Allianz Football League Division Two

MEATH 1-9 KILDARE 1-8

By Ger McNally at Pairc Tailteann

Meath edged closer to Division One after an injury time Barry Dardis penalty gave them a win over local rivals Kildare in a crunch promotion encounter in Navan.

The game, played through driving rain and snow, was led by Kildare from the sixth minute after Ben McCormack's goal until Dardis' strike after Cian O'Neill's team only scored one point in the second half.

Kildare's cause wasn't helped by three enforced substitutions due to injuries to McCormack, Eoin Doyle and Mark Donnellan. Clan O'Donoghue would have been added to that list in the last 10 minutes only that Kildare had made their five substitutions by then.

After early scores from Paddy Brophy, Neil Flynn and Jimmy Hyland, McCormack's goal put Kildare 1-3 to 0-1 ahead.

Ben Brennan and Darragh Campion struck back for Andy McEntee's team but even though Kildare went down to 14 men for a 10 minute spell after a black card shown to Mick O'Grady, Kildare were able to stretch their lead out to 1-7 to 0-5 by the half time break.

The second half was a very different affair as the home side pinned Kildare back into their own half. Brennan scored a free within 30 seconds of the half but it was 13 minutes before the same player scored the next point.

Flynn scored Kildare's only second half point from a 50th minute free.

Meath almost found the net in the 51st minute but Donnellan made an outstanding save to deny Ronan Ryan, only to pick up an injury in doing so.

Dardis, in the 61st minute, and Cillian O'Sullivan, in the 66th minute, scored to get Meath back to within two points but it looked like Kildare would hold on as the game moved into injury time.

They were caught out though by a long ball and although Conor McGill couldn't collect the ball, he diverted it into the path of Shane McEntee who was trippped by Keith Cribbin before he could turn the ball home. Dardis stepped up to take the penalty and if he was feeling any nerves at such an important kick he didn't show them as he smashed the ball into the roof of the Kildare net.

Kildare pushed hard in the remaining minutes of injury time but couldn't find a way through and it's Meath who take a giant leap towards Division 1.

Scorers for Meath: B Dardis 1-1 (1-0pen, 0-1f), B Brennan 0-4 (2fs), M Newman 0-2 (1f), D Campion 0-1, C O'Sullivan 0-1.

Scorers for Kildare: B McCormack 1-1, N Flynn 0-3 (1f), Jimmy Hyland 0-1 (m), T Moolick 0-1, K Cribbin 0-1, P Brophy 0-1.

MEATH: Andrew Colgan; Seamus Lavin, Conor McGill, Ronan Ryan; Gavin McCoy, Donal Keogan, Shane Gallagher; Bryan Menton, Shane McEntee; Cillian O'Sullivan, Ben Brennan, Darragh Campion; Bryan McMahon, Michael Newman, Thomas O'Reilly.

Subs: Graham Reilly for McMahon (HT), Niall Kane for McCoy (HT), Barry Dardis for Newman (50), Padraig Harnan for Campion (60), Mickey Burke for Brennan (60).

KILDARE: Mark Donnellan; Mark Dempsey, Mick O'Grady David Hyland; Cian O'Donoghue Eoin Doyle, Peter Kelly; Kevin Feely, Tommy Moolick; Paddy Brophy, Fergal Conway, Keith Cribbin; Neil Flynn, Ben McCormack, Jimmy Hyland.

Subs: Adam Tyrrell for McCormack (24), Paul Cribbin for Brophy (50), James Murray for Eoin Doyle (52), Kevin O'Callaghan for Conway (55), Aaron O'Neill for Donnellan (55).

REFEREE: Derek O'Mahoney, Tipperary.