Kildare joint captains Harry O'Neill and Shane Farrell following the Eirgrid All-Ireland U20 Championship Final at Kingspan Breffni. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
EirGrid All-Ireland U20 Football Championship Final
Kildare 1-17 Sligo 0-12
By Ger McNally at Kingspan Breffni
Kildare won their second All-Ireland Football title in the space of five years after a hard-fought win over Sligo at a sun kissed Breffni Park in Cavan.
The final scoreline probably doesn’t do justice to the efforts put in by Sligo in the second half and they were within two points of Kildare going into the final three minutes of normal time, but a goal and a point in the space of 30 seconds won the day for the Brian Flanagan managed Lilywhites.
Kildare had the breeze behind them in the first half and started superbly. A positional switch of Sean Hanafin on the edge of the square caught Sligo unawares and he caused a huge amount of problems for their defence.
Cormac Barker, Niall Dolan, Callum Bolton and Sean Hanafin all scored before James Donlon opened the Sligo account in the 11th minute.
Kildare continued to push forward and their first eight scores were scored by different players as they moved into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead by the 24th minute. They could also have had a goal in the 13th minute but Hanafin’s shot rebounded off the inside of the post and into the hands of a relieved Ethan Carden.
The half finished with Kildare leading by 0-9 to 0-4 but urged on by a huge travelling support, Sligo built momentum in the second half.
Oisin O'Sullivan, Kildare, and Luke Casserly, Sligo, in action during the Eirgrid All-Ireland U20 Championship Final at Kingspan Breffni. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Sligo got Dylan Walsh and the impressive Brian Byrne scored scored early in the second half for Sligo, but three from players from Clane players - Oisin O’Sullivan, Harry O’Neill and Adam Fanning pushed Kildare five clear again.
The introduction of Ethan Moutaine, nephew of Dublin goalkeeping legend Stephen Cluxton, gave Kildare fresh energy in the wide areas but the frees of Luke Marren kept Sligo in the game.
When he scored the sixth of his seven points in the 51st minute there was only two points in it and it was anybody’s game over the next scoreless six minutes.
It was Kildare who struck next though when Hanafin, whose father and grandfather won senior All-Irelands with Kerry, clipped one over off his left.
From the kick out, Killian Browne intercepted Sligo goalkeeper Ethan Carden's and gleefully lobbed the ball over his head and into the net.
From there, Kildare pulled away to record a famous win.
Scorers for Kildare: Killian Browne 1-1, Adam Fanning 0-3, Callum Bolton, Seán Hanafin, and Oisín O'Sullivan 0-2 each, Tomas Von Engelbrechten, Harry O'Neill, Niall Dolan, Ryan Sinkey, Eoin Cully, Cormac Barker (f), and Shane Farrell (f) 0-1 each.
Scorers for Sligo: Luke Marren 0-7 (7fs), Brian Byrne 0-2, Dylan Walsh, James Donlon, and Daire O'Boyle 0-1 each.
Kildare: Cormac Barker; Harry O'Neill, Tomas Von Engelbrechten, Ryan Burke; James Harris, James McGrath, Jack McKevitt; Niall Dolan, Shane Farrell, Ryan Sinkey, Callum Bolton, Colm Dalton; Adam Fanning, Seán Hanafin, Oisín O'Sullivan.
Subs: Eoin Cully for O’Sullivan, 38; Ethan Mountaine for Harris, 45; Killian Browne for Sinkey, 48; Sam Savage for Dolan, 56 Daire Guerin for Fanning, 60+2.
Sligo: Ethan Carden; Ross Chambers, Conor Johnston, Luke Casserly; Dylan Walsh, Dylan McLoughlin, Rossa Sloyan; Conor Sheridan, Ross Doherty; Ronan Niland, James Donlon, Mark McDaniel; Luke Marren, Daire O'Boyle, Matt Henry.
Subs: Joshua Flynn for Henry, 23; Zaak Mahon for Chambers, h/t; Robert O’Kelly Lynch for McDaniel, h/t; Brian Byrne for Flynn, 33; Conor McMorrow for Donlon, 39.
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).
