Allianz FL D2: Kildare overcome Offaly
Kildare senior football team manager Brian Flanagan. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Allianz Football League Division Two
Kildare 3-17 Offaly 0-17
By Ger McNally at Cedral St Conleth's Park
A scintillating display by Kildare led to a three goal win over their Leinster rivals Offaly in Newbridge in a repeat of last year’s Division Three final and Tailteann Cup quarter-final.
A fourth minute goal by Alex Beirne set Kildare on their way and the manner of the goal set the tone for what was to follow over the remainder of the game.
Cian Burke’s kick out delightfully picked out Brian McLoughlin on the wing and he immediately sent the ball in towards Alex Beirne. With two kicks of the ball Kildare had moved the length of the field, but there was still plenty for Beirne to do. He drove at his marker before cutting in and firing a left foot shot to the net.
Beirne’s presence at full forward caused plenty of problems for Offaly but was around the middle third where Kildare really dominated. They put the pressure on Offaly’s kickout and were clinical from the ball that they won, like Ben Loakman who scored a trio of points, his first in the League.
Beirne turned provider for the second goal in the 34th minute when he found Eoin Cully and the pacy corner forward netter as Kildare went into the break 2-9 to 0-6 ahead.
Offaly enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter as half time substitute Nathan Poland scored three points as part of six in a row for Offaly but Kildare’s third goal by Sam Doran in the 57th minute sealed the win, with Beirne again the provider.
The remainder of the game was played on Kildare’s terms and last year’s Tailteann Cup winners have made an excellent start to life in Division Two with three points on the board after two rounds and they will be at home in again in Round Three when they welcome Derry to Newbridge.
Scorers for Kildare: A Beirne 1-3 (1f), S Doran 1-1, B Loakman 0-3, E Cully 1-1, B McLoughlin 0-5, C Bolton 0-2, H O’Neill 0-1, K Feely 0-1
Scorers for Offaly: K O’Neill 0-7 (1ptf, 1tp, 1f), H Plunkett 0-4 (1tp, 1f), N Poland 0-3, A Leavy 0-1, D Molloy 0-1, M Dalton 0-1.
Kildare: Cian Burke; Harry O’Neil, Padraic Spillane, Ryan Burke, James Harris, Eoin Lawlor, Brian Byrne; Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Brian McLoughlin, Callum Bolton, Colm Moran, Ben Loakman, Alex Beirne, Eoin Cully.
Subs: Sam Doran for Moran, 45; Daragh Mangan for Gibbons, 58; Darragh Swords for Beirne, 60; Liam Kelly for Lawlor, 64 Dara Crowley for Bolton, 68.
Offaly: Sean O’Toole; Shane O’Toole Greene, David Dempsey, Lee Pearson, Cormac Egan, Jordan Hayes, Diarmuid Egan; Jack McEvoy, Aaron Leavy; Ciaran Murphy, Keith O’Neill, Rory Egan, Dan Molloy, Jack Bryant, Eoin Sawyer.
Subs: Nathan Poland for Byrant, h/t; Marcus Dalton for Molloy, h/t; Harry Plunkett for Sawyer, 49; Eoin Dunne for D Egan, 59; Daire McDaid for O’Toole Green, 66.
Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois).
