Kildare manager 'immensely proud' despite All-Ireland U20 semi-final heartache
A downbeat Kildare manager spoke to the Leinster Leader after his side’s Dalata Hotels 2026 All-Ireland U20 Football Championship semi-final defeat
“The first half performance just was a bit flat and stale and, I don't think we'll ever be able to define what the reason for that was. Possibly the (playing) week on week, it's just kind of caught up on us a small bit there. The conditions were tricky and they're all very well set up, very hard to break down,” the words of Kildare U20 manager Niall Cronin’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat.
“It has been a long road over the last couple of weeks and I know that sounds a bit funny when we finished so well and it looked like we had loads of energy, but it’s just, you know, you're on the bus there for two and a half hours, you're week on week, it's just been a slog and maybe just kind of counted against us a small bit in the open quarter. We were just a bit leggy and just needed to get a bit of dirty diesel out of the system.”
Cronin added, “Unfortunately the mountain was just a bit too high to climb, although we did get it back level and probably did have a bit of momentum and both of their goals in both halves came at really important times for them. Ultimately they go on and that's the end of our year.”
Kildare finished the first half of their All-Ireland semi-final defeat with just four points, half of which came with their first score when Jimmy Lynch raised an orange flag.
“The lads weren’t pleased with themselves in the first half either,” Cronin said. “You know, there was just a few things that weren't right and there was a few fine margins and Tyrone probably managed the game very well in both halves and a bit of game management, a bit of cuteness and that's just a part of being on a journey for the last two or three years that they've been on.”
“Have to hand it to Tyrone, we've been looking at them the last week, they are a hungry, hungry team. You’d think they'd never seen a medal in their lives and they have plenty of them. They just have a hunger and a determination and a lot of skill for footballers and when it's just off by fractions, they are going to punish you and that’s exactly what happened there.”
The Kildare manager was sorrowful over his side’s first half under-performance but couldn’t help praise his Leinster Championship-winning squad following a hectic and injury-laden year.
He explained, “There will be some regrets over the first half but I'm not going to sit here and blame anyone or any individuals or anything like that. I think the work that these lads have put in the last few months and certainly over the last few weeks, you know, we wanted to be playing football in May, we planned to play football in May and that's ultimately where we were. We’d like to be playing right on to the end of it.
“It’s not to be, but week on week they have gone out there, they've put on the jersey and they’ve turned up and maybe not for long enough tonight but, again, they did tonight and I’m immensely proud of them.”
Focus now turns to the future for a number of these players who will be doing all they can in the coming weeks, months and years to be involved in the Kildare senior panel with the likes of Colm Moran and Liam Kelly already having been in and playing with Brian Flanagan’s team in 2026.
Cronin added, “I’ve no doubt there's a few lads here that are going to go in next year, there's no doubt about that and I have in my five years always been strong on the development piece. It is what it's all about. We’re all going to get behind the minors on Friday week, we're all going to get behind the seniors in Salthill and it's about getting Kildare football where we want it to be.
“There’s a package that's needed. Armagh don’t have the tradition of U20 All-Ireland’s and minor All-Ireland’s and yet they’re still able to compete at the top table. There is a pathway here for these lads to step up to. Liam and Colm have done that from this group but a lot of last year’s 20s have had a lot of weight on their shoulders this year as well and I don't think anyone is giving credit for the experience that's gone out of the senior dressing room and these lads have come in to fill the void. They're going to need time.”