Lynam and Bagnall find the net as Kildare and Dublin U20s draw
JOHN KERINS U20 DEV LEAGUE, ROUND 2
KILDARE 2-8
DUBLIN 0-14
Daire Walsh at Parnell Park
Daniel Lynam and Eoin Bagnall struck goals in each half against Dublin at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon as the Kildare U20s recorded a second consecutive draw in Group Two of the John Kerins Cup.
After sharing the spoils with Laois in Portlaoise seven days earlier, the Lilywhites recovered from a losing position to lead by two points in the closing minutes of this contest. Unanswered efforts by Dublin substitutes Darragh Dempsey and Ronan Cullen ultimately denied them a first win in this Football Development League, but there will be a number of positives for Brian Flanagan and his selectors to take from the game.
After an Aaron Browne strike got a much-changed Kildare up and running in response to Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan’s opener, the Sky Blues stretched two clear with contributions from Fionn Murray (free) and Dara Fagan.
Yet Kildare kept their composure and moved into the driving seat when a brace of Eoin Meehan points were supplemented by a superb goal from Caragh’s Lynam. Traded frees between Murray and Browne initially kept Dublin at arm’s length, until successive points from Jack Lundy (two), Adam Waddick and Fagan presented the hosts with a slender 0-8 to 1-4 interval cushion.
Despite this, the Metropolitan management made a quadruple substitution on the resumption in a bid to build further momentum. It looked set to pay dividends for them with Dempsey, Cullen and Tom Brennan all finding the range in the third-quarter.
However, just when the game was threatening to slip away from Kildare, they dug deep to turn the table on their opponents.
Following a smoothly-converted ’45’ by Kilcullen netminder Cormac Baker, the impactful Bagnall delivered a 1-1 salvo that edged Kildare back into the ascendancy. Marauding wing-back Tommy Gill also pointed to give the Lillies some breathing space, but – in the blink of an eye – Dempsey (free) and Cullen had restored parity at the opposite end.
It looked like Dublin might snatch victory at the death when the umpire reached for a white flag off Fagan’s stoppage-time effort, only for referee Keith Sheerin to correctly rule that his shot had drifted wide.
Scorers: Dublin: Jack Lundy 0-3, Fionn Murray (2 frees), Darragh Dempsey (2 frees), Dara Fagan, Ronan Cullen 0-2 each, Eoghan O’Connor Flanagan, Adam Waddick, Tom Brennan 0-1 each.
Kildare: Eoin Bagnall (0-1 free), Daniel Lynam 1-1 each, Aaron Browne (0-1 free), Eoin Meehan 0-2 each, Cormac Baker (’45’), Tommy Gill 0-1 each.
DUBLIN: Max Fitzgerald; Ben Millist, Theo Clancy, Harry Donaghy; David O’Dowd, Greg McEneaney, Eoghan O’Connor Flannagan; Adam Waddick, Senan Forker; Seamus Smith, Jack Lundy, Eoin Wilde; Fionn Murray, Sean Kinsella, Dara Fagan. Subs: Alex Gavin for Waddick, Ronan Cullen for Forker, Tom Brennan for Smith, Darragh Dempsey for Murray (all half-time), Ethan Dunne for Kinsella (49).
KILDARE: Cormac Baker; Harry O’Neill, Dean O’Donoghue, Mark Maguire; Tom Martin, James McGrath, Tommy Gill; Luke Killian, Brendan Gibbons; Adam Fanning, Daniel Lynam, Callum Bolton; Ciaran O’Brien, Aaron Browne, Eoin Meehan. Subs: Niall O’Regan for Fanning (30), Eoin Bagnall for O’Brien (half-time), Shane Farrell for Bolton (40), Aodan Boyle for Martin (42), Ryan Burke for Meehan (58).
REFEREE: Keith Sheerin (Meath).