Kavanagh stunner helps Sarsfields end title drought with county final win over Maynooth

The Kildare Senior Championship has spent the 2020s adorned in either blue or red but it was the re-ascension of the county’s most successful club that returned green to the ears of the Dermot Bourke Cup. Sarsfields beat Maynooth 1-14 to 1-10 to return to the top of the mountain and bridge a seven-year gap between the club’s Joe Mallon Motors SFC successes, much like they did in 2012.

The Sash last lifted the title in the year fires raged in Notre-Dame, the year astronomers captured the first image of a black hole and months before anyone knew the phrase Covid-19. Sarsfields have once again risen above the rest with Mayo-native Vinnie Walsh at the helm in the same year his county exorcised their long-held demons.

It was the men in green and white which started proceedings brightest with Callum Bolton grabbing the ball from the jump and Shea Ryan opening the day’s scoring after a minute off his instep.

The town end in the county grounds became the Maynooth end for this November 1 decider with the terrace packed with men, women and children donning black and white.

Their wait for an opening score went on with a wide for the Newbridge men and attempts from outside the arc going awry at each end. Daragh Conlon doubled the Sarsfields margin when he broke forward after his side won Mark Donnellan’s latest kick-out.

The Maynooth end erupted when dual star Conor O’Grady opened their account after kissing the ball off the inside of the upright and over the bar. Sash sat 0-2 to 0-1 ahead after 11 minutes of tense county final action, hitting their fourth wide moments later.

Daragh Ryan became the second Daragh on the Sash scoresheet with a cultured, curled effort to end their unwanted early run of wayward efforts.

An admirable aspect of the early Sash play was the incessant pressure on the ball out of possession. With that said, there was no stopping Ciarán Flanagan’s first captain's contribution when he levelled this game with the SFC final’s first two-pointer.

The Newbridge men looked destined for a perfect response to Maynooth’s leveller when, from the resultant kick-out, Daragh Ryan broke forward and slipped in Karl Hartley, but the Sash corner-forward was brilliantly denied by a low save to his right from Mark Donnellan.

A Barry Coffey free from close-range meant Sarsfields held the narrowest of advantages at 0-4 to 0-3 past the 20-minute mark.

Maynooth restored parity once more after Liam McDonald dropped the shoulder to beat his opposite number to earn space to score. Another Barry Coffey free created a score, this time inadvertently with the Sash centre-forward’s set-piece dropping short before being gathered and fired over by Luke Mahon.

Sarsfields had a two-point advantage for the first time since midway through the half when wing-back Daragh Conlon popped over his second.

There was nothing between the sides at the interval however after Mark Donnellan slotted a two-point free from some 55m out.

Donnellan’s sumptuous splitting of the posts meant Maynooth and Sarsfields were no further apart from where they started at 0-6 apiece at the break.

Maynooth were dogged and diligent at the back but the intelligence in their defending cannot be underestimated as they once again forced a talented forward line into low-percentage shots. Conversely, the Maynooth men were also more efficient in front of the posts but still needed two from outside the arc to keep pace with The Sash.

Nothing could convince the bookies pre-game that the team which beat SFC favourites Naas and reigning champions Athy were the favs for this one, but the only safe bet headed into this one was that both sides were going to have to work for any joy they got.

After the restart, following the widespread praise for both teams out of possession, Sarsfields managed to kick half of their first half tally in the first two and a half minutes. Matty Byrne was afforded too much space, Conor O’Donovan found room down the left side and Shea Ryan burst through the centre with Maynooth seeking to catch their breath after an early opposing wave.

Much like the Corleone family in crisis, Maynooth turned to The Don. The trailing side’s stopper split the posts again from an outside the arc free to make this a one-point game with one swing of his right boot.

Daragh Ryan popped up again for The Sash with his second point, this time off his left to leave this game 0-10 to 0-8 with 40 minutes on the clock.

Not long after passing that particular juncture, Callum Bolton also deployed his left foot to point for Sarsfields and earned back three-point lead.

Maynooth sprung a counter next and, after Cian Hughes lost his footing, it looked like Maynooth were headed for goal with Liam McDonald charging forward. McDonald offloaded to late change Neil Flynn who couldn’t keep his effort down and fired over the bar.

It was the men in green and white that had the men in white coats reaching for green first when Con Kavanagh produced a moment of county final magic to find the far top corner of the town end net. It was ruthless and unstoppable from The Sash centre-back to give them a commanding 1-12 to 0-9 lead with 48 minutes passed.

Donnellan reduced the gap to five with another point, this time from a ‘45 as the game headed into the final 10 minutes.

Sarsfields were in the ascendancy down the home stretch and it was a case of managing proceedings with a green wall built around the 40m arc to block Maynooth’s route to goal. Maynooth sought to build meaningful attacks as the clock quietly ticked away from them.

Maynooth star Paddy Mahoney, yet to score, took aim from two-point range but his shot came up short and was right-hooked towards the net by Kevin Donovan. After scoring one at one end, Con Kavanagh kept Donovan’s effort out at the other as Cathal Moore’s clean sheet was maintained.

The next point would be Sarsfields’ as Ben McCormack got on the scoresheet in added time. Maynooth did eventually breach the Sarsfields net when late substitute Paddy Ryan latched onto a breaking ball and rattled the back of the net.

It felt in the moment too little too late and so it proved with Ben McCormack the last man to raise a flag on the day as Sarsfields closed out for a 1-14 to 1-10 victory.

The Sash were deserved winners on the day after a superior second half while an incredible year for Maynooth, a first SFC final since 1916, comes up just short of ultimate glory.

Sarsfields: Shea Ryan 0-3, Con Kavanagh 1-0, Daragh Conlon 0-2, Daragh Ryan 0-2, Ben McCormack 0-2, Barry Coffey 0-1 (0-1 frees), Luke Mahon 0-1, Conor O’Donovan 0-1, Matty Byrne 0-1, Callum Bolton 0-1.

Maynooth: Mark Donnellan 0-5 (0-4 frees, 2 x 2ptf, 1 x ‘45), Paddy Ryan 1-0, Ciarán Flanagan 0-2 (1 x 2pt), Conor O’Grady 0-1, Liam McDonald 0-1, Neil Flynn 0-1.

SARSFIELDS: Cathal Moore; Colm Harnett, Cian Hughes, Jimmy O’Neill; Daragh Conlon, Con Kavanagh, Cathal White; Matty Byrne, Daragh Ryan; Callum Bolton, Barry Coffey, Shea Ryan; Karl Hartley, Luke Mahon, Conor O’Donovan. Subs: Ryan Kearney for Daragh Conlon (45 minutes), David Shalvey for Matty Byrne (45 minutes), Ben McCormack for Conor O’Donovan (45 minutes), Cian Costigan for Luke Mahon (57 minutes), Kieran Dwyer for Cathal White (61 minutes).

MAYNOOTH: Mark Donnellan; Cathal Quinn, Alex Tilly, Sean Mahon; Conor O’Grady, Niall O’Sullivan, Callum McCabe; Ciarán Flanagan, Matthew Diamond; Fionn O’Giolláin, Sean Hever, Neil Flynn; Paddy Mahoney, Cathal McCabe, Liam McDonald. Subs: Paul Maguire for Fionn O’Giolláin (Half-time), Niall Cullen for Conor O’Grady (45 minutes), Kevin Donovan for Sean Hever (57 minutes), Paddy Ryan for Paddy Mahoney (61 minutes).

Referee: Henry Barrett