12-Apr-2008

Fans hope Longford game was not a false dawn

Kildare County   0  Sporting Fingal    2

Sporting Fingal made their first ever trip to Station Road last (Friday) night and the new boys in the First Division must have been surprised at the ease with which they claimed the three points.

From a County point of view this was a very unsatisfactory outcome, following the promise shown in Longford just a week ago.

The visitors had two early chances. Colm James treaded a through ball to Conan Byrne but Charlie Treacy advanced well to save and then after nine minutes Peter Hynes and Dinny Corcoran combined to set up Paul Caffrey on the edge of the box. Caffrey’s shot was blocked by Paul Donnolly with the loose ball falling to Fiachra McArdle, whose shot clipped the bar and went over.

County’s first chance came when Ciaran Kilduff pressurised Aidan Collins into a hasty clearance. The ball fell to Philly Gorman 25 yards out but his attempted lob was well collected by keeper Steve Williams.

Sporting took the lead in the 23^rd minute when Conan Byrne left Colin Fortune and Alan Clarke in his wake and fired in a shot, which was blocked by Charlie Treacy. The rebound looped up kindly for Byrne whose initial header came off the bar but the midfielder turned the ball into the Kildare net at the third attempt.

Brian Kelly then found Dinny Corcoran with a crossfield ball but Barry Clancy intervened with a superb goal-saving tackle. The Thoroughbred’s best chance of the half came one minute from the break when Barry Slattery’s chip over the visitors defence found Kilduff, who crossed for Philly Gorman but the striker shot wide under pressure from Aidan Collins.

Kildare had a lucky escape thirteen minutes into the second half when Derek Tyrell’s header from a Paul Caffrey free came back off the bottom of the post. Fingal’s clinching goal came after 67 minutes when Peter Hynes broke up a Kildare attack and when on a thirty yard run before finding Denis Corcoran, who cut inside Paul Donnolly and slipped the ball low past keeper Treacy.

With thirteen minutes remaining Ciaran Kilduff teed up the ball for Colin Fortune but the big midfielder’s effort from the edge of the box was well held by visiting keeper Steve Williams.

A bad night at the office for John Ryan’s men, which they will quickly need to put behind them as they travel to Lissywollen to play Athlone Town in their “back” game on Tuesday next (ko 7.45) and to the Regional Sports Centre where they will be the guests of second placed Waterford United on Friday.

Kildare County: Treacy, Clarke, Clancy, Donnelly, Brophy, Brady (Robinson 75), Fortune, Slattery, Harte (Roche 75), Gorman, Kilduff (Broderick 86). Subs not used: Mooney, O’Neill.

Sporting Fingal: Williams, Tyrell, Kelly, Rogers, Collins, McArdle (O’Neill 56), James, Caffrey, C Byrne, Hynes, Corcoran (Bracken 90) Subs not used: Bracken, Gannon, Hussey.

Referee: E McNally (Cork) 

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