Allianz National Football League Division One: Kildare v Monaghan (tomorrow, Newbridge, 2.45pm)
THIS is a good, old-fashioned relegation dogfight but is there a team in Ireland you’d fancy more in a scrap than Monaghan?
The battling Farneymen go into tomorrow’s clash on the back of breaching Donegal’s Ballybofey fortress and victory at Newbridge should see them retain their prized Division One status.
However, Kildare will overtake them if they win and the Lilywhites have already shown some good form on home soil this year. Beating Dublin but still getting relegated? That would have been a hard one to get your head around a year or two ago, but it’s the stark reality for Kildare at the business-end of the League season.
That win in Newbridge, their first over their Leinster neighbours in 22 years, was celebrated with gusto but, unless it is to be a consolation prize in a relegation season, Kildare need to repeat it tomorrow.
Kildare failed to build on their 1-12 to 0-12 success when they travelled to the Athletic Grounds last week. They looked dangerous with the ball in their hands but ultimately couldn’t win enough possession to supply their potent full-forward line. James Woodgate, Daniel Flynn and Jimmy Hyland all scored but the Orchardmen’s all-round potency had the final say.
Meanwhile, Monaghan’s mighty impressive win over Donegal was a hammerblow to Kildare’s survival hopes. Donegal hadn’t lost at Ballybofey for 12 years before last Sunday, so Glen Ryan and his men will have been cursing their luck as they watched the events unfold at MacCumhaill Park but
Seamus McEnaney’s men were well worth their win.
A few more scores here and there would have seen them in with a chance of winning their first three games but draws against Tyrone and Armagh (both away from home) and a two-point loss to Mayo in Clones were all they had to show for their efforts so when Kerry hit them for 3-14 in the fourth round at Inniskeen, the relegation vultures began to circle in earnest.
There’ll be a few knocking about Newbridge tomorrow because the loser of this game will be in serious trouble but Monaghan manager McEnaney promised after last weekend’s win that, if his county does go down, it’ll be with all guns blazing.
“We have an experienced group of players that value the status of Division One, we won’t be letting go of that mantle easily,” he said.
“We had three massive performances in our first three League games, albeit we came out of it with only two points. We felt the Kerry game was in isolation.”
Conor McManus remains central to this Monaghan line-up but he was one of eight scorers in blue and white against Donegal and that spread of attacking options gives Farney fans reason to be optimistic this weekend.
Kildare have looked dangerous any time Daniel Flynn has the ball in his hands but their lack of reliable scoring options has cost them points this year – most notably against Tyrone in Omagh. If Monaghan can get a handle on Flynn and his forward colleagues (and they have the markers to do so) they should have the arsenal to win this and save their Division One skins.
