25-Sep-2002

O'Leary The Hero As County Get First Point

Danny O’Leary was the hero for County as they finally got their first ever Eircom League point. O’Leary, making his debut for the Thoroughbreds, saved a 61st minute Jason Kabia penalty as making a string of excellent saves. But to say that O’Leary was the only hero on the night would be unfair to the rest of the County side as this was an excellent team performance that thoroughly deserved a point.

County got off to a cracking start when a 2nd minute Tommy Dunne corner was only cleared as far as the waiting Cathal O’Connor (right) who drove a low shot from 25 yards out into the bottom corner giving Cobh keeper Derek Slattery no chance. O’Connor was in sparkling form early on for County and he almost got a second goal in the sixth minute when a corner again was not properly cleared, O’Connor cracked a super right footed volley but luckily for Slattery it was straight at him. County really were on top in the early stages thanks mainly to O’Connor’s promptings from midfield and he went close to scoring again when he just over from a James O’Callaghan cross.

O’Leary was looking very safe in the early stages and he produced a magnificent save in the twentieth minute when he turned a point blank range header from Declan McGregor onto the post. But County continued to be the side in control and they tested the woodwork themselves when Damien Maher was unlucky to see his header clip the bar when he got to Tommy Dunne’s corner. Cobh undeservedly got an equaliser when slack defending allowed McGregor to nip in front of his marker to head home a Dave Hill corner. This goal seemed to spur Cobh on and just before half time O’Leary was on hand to produce a magnificent double to keep the scores level. First he turned away a long range Steve Yelverton effort before reacting brilliantly to save the follow up from Willie Bruton.

Cobh started the second half the way that County started the first and almost took the lead when McGregor,who was lively thorough out got to Yelverton free kick and flicked the ball to the bar. County were really under the cosh at this stage and a combination of mistakes from Dunne and Maher allowed Bruton a run at goal, Gavin Dykes chased back but was outwitted by the speedy striker who forced Dykes into a foul. O’Leary who had been splendid thorough out in everything that he did faced Jason Kabia and produced a superb save diving full length to his right to push the ball away.

This was the spur that County needed and they tok control for the last half hour. Substitute Alan Kelly caused plenty of problems for Cobh but despite this and the wiling running of Shay Zeller who moved up front County couldn’t break down the Cobh defence. Keith O’Connor and Damien Maher went close in the dying stages but County nearly lost the game when Yelverton hit a rocket of a shot from 25 yards but luckily for Kildare the bar crashed back off the bar.

County manager Dermot Keely was clearly relieved to have gotten off the mark, “ I think we deserved at least a point from the game, we played some great football at stages and maybe we could have gotten a win at the end. At least now we have stopped the run of defeats and hopefully now we can build on it and start to climb the table.” On the man of the match, Danny O’Leary, Keely said,” Danny was brilliant all the way through the game. The penalty save was the turning point in the game, we could have won the game from that moment on.”

Kildare: O’Leary, Brennan, Dunne (Kelly 66), Maher, Dykes, Whelehan, Zeller, C O’Connor, Ryan (Doyle 73), Gorman (K O’Connor 51), O’Callaghan. Subs not used :Murphy, Scully

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