Straffan 2-7
Rathangan 0-9
Kildare IFC round three
Rathangan became the first team to be knocked out of the Intermediate Football Championship after they suffered a four-point defeat at the hands of Straffan in a lacklustre affair in St Conleth's Park on Saturday evening. Goals either side of half-time from James Devane and John Hanifin proved the difference for Straffan as they sealed their place in the last eight of the championship.
There will be no great montages of attacking football and high intensity action made from the opening 20 minutes of this game as neither side managed to string any decent passages of play together. It was mostly down to the conditions, which were deplorable at various intervals throughout the game, but there was still a sense that neither team were playing at any level above second gear.
Just two scores came in the first third of the game, with each side getting on the board. Daniel Mulpeter landed a close range point for Rathangan after seven minutes, while James Devane got Straffan's scoring underway at the opposite end three minutes later. A video of the next 10 minutes of play could be used as an alternative to an anesthetic for putting a patient to sleep as neither side managed to raise a white flag, but things picked up a little in the final 10 minutes of the half.
Conor Jamison pointed two frees for Rathangan in quick succession, but county panelist Rob Kelly began to exceed more of an influence on proceedings thereafter for Straffan. He landed an impressive '45, before curling over an exquisite point from more than 40 metres out soon after. Another Straffan forward that came into the game at that stage was Austin Allen, and it was he who kicked them into the lead five minutes before the break.
Both Kelly and Allen combined towards the end of the half to get the game's pivotal first goal, with Kelly first laying the ball into Allen before he shoveled it off to Devane, and the centre-forward powered the ball into the back of Joe Lyster's net.
That score sent Straffan into the break with a 1-4 to 0-3 advantage and they held all the momentum going into the second half.
The 10 minutes of decent action at the end of the first half proved to be the exception rather than the rule as the next 20 minutes of play provided little in the way of excitement once again. Just three scores came in the 18 minutes directly after the turnaround, with Kelly getting the first before Michael Kennedy responded with a super point at the opposite end for Rathangan. Allen got the third score of that spell as he curled over a fine point to stretch Straffan's lead to five points.
Rathangan were in dire need of some scores at this stage and they actually threatened to break their way back into the tie by reeling off three points in quick succession. Mulpeter got the first of those with a fine point from 3o metres out, while Brian Flood followed that score up with a good point under pressure. A brilliant long range free from goalkeeper Joe Lyster narrowed the gap to two points as Rathangan looked like they could turn the deficit around.
It wasn't to be however, as Straffan found the net for a second time with a little over five minutes remaining. After a Rathangan move broke down a number of Straffan men countered up the field, before Darren McHale cannoned a shot off the underside of the crossbar, only for John Hanifin to palm the rebound home.
That really settled the game as it put five points between the sides once again, and though Mulpeter and Davy Connell hit late points for Rathangan, an Austin Allen score helped Straffan see the game out comfortably.
Straffan will head towards the quarter-final stage, while Rathangan will have a long winter to reflect on a sub-par performance that sees them crash out of the championship.
Scorers for Straffan: J Devane 1-1, R Kelly(1 '45) and A Allen 0-3 each, J Hanifin 1-0.
Scorers for Rathangan: D Mulpeter 0-3, C Jamison 0-2(2f) each, M Kennedy, J Lyster(1f), D Connell(1f) and B Flood 0-1 each.
Straffan
M Duggan; B Ashe, C Gaynor, N Devane; T Julian, E Neenan, A O'Neill; D McHale, J Hanifin; A Devane(K Byrne 45mins), J Devane, P Donovan; A Allen, F Kelly, R Kelly.
Rathangan
J Lyster; N Brouder, J Mulpeter, A Bolger Hinds; M O'Connell, T O'Connell, S Glennon; M Kennedy, D O'Donoghue(M Fitzsimons 57mins); T Power, E Boyle, B Flanagan(S Lawler 48mins); D Mulpeter, B Flood, C Jamison(D Connell 36mins).
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