Athy 1-11
Moorefield 0-12

Danny O’Keeffe’s goal six minutes from time proved the difference as Athy upset Moorefield in this evening’s Kildare senior football championship final.

Vinnie Walsh’s charges timed their finish to perfection at St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge and collected their club’s seventh county title in the process.

Athy had made the far better start to this decider, running up a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after 20 minutes and they’d lead by three (0-6 to 0-3) at the halfway stage.

Eanna O’Connor and Niall Hurley Lynch fired over points early in the restart to eat into the lead and the game would be all square at 0-8 apiece come the 47th minute thanks to Moores marksman O’Connor.

O’Connor edged the 2018 champions in front in the 51st minute and while Cian Reynolds came up with the response at the other end, the momentum looked to be with Moorefield once O’Connor landed their 10th.

Then came the defining moment in this decider when O’Keeffe broke through and fired in for all three points, leaving Athy with one hand on the trophy.

It left Moorefield chasing the game for the closing minutes in Newbridge and they’d lose Cian O’Connor to a second caution in their pursuit.

Mark McDermott pulled back a point for the trailers but super sub O’Keeffe came up with the response in the 59th minute, as he and his team mates held out in injury-time for a first senior crown in nine years.

Athy: James Roycroft; Mark Hyland, Sean Ronan, Darren Lawler; Brian Maher, Mick Foley, David Hyland; Kevin Feely (0-1, 1f), Paschal Connell; Liam McGovern (0-2, 2f), Tony Gibbons, Barry Kelly (0-1); John Moran, James Eaton (0-2, 1, 1f), Niall Kelly (0-3, 1f). Subs: Kieran Farrell (0-1) for Moran (39mins), Danny O’Keefe (1-1) for N Kelly (42), Paul Whelan for Maher (45), Cian Reynolds for Gibbons (60).

Moorefield: Tom Kinsella; Liam Callaghan, Liam Healy, Sean Dempsey (0-1); Ian Meehan, Mark Dempsey, Anthony Durney; Aaron Masterson (0-1), Kevin Murnaghan; Cian O’Connor (0-1), Adam Tyrrell (0-2), Ryan Houlihan; Eanna O’Connor (0-5, 2f), Jason Phillips, Ciaran Kelly. Subs: Niall Hurley Lynch (0-1) for Kelly (39mins), Mark McDermott (0-1) for Phillips (45), Daire Dunne for Callaghan (53), Ryan Moore for Meehan (59).

Ref: Niall Colgan

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