Afternoon all and welcome to today’s liveblog. We’re in Croke Park for the Allianz Division 2 League final meeting between Galway and Kildare.
Here’s how the teams will line out.
Galway’s Shane Walsh will be in action today. We had a chat with him at Croke Park during the week…
Two late changes on the Galway team - Declan Coyne and Liam Silke start in place of David Walsh and Barry McHugh.
Here’s how they’ll now start:
Kildare 0-0 Galway 0-0
2 min – Cagey start to the game Chris Healy hits an early wide for Kildare.
Galway 0-1 Kildare 0-0
2 mins – Paul Conroy spots a gap and sends over the game’s opening score.
Galway 0-2 Kildare 0-0
8 mins – A lovely Galway breakaway sees Eamonn Brannigan slot over.
Kildare are really struggling to create scoring chances. Their attack is slow and laborious, while Galway are well set-up defensively.
Galway 0-2 Kildare 0-1
11 mins – Kevin Feely, a former professional soccer player, slots over a free to get Kildare on the board.
Galway 0-3 Kildare 0-1
14 mins – Gary Sice swings over a free for Galway.
Galway 0-3 Kildare 0-2
15 mins – Niall Kelly takes a simple score from 13m out. Keith Cribbin started a fine move there.
Galway 0-3 Kildare 0-3
16 mins – Kelly finishes another lovely move. Kildare are bringing more pace into their attack and reaping the dividends. Excellent burst forward by Ollie Lyons there.
Galway 0-3 Kildare 0-4
19 mins – Feely strokes over another free. Kildare lead for the first time.
Two wides in succession from Galway as Michael Meehan appears on the big screen. He’s not part of Galway’s 26-man panel but is togged out on the bench.
Galway 0-4 Kildare 0-4
25 mins – Sean Armstrong carries the ball under the Hogan Stand before turning inside and splitting the posts. That’s Galway’s first score in 11 minutes.
SAVE! Mark Donnellan saves well from Johnny Heaney’s close-range shot. If he kept it low he might have found the net.
Galway 0-4 Kildare 0-5
30 mins – David Hyland sends over a nice point to give the Lilywhites the lead once again.
Galway 0-5 Kildare 0-5
30 mins – Gary O’Donnell curls over a nice score from a tight angle.
Galway are set-up very defensively with Sean Armstrong their only outlet in the full-forward line and the other 14 dropping deep.
Galway 0-5 Kildare 0-6
34 mins – Mark Donnellan converts a 45. Good strike that.
Galway 0-6 Kildare 0-6
35 mins – Walsh brings Galway level.
HT – Kildare 0-6 Galway 0-6
Not much to see here. A game riddled with unforced errors and slow, lateral play.
We’re back underway for the second period.
Kildare 0-6 Galway 0-7
36 mins – Shane Walsh gives Galway a great start to the second period.
Galway 0-8 Kildare 0-6
37 mins – Armstrong adds another one for the Tribesmen.
Cathal McNally comes in for Paul Cribbin on the Kildare team.
Galway 0-9 Kildare 0-7
39 mins – Fionn Dowling kicks a badly needed score for Kildare. At the far end sweeper Johnny Heaney breaks forward and responds with a point.
David Slattery comes in to replace the injured Ben McCormack.
Galway 0-9 Kildare 0-8
44 mins – Slattery has an instant impact and wins a free that Feely converts.
Galway 0-9 Kildare 0-9
45 mins – McNally ties up the game off the left. Kildare are starting to motor here.
Galway 0-9 Kildare 0-10
46 mins – Slattery feeds Cribbin who handpasses over the bar. A game of decent quality is breaking out now.
Galway 0-9 Kildare 0-11
47 mins – Slattery bursts forward and passes to Kelly who makes no mistake.
Galway 0-10 Kildare 0-11
49 mins – Walsh fires over a point when a goal might have been on.
Galway 0-10 Kildare 0-12
50 mins – Niall Kelly gives Kildare a two point advantage.
Galway 0-11 Kildare 0-12
51 mins – Heaney is on target for Galway. The scores are coming thicker and faster since the break.
Galway 0-11 Kildare 0-13
52 mins – Conway strokes over a fine score from the 45m line. Quality strike.
Michael Lundy comes in for Gary Sice.
Galway 0-12 Kildare 0-14
54 mins – Flynn finds O’Donnell with a good handpass over the top and the wing-back fists over.
Former captain Gareth Bradshaw comes in for Michael Farragher.
Galway 0-13 Kildare 0-14
57 mins – Paul Conroy swings one over from the middle of the D.
Kildare’s Conway picks up a yellow.
Galway 0-14 Kildare 0-14
58 mins – Extra-time could be on the cards here. Armstrong’s free brings Galway level again.
Michael Daly has replaced Eamonn Brannigan for Galway.
Galway 0-15 Kildare 0-14
60 mins – Daly makes an immediate impact and opens his account for the Tribesmen.
Galway 0-16 Kildare 0-14
64 mins – Five straight scores from Galway as Liam Silke raises a white flag. Damien Comer gets a big cheer as he enters the fray wearing the number three.
Galway 0-16 Kildare 0-15
65 mins – A high, angled ball into full-forward Tommy Moolick breaks kindly for Feely to slot over.
Galway 0-17 Kildare 0-15
68 mins – Bradshaw races through like a train and slots over.
Ian Burke replaces Shane Walsh.
We’ll have four minutes of additional time.
Galway 0-18 Kildare 0-16
73 mins – Moolick and Daly trade scores. The win is surely Galway’s now.
FT – Galway 0-18 Kildare 0-16
