2-May-2008

County crumble in second half

Dundalk   6  Kildare County    0

It was a dejected County side that trudged off the pitch at Oriel Park following a second half blitz that saw John Gill’s table toppers hit the net six times. There was no indication in an evenly contested first half of what was to follow in the last 45 minutes.

Indeed it was County that had the best of the first half chances when Cathal Brady beat the Dundalk offside trap and raced clear. With only  keeper Chris Bennion to beat Brady pushed the ball too far allowing the advancing keeper to save.

There were only two more shots on target, one for each side, in a rather drab first half. In both cases the keepers were not unduly troubled.

The second half was just two minutes old when County keeper Austin O’Neill came to collect a long ball over the top, which he really had no chance of gathering. Tiernan Mulvenna got there first and headed over the stranded O’Neill to put the home side 1-0 up.

 

Minutes later County should have been level. Cathal Brady superbly controlled a right wing cross on his chest and swivelled to crash a shot off the crossbar. The ball fell again to the midfielder and from six yards he beat Bennion but this time his shot struck the outside of the left post and went harmlessly wide.

 

Kildare went 2-0 down in the 68^th minute when Midfielder David Cassidy broke through and thereafter the floodgates opened. Jamie Duffy netted the first of his two goals with a well placed header three minutes later and another three minutes had elapsed when Ben Whelehan played the ball over the County defence for substitute David O’Connor, who had just replaced Paul Smyth, to beat Austin O’Neill from close range.

 

Paul Marney replaced Paul Shiels in the Dundalk midfield after 77 minutes and four minutes after his introduction he headed in a cross from Jamie Duffy from six yards. Jamie Duffy side-footed a low cross from the left past O’Neill with six minutes remaining.

 

To cap a dreadful evening for the Thoroughbreds keeper Austin O’Neill had to retire with concussion with four minutes remaining and having used the full compliment of substitutes Kildare finished the game with ten men, Ger Robinson taking over in goal for the final minutes.

 

The upcoming home games on Monday against Monaghan United and Friday, when Athlone Town are the visitors, are now of paramount importance and six points are a must if the side is to stay in touch.

Dundalk: Bennion, Flanagan, Crawley, Whelehan, Ryan, Duffy, Shiels (Marney 77), Cassidy, Smyth (O’Connor 67), Mulvenna, Farrell (Vaughan 73).

County: O’Neil, Clarke, Slattery (Robinson 62), Roche (Tyrell 75), Brophy, Clancy, Harte (Kavanagh 77), Fortune, Brady, Gorman, Kilduff.  

 

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