Kildare pip Garden at the death
THE WICKLOW U-21 selectors continued their team-building process on Tuesday night with a match in the Carlow U-21 Tournament.
Two points in injury time gave Kildare victory over Wicklow at Tinryland.
This was a close and hard fought game all through with little separating the sides.
Kildare got the only goal of the match midway through the first half and it was that score that separated the sides for most of the way.
Wicklow, who were still short a few key players, played their best football in the closing 10 minutes but ironically it was in that time that they also lost the points.
Kildare got off to the better start with two quick points inside three minutes.
By the 12th minute Wicklow had taken the lead with three points by Conor McGraynor and one by Theo Smith.
Then Kildare full forward David Hughes struck for the only goal of the match and despite another good Wicklow point by Paddy Crowley the Lilywhites went in leading by 1-5 to 0-5 at half time.
Kildare played their best football in the third quarter and stretched their lead to five points.
Eoin Devlin and Theo Smith had kept Wicklow in the hunt with good points but it was an excellent score by Paddy O'Rourke that rallied the Wicklow boys.
McGraynor pointed a free and then kicked a great point from out near the corner flag and the comeback was in full flow.
O'Rourke had another fine point to leave only one between the sides with time running out.
With only seconds of the hour left Wicklow had a great chance to take the lead.
McGraynor won possession behind the defence and had a point for the taking. He decided to go for goal but was blown for over carrying.
Neutrals close to goal claimed the Avondale lad should have got a penalty but from the free out Kildare set up an attack that yielded the winning points and then to rub salt into the wounds scored another on the stroke of time.
Wicklow were still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages in this tournament.
In the other match on the same night Carlow and Wexford played a draw in Myshall - a result that suited Wicklow.
Wicklow's last match in the league section was against Wexford in Castletown last night (Tuesday).