Kildare overcome Antrim to claim Division 3 top spot

Kildare secured the win they needed to clinch promotion to Division 2 of the Allianz Football League but this game at Cedral St Conleth's Park was far more eventful than the 11-point margin at the final whistle might suggest.

Brian Flanagan’s team knew coming into the game that they would be promoted if they could overcome an Antrim side who were virtually relegated even before a ball was thrown in and all seemed to be going to plan when Niall Kelly, Callum Bolton and Alex Beirne kicked two points each as the hosts scored the first six points of the game inside the opening 14 minutes.

However, the Saffrons came storming back into the game as they used the wind at their backs to the fullest advantage.

Conor Stewart kicked their first point of the game in the 15th minute from outside the two-point arc and incredibly that was the first of six orange flags they raised before the half-time whistle.

Dominic McEnhill was the best exponent of points from distance as he kicked three two-pointers, including two from frees after Kildare didn’t keep the required number of players up the field.

Fionn Nagle scores a goal for Antrim past Kildare keeper Cian Burke

From Stewart’s first two-pointer, Antrim outscored Kildare by 0-14 to 0-3 in the last 20 minutes of the half and led by 0-14 to 0-9 at the break.

That left Kildare outside the promotion places and staring at another year in Division 3 but their response in the second half was outstanding.

The windy conditions aided their cause but there was a different intensity after the break.

The introduction of Ben McCormack at the interval and then later in the half of Paddy McDermott and Darragh Kirwan helped the Kildare cause and in total their bench contributed 10 second-half points.

Brian Flanagan’s side scored an unanswered 1-08 after the resumption, including a well-taken Niall Kelly goal in the 44th minute before Ryan McQuillan scored Antrim’s first point after the break.

The home team were six points ahead with seven minutes to play, but a battling Antrim never gave up and they pulled a goal back through Nagle.

However, Kildare brushed that aside and scored the last seven points of the game to make sure of the win.

Antrim corner-back Eoghan McCabe was shown a red card in the 70th minute after picking up a second yellow card but that had little consequence in the overall picture.

KEY: tp - two-point score; tpf - two-point free; tpm - two-point mark

Kildare: Cian Burke; Harry O'Neill, Mick O'Grady, Brian Byrne; Ryan Houlihan, James McGrath, David Hyland; Callum Bolton 0-02, Aaron Masterson; Cathal Hagney, Alex Beirne 0-06 (2ptf, 1f), Colm Dalton 0-02; Ryan Sinkey 0-01, Kevin Feely 0-01 (1f), Niall Kelly 1-04.

Subs: Ben McCormack 0-02 for Hagney, h/t; Paddy McDermott 0-01 for Masterson, 44; Darragh Kirwan 0-05 (2ptf) for Sinkey, 50; Brian McLoughlin 0-01 for McCormack, 63; Tony Archbold 0-01 for Beirne, 70.

Antrim: Luke Mulholland; Eoghan McCabe, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keegan; James McAuley, Jack Lenehan, Dermot McAleese; Conor Stewart 0-03 (2pt), Patrick Finnegan; Patrick McBride 0-02 (2pt), Niall Burns, Ruairi McCann; Conor Hand, Dominic McEnhill 0-08 (3 2ptfs, 1 2pt), Ryan McQuillan 0-02 (1f).

Subs: Eunan Quinn for Hand, 41; Fionn Nagle 1-00 for Finnegan, 50; Ronan Boyle for Keenan, 60; Calum Higgins for Burns, 65; James McDonnell for Walsh, 68.

Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry).

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