NFL Division One/Kildare 0-9 Westmeath 0-8:If Kildare were serious about maintaining their challenge in the National League and keeping their record of never having been beaten by Westmeath in a league match they went a strange way about it in Mullingar yesterday.
By failing to score more than two points when wind assisted in the second half - one of the points being from an injury-time free - John Crofton's men were walking a tightrope without a safety net.
Fortunately for them Westmeath, rudderless up front, could not fully exploit that same wind advantage in the first half.
Armagh referee Peter Hughes earned the wrath of both sets of supporters and tested the computing skills of the press box in the second half. At a rough count, and leaving aside ticks, the Armagh official flashed seven yellow cards and one red - for Kildare's James Kavanagh.
Hughes was at his least compromising when showing yellow to the Kildare midfielder David O'Shaughnessy, apparently for excessive chat.
Michael Ennis, Westmeath's stalwart defender, was harshly pulled up, apparently for taking too many steps, when clearing his lines. The sides were on eight points apiece when Ennis was pulled up. And Doyle had no difficulty in tapping over the resultant free, snatching the winning point in injury time.
To his credit the Westmeath manager, Tomás Ó Flatharta, was diplomatic: "Maybe it was a bit harsh but I am not going to say if the referee was right or wrong."
Kildare played against the wind in the first half and did well, leading by 0-7 to 0-5 at the break. Then they went score-shy.
"Yes, I was disappointed with them in the second half," said manager Crofton. "We opened them up in the first half with some excellent football . . . but the second half was bit of a dogfight."
Crofton was unhappy with one incident: Tadhg Finnan was about "to pull the trigger" when the referee collided with him.
It mattered little when James Kavanagh was sent to the line, for the match had by then virtually run its course.
For the record, Kildare's face-saving second-half points were supplied by Peter O'Neill at the end of the third quarter and Doyle at the death.
Dermot Earley, Kildare's former Roscommon hero, said, "If we make the league semi-finals it will be the ideal way to tune up before the championship gets under way."
Westmeath, meanwhile, owe much to their goalkeeper Gary Connaughton, who effected some marvellous saves.
It was remarkable, however, to see the Westmeath attack led by Dessie Dolan fail to turn a 75-25 territorial advantage to account with the breeze behind them.
David Lyons was superb at the centre of the Westmeath defence and Cillian Brennan and Kevin O'Neill were excellent in curbing the exploits of their immediate opponents, Martin Flanagan and David O'Shaughnessy.
Michael Ennis John Keane and Donal O'Donoghue were also in fine form, and not only as stoppers in an industrious Westmeath defence. Indeed Ennis, given the onerous duty of policing Kildare's danger man John Doyle, himself plundered a typical point in the first half.
KILDARE: E Murphy; E Callaghan, D Lyons (0-1), A McLoughlin; A Rainbow, M Hogarty, E Bolton; C Brennan, K O'Neill; J Kavanagh (0-1), J Doyle (0-4, 3frees), K Donnelly (0-1); T Finnan (0-1), J Phillips, P O'Neill (0-1). Subs: M Donnelly for Finnan.
WESTMEATH: G Connaughton; F Boyle, M Ennis (0-1), J Keane; K Gavin, D O'Donoghue, D Heavin; M Flanagan, D O'Shaughnessy; F Wilson (0-1), D Dolan (0-2), D Duffy; A Mangan (0-1), J Connellan, D Glennon (0-1). Subs: P Tormey (0-2) for Wilson, F Spollen for Connellan, P Bannon for Mangan.
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh).
