All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers Round 2 – Longford v Kerry

Kerry defeated Longford by 1-12 to 0-11 in Round 2 of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifiers on Saturday in Pearse Park Longford.

Kerry 1-12 Longford 0-11

From the GAA.ie web site

Kerry stuttered to a less than convincing four-point win over Longford at rain-lashed Pearse Park on Saturday evening. The Kingdom led by 1-10 to 0-4 at the break, and with Kieran Donaghy in imperious form at full forward, they looked to be cruising to a comfortable win.

However, the game changed utterly in the 46th minute when the ‘Star’ was forced off with what looked like a nasty knee injury. Thereafter, Kerry looked bereft of imagination and scored just two points in the entire second half. In the end, Jack O’Connor’s side were lucky that Longford did not have the forwards to punish their increasingly ragged play in the final minutes of an entertaining second half.

The Barden brothers, Paul and David, hit 0-7 between them, but had they been given more support in the final ten minutes, Glenn Ryan’s charges could have pulled off a massive shock. David Barden, in particular, was in fine form, scoring 0-3 after replacing the ineffective Brian Kavanagh in the first half.

It all looked so simple for Kerry in the early stages, especially when Tommy Walsh pounced for an 11th minute goal after he had beaten his man to a deflected ball and finished neatly past Diarmuid Sheridan. Kerry’s tactic of playing long, diagonal balls into Donaghy on the edge of the square was paying off handsomely, with Colm Cooper and Donncha Walsh benefiting from the basketball star’s dexterity. Remarkable, Kerry led by 1-10 to 0-2 after just 27 minutes.

However, Longford struck the final two scores of the half to reduce the gap somehwhat, with Cian Mimnagh and David Barden giving the home side some hope.

The Barden brothers both struck for points on the resumption of play, as did Kevin Smith, but Tommy Walsh hit back with a pair for the Kingdom. Donaghy’s exit then changed the game. Jack O’Connor made a number of changes and Kerry seemed to lose their shape and the stranglehold they had enjoyed in midfield. The deficit was reduced to just five points with ten minutes left on the clock.

However, with Kerry looking completely incapable of adding to their total, Longford added just one more score and were left to rue an opportunity missed.

Agony for ‘Star’ as Kerry limp on

Kerry 1-12 Longford 0-11

By Liam Kelly for the Irish Independent newspaper

Monday July 13 2009

THE sight of a distraught Kieran Donaghy limping out of Pearse Park, Longford on crutches was one to chill the heart of any Kerry follower. Donaghy’s return from a broken metatarsal bone provided both encouragement and focus to a Kerry side which came to Longford on Saturday night seeking to find their form after defeat to Cork in Munster. The big man was playing well within his comfort zone but proved highly effective as Kerry surged into an 11-point lead with less than half an hour played in the game. But a jump for a high ball followed by an awkward landing after 45 minutes left him writhing in pain and though he limped on for a couple of minutes, he had to be helped off the pitch.

Today, ‘Star’ Donaghy goes for a scan on the foot but initial examinations suggest he has again broken the metatarsal. If that is confirmed, then he faces at least another two months out. Kerry manager Jack O’Connor now faces a huge challenge to get this team back on track, but first, credit must be given to Longford. They went into half-time trailing by nine points on a 1-10 to 0-4 scoreline and displayed huge courage and commitment to haul themselves to within four points by the final whistle. Could they have won? Certainly, considering that they restricted Kerry to only two points in the second half and bombarded the Kerry posts with a barrage of shots.

The problem was that though Longford scored seven points in the 37 minutes the second half lasted, they shot 11 wides, and you can’t do that and expect to be giant killers. Longford manager Glen Ryan’s personal competitiveness showed clearly as he spoke of how gutted he felt at the missed opportunity. “At the moment I feel sick that we didn’t win the game and that’s the over riding factor,” he said. “We showed great heart and great spirit which is what you expect from fellas but certainly it was one that got away.” Driving rain made the pitch slippery and a strong breeze favoured Kerry in the first half, which was notable for Longford’s over-use of hand passing and two key incidents around each goal mouth.

Sean O’Sullivan had taken the first score of the game from a free to give Kerry a second-minute lead, and Tommy Walsh’s opportunism stretched that to four points when he snatched an eighth-minute goal. Donaghy was twice involved in the move, first palming a high ball down to O’Sullivan, then taking it from Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper to pass for Killian Young. Young kicked the ball hard and low towards the Longford goal, and Paul Barden dived to try and block it. Unfortunately for the Longford player, the ball squirted across to Walsh who shrugged off Noel Farrell’s challenge, bent down to flick it on to his foot before calmly slotting the ball into the net. Longford claimed he had touched the ball on the ground illegally, but Walsh was adamant that he didn’t. Most important, neither the umpires nor the referee found any fault with his score. The next key goal incident came after 33 minutes. Kerry led by 1-10 to 0-3 when Barden broke through with only the ‘keeper to beat. Goalie Diarmuid Murphy dived to block the initial shot and Barden had another go from the rebound, only to see Murphy parry it for a ’45.

The Gooch, though not on his best form, claimed five points, two from frees in that first half, feeding nicely off the ability of Donaghy, who ate up the high balls. At half-time, with Kerry leading 1-10 to 0-4, the game looked over as a contest, but Longford came out fighting. David Barden had come on as a first-half sub, and scored a point. He got two more in the second half, while brother Paul got four in all. Big Paddy Dowd made his appearance as sub for midfielder Ger Dennigan after 32 minutes and helped Longford gain an edge in that area during the second half. The problem was that though they took some fine scores, every Longford forward was guilty of some bad shooting, with too many balls dropping short into the Kerry goal area or finishing wide of the posts. Longford were gallant losers, but losers. Kerry unimpressive winners, but winners, and as O’Connor said: “We’re just glad to get out of here with a win.”

Scorers — Kerry: T Walsh 1-2, C Cooper 0-5 (2f), S O’Sullivan 0-2 (2f), T O Se, D Walsh, D O’Sullivan 0-1 each. Longford: P Barden 0-4 (1f), D Barden 0-3, K Smith 0-2 (2f), F McGee (1f), C Mimnagh 0-1 each.

Kerry — D Murphy 7; K Young 7, T Griffin 7, T O’Sullivan 7; T O Se 7, M O Se 6, A O’Shea 6; D O Se 6, S Scanlon 6; D Walsh 6, D O’Sullivan 7, S O’Sullivan 7; C Cooper 7, K Donaghy 7, T Walsh 7. Subs: Darran O’Sullivan 6 for Declan O’Sullivan (45), BJ Walsh 6 for Donaghy (47), M Quirke 6 for Scanlon (59), D Moran 6 S O’Sullivan (59); B Sheehan 6 for D O’Se (64).

Longford — D Sheridan 7; D Reilly 7, B Gilleran 6, D Brady 7; D Masterson 7, E Williams 7, N Farrell 7; G Dennigan 6, K Smith 7; P Berry 8, F McGee 7, S Mulligan 7; P Barden 8, C Mimnagh 7, B Kavanagh 6. Subs: D Barden 7 for Cavanaugh (24); P Dowd 7 for Dennigan (32); P Foy 7 for Farrell (44); K Mulligan 6 for Mimnagh (64); P Reynolds for Smith (70).

Ref — G O’Conamha (Galway)

Fixture Details

GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Qualifier Round 2
Longfort 5.00pm
Longfort v Ciarraí
Referee: Gearóid Ó Conamha (Gaillimh)
(E.T. if Necessary)

Match Preview

Kerry and Longford meet for the second time in three years in the qualifiers. Eoin Brosnan scored 3-0 and Colm Cooper 1-3 as Kerry beat Longford by three goals in the 2006 qualifiers in Killarney.

2009 Championship

Wicklow 2-12 Longford 1-13

Longford 0-13 Leitrim 0-10

Cork 1-10 Kerry 0-13 (draw)

Cork 1-17 Kerry 0-12 (replay)

Last Championship Clash: Kerry 4-11 Longford 1-11 (2006 All-Ireland qualifiers – Round 4)

Match Coverage

This game will be shown live on TV3

TV3 have confirmed its first pick choice from the GAA Football Championship Second Round qualifiers, with the meeting of Longford and Kerry scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday 11 July from 4.30pm. (Throw-in time of 5pm). Matt Cooper will be live at Pearse Park in Longford with Peter Canavan and Senan Connell.

Kerry last met Longford in the qualifiers in 2006, in a game best remembered for the conversion of Kieran Donaghy from midfielder to full forward. The Kingdom went on to lift Sam Maguire for the 35th time that year.

TV3 Sports Editor Kieran Holden said “This is the most intriguing fixture from Sunday’s second round draw with many GAA fans keen to see if Kerry can bounce back from their disappointment in the Munster Football Championship. We are looking to another double weekend of games on TV3, with Dublin and Kildare contesting the Leinster Senior Football Final on Sunday. Last weekend’s ‘Silverware Sunday’ attracted a peak audience of 422,000 viewers and we are sure that our live matches this weekend will prove equally attractive”.

GAA FOOTBALL ALL IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2 QUALIFIER LONGFORD V KERRY SATURDAY 4.30pm, LIVE ON TV3

Team News

The Kerry team to play Longford on Saturday 11th July 09 is as follows:

(1) Diarmuid Murphy (Dingle)

(2) Killian Young (Renard)

(3) Tommy Griffin (Dingle)

(4) Tom O’Sullivan (Rathmore)

(5) Tomás Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht)

(6) Marc Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht)

(7) Aidan O’Shea (Glenbeigh/Glencar)

(8) Darragh Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht)

(9) Seamus Scanlon (Currow)

(10) Donnacha Walsh (Cromane) (Captain)

(11) Declan O’Sullivan (Piarsaigh Na Dromada)

(12) Seán O’Sullivan (Cromane)

(13) Colm Cooper (Dr. Crokes)

(14) Kieran Donaghy (Austin Stacks)

(15) Tommy Walsh (Kerins O’Rahilly)

Subs:

(16) Ger Reidy Castleisland Desmonds)

(17) Darran O’Sullivan (Glenbeigh/Glencar)

(18) Aidan O’Mahony (Rathmore)

(19) Padraig Reidy (Scartaglin)

(20) Micheal Quirke (Kerins O’Rahillys)

(21) Bryan Sheehan (St. Mary’s)

(22) David Moran (Kerins O’Rahilly’s)

(23) Mike McCarthy (Kilcummin)

(24) Daniel Bohan (Austin Stacks)

(25) Paul O’Connor (Kenmare)

(26) Barry John Walsh (Kerins O’Rahillys)

(27) Kieran Quirke (Duagh)

(28) Maurice Corridan (Finuge)

(29) Rónán Ó Flatharta (An Ghaeltacht)

(30) Anthony Maher (Duagh)

Bainsteoir: Jack O’Connor (Piarsaigh Na Dromada)

Traenálaí: Alan O’Sullivan (Kerins O’Rahilly’s)

Roghnóirí: Ger O’Keeffe (Austin Stacks) Eamon Fitzmaurice (Finuge)

LONGFORD (SF v Kerry): Damien Sheridan; Declan Reilly, Barry Gilleran, Dermot Brady; Diarmuid Masterson, Enda Williams, Noel Farrell; Ger Dennigan, Kevin Smyth; Shane Mulligan, Francis McGee, Padraig Berry; Paul Barden, Cian Mimnagh, Brian Kavanagh.