Kelly goal steers Westmeath to Leinster final against the Dubs

Westmeath 2-21, Kildare 0-23

Thirteen different scorers contributed to the cause as Westmeath defied the odds to overcome Kildare and earn their place in the Leinster senior football championship final, in front of over 12,000 supporters at O’Connor Park, Tullamore today.

Not even injuries to talisman Luke Loughlin and dashing wing-back Matthew Whittaker could derail the Lake County, who showed incredible spirit and resolve to reach just their sixth ever provincial decider. It also secures Sam Maguire Cup football this year, a huge target for Mark McHugh’s charges.

Goals from midfielder Brían Cooney and corner-forward Brandon Kelly proved crucial in the end as Westmeath produced a remarkable effort to win after extra-time.

It was 1-8 to 0-10 in Westmeath’s favour at half-time and the score stood at 1-16 to 0-19 at the end of normal time. Ultimately, Kelly’s extra-time goal ensured Westmeath edged past the Lilywhites, who looked the fresher side at the end of normal time.

Kelly got 1-4 in total in a display that earned him the Man of The Match award, his goal cleverly fisted to the net. Elsewhere, Sam McCartan was immense for a Westmeath side that had to show incredible levels of endurance.

Alex Beirne’s late kick, ten seconds before the hooter, forced extra-time and felt like a reprieve for Kildare, who had kicked a series of poor wides while protecting a narrow lead. Both sides finished with 13 wides, but Kildare’s were the more costly, with several from scoreable positions and two missed goal chances in the first half. Jason Daly produced a superb diving save to deny Eoin Cully, while Daniel Scahill blocked a close-range effort from Darragh Kirwan.

Kildare made the brighter start, with Cully and Ben Loakman helping them into a 0-7 to 0-3 lead, while Kevin Feely dominated midfield early on. However, points from Kevin O’Sullivan and Senan Baker shifted momentum before Brían Cooney’s goal put Westmeath four clear.

Darragh Swords ended a 14-minute Kildare drought with two fine points, reducing the gap to one by half-time, and Cully levelled immediately after the restart. The sides traded scores through a tense third quarter until Sam McCartan edged Kildare ahead with a two-point free.

Kildare appeared to have the greater energy in the closing stages, despite the absence of Matthew Whittaker and Luke Loughlin, but poor finishing proved costly. Darragh Kirwan finally levelled on 67 minutes, and although Shane Allen nudged Westmeath back in front, Kildare responded when Beirne converted after a late turnover.

Kildare carried that momentum into extra-time, with Kirwan opening the scoring, but Westmeath found a response. Whittaker, carrying an ankle injury before the game, went off after 15 minutes, but came back on for extra-time and his effort epitomised the wonderful fighting spirit of the Lake County.

Kevin O’Sullivan and Shane Corcoran made an impact off the bench, while Ronan Wallace surged forward for a point.

The decisive moment came when Brían Cooney’s effort was parried by Cian Burke, and Brandon Kelly reacted quickest to fist the ball to the net, sealing Westmeath’s place in the decider. Dublin await in the Leinster final on Sunday week following their facile victory over Louth in the other semi-final on Saturday.

Winning manager, Mark McHugh whose side have beaten Longford, Meath and Kildare to reach the final, said: “We worked tremendously hard today on and off the ball and some huge performances. I’m not going to single anybody out, but there were some huge performances. Shane Ormsby had to come in there for Mattie Whittaker early on – Mattie was struggling these last few days – and Shane's grandfather died this morning. So, to put the performance that he put in after that was just immense. His grandfather's looking down today, he’s very proud of him.

“Beating Meath was great. There was a far bigger prize on offer today, getting to a Leinster final and ultimately All-Ireland football. Okay, promotion was up for grabs in Wexford, but it was really All-Ireland football that we wanted to run down in Wexford, and that's what hurt the most. It wasn't that you didn't get promoted to Division 2, it was that you weren't playing All-Ireland football.”

Scorers - Westmeath: Brandon Kelly 1-4, Sam McCartan 0-5 (2tpf), Brían Cooney 1-0, Ray Connellan 0-2 (1 free), Senan Baker 0-2, Charlie Drumm, Shane Allen, Kevin O'Sullivan, Ronan Wallace, Tadhg Baker, Shane Corcoran, Robbie Forde and Eoghan McCabe 0-1 each.

Kildare: Darragh Kirwan 0-4, Eoin Cully 0-4, Alex Beirne 0-3 (1tpf), Ben Loakman 0-3, Darragh Swords 0-2 (1tp), Jack Robinson 0-2, Kevin Feely, Callum Bolton, Tommy Gill, Brian McLoughlin (free) and Colm Moran 0-1 each.

Westmeath: Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Conor Dillon; Matthew Whittaker, Shane Allen, Sam McCartan; Brían Cooney, Ray Connellan; Kevin O'Sullivan, Ronan Wallace, Tadhg Baker; Brandon Kelly, Senan Baker, Shane Corcoran. Subs: Shane Ormsby for Whittaker (15), Robbie Forde for O’Sullivan (51), Danny McCartan for S Baker (55), Ian Martin for Corcoran (60), Eoghan McCabe for Allen (69), O’Sullivan for McCabe (FT), Corcoran for Martin (FT), Adam Treanor for Dillon (FT), Whittaker for S McCartan (77), Jack Duncan for T Baker (83), McCabe for Ormsby (88).

Kildare: Cian Burke; Ryan Burke, Mark Dempsey, Harry O'Neill; Brian Byrne, Eoin Lawlor, James McGrath; Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Callum Bolton, Darragh Kirwan, Tommy Gill; Ben Loakman, Darragh Swords, Eoin Cully. Subs: Ben McCormack for O’Neill (half-time), Alex Beirne for Loakman (45), Brian McLoughlin for Swords (51), Jack Robinson for Bolton (59), Colm Moran for McGrath (66), Pádraic Spillane for Gill (FT), Colm Dalton for R Burke (76), James Harris for Lawlor (79), Loakman for McCormack (86).

Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan)