrell pass before scoring a fine point and from the kickout, Leitrim turned over the ball, Leah Fox was fouled and Michelle Guckian fired over the free.

Guckian had a long range snap shot held by Mary Hulgraine in the Kildare goal and they went straight down the field where Roisin Byrne cut in from the wing to score a fine point from the left hand corner. 

Another foul on Fox saw another successful Guckian conversion as Leitrim were hitting successfully on the break but after a brilliant Maye block on Byrne, Kildare got a stroke of luck when captain Grace Clifford saw her handpass blocked. She reacted quickest, some 40 yards out, to win the breaking ball and soloed in to slam the ball to the net.

Claire Sullivan added a point after an Ellen Dowling pass but the Lilywhites ladies seemed afflicted with the same curse of inaccuracy as their men’s senior team, hitting four wides either side of good points from Clifford and Ellen Dowling.

Leitrim weren’t making the most of their rare forays into the Kildare half, Leah Fox appealing for a free after a 1-2 from a free but a hold on Kasey Bruen allowed Michelle Guckian to fire over a free on 21 minutes.

The game then really went made with three goals in as many minutes, unfortunately two of them for Kildare. Dooley palmed a high ball that came off the hands of Charlene Tyrell to the Leitrim net but from the kickout, Laura O’Dowd was found in space and with open acres before her, the Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins clubwoman soloed through to fire a rocket to the Kildare net.

Kildare’s response was deadly - a long ball to Dowling was played back out and with Dooley charging in unmarked, a clever handpass found the centre-forward who drilled a low shot to the net.

Despite those seemingly body blows, Leitrim hit back with a great move after Elise Bruen won a kickout, the ball going through Guckian, Fox, Le Guen and McGovern before Siomha Quinn unleashed a powerful shot to the Kildare net.

The Lilywhites nearly demonstrated their ability to hit back immediately again when wing-back Sarah Munnelly broke through the centre and cracked a powerful shot off the Leitrim crossbar with Dooley firing wide.

Dowling had a dipping shot dealt with well by Michelle McNulty, Leah Fox saw a shot rise above the crossbar but hit the post while Michelle Guckian saw an off-target free claimed by Hulgraine as Kildare led 3-5 to 2-5 at the break.

Leitrim came out with a strong push at the start of the second half but Laura O’Dowd cracked a shot off the woodwork while Carla Le Guen had a shot held by the Kildare netminder and Vivienne Egan shot wide.

Those misses were exacerbated when Neasa Dooley claimed a wonderful pass on the run and shot to the far corner as she was running in the other direction for a third goal of the game just three minutes into the second half.

Leitrim keeper Michelle McNulty is helpless to prevent Grainne Kenneally's shot from finding the net Picture: Willie Donnellan

Ellen Dowling chipped over for Kildare while Hulgraine made a good save from a Leah Fox shot, set up by an excellent Siomha Quinn pass, the play being called back for a foul on the Glencar Manorhamilton woman that Michelle Guckian converted.

Guckian, however, saw a shot from play hit the post and rebound wide as Kildare continued to own possession, Byrne converted a free while Clifford had a goal shot deflected for a fifty which Dooley put wide.

The Green & Gold got themselves right back in the game when Vivienne Egan burst in along the endline and, under pressure, cracked a powerful shot off the underside of the crossbar with the ball flying into the corner of the net despite Kildare protests, with a fair bit of cause, that the Annaduff woman had over carried the ball.

That left four points between the teams but Kildare changed tact and between the goal and another Byrne point after 23 minutes, Leitrim had the ball for the grand total of about 15 seconds on a breakaway as the visitors kept complete control of the ball and Leitrim unable to get it back off the them.

Guckian converted another free on 25 minutes and seconds later, Leitrim again pounced on a kickout, getting the ball to Leah Fox whose shot took a big deflection past Hulgraine to leave the gap at just a point with just over four minutes of normal time left.

That really got the crowd going but Kildare killed the noise when they broke from the kickout, a long ball to Roisin Byrne saw the Kildare ace find sub Grainne Kenneally blast the ball low to the Leitrim net to kill off hopes of a famous shock victory.

The impressive Grace Clifford edged the gap to five points in the last seconds of normal time before Leah Fox capped off a fine display with a lovely hooked point seconds later. Fox also saw a shot blocked but Kildare finished with a five point win after Byrne converted a free over four minutes into injury time.

LEITRIM

Scorers: Michelle Guckian 0-6, 6f; Leah Fox & Vivienne Egan 1-1 each; Siomha Quinn & Laura O’Dowd 1-0 each

Team: Michelle McNulty, Charlene Tyrell, Jasmine Maye, Mollie Murphy, Sarah Reynolds, Kasey Bruen, Carla Le Guen, Megan McGovern, Aoife Gilmartin, Laura O’Dowd, Vivienne Egan, Siomha Quinn, Leah Fox, Michelle Guckian, Elise Bruen. Subs: Ailbhe Clancy for E Bruen (44); Rebecca Rooney for Murphy (54); Bronagh O’Rourke for Quinn (56); Niamh Tighe for Gilmartin (59); Roisin McIntyre for Egan (64)

KILDARE

Scorers: Neasa Dooley 3-0; Roisin Byrne 0-5, 2f; Grace Clifford 1-2; Grainne Kenneally 1-0; Ellen Dowling 0-2; Claire Sullivan 0-1

Team: Mary Hulgraine, Lauren Burke, Laoise Lenahan, Aoife Clifford, Laura Gilbert, Ruth Sargent, Sarah Munnelly, Grace Clifford, Aoife Rattigan, Claire Sullivan, Neasa Dooley, Roisin Byrne, Ellen Dowling, Triona Duggan, Lara Curran. Subs: Lauren Murtagh for Munnelly (28); Grainne Kenneally for Rattigan (46); Fiona Troute for Gilbert (53); Ciara Price for Curran (56); Mia Doherty for Duggan (60)

Referee: Ger Canny