Kevin Feely makes his mark as Kildare edge Roscommon thriller

If this afternoon's championship clash was a battle, then it was Kildare’s air force that won the day.

While Roscommon battled ferociously throughout in the trenches, despite showing clear signs of fatigue, the aerial power of Glen Ryan’s troops was the trump card that the Rossies simply couldn’t match.

It was appropriate then, that it all boiled down to one aerial battle, under the shadow of the stand in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Daniel Flynn sent a long, raking ball into a crowded backline, and Kevin Feely outmuscled Ciarán Lennon to secure the best position and to pluck the ball down from the air, setting up the game winning opportunity.

The Athy man struck his shot sweetly, arcing the ball up into the clouds and over the crossbar for his third point from an attacking mark, and Kildare’s fifth in total. It was the score that gave Glen Ryan’s men a richly-deserved victory, and secured home advantage for next weekend’s round of All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals, albeit "home" for Kildare means one of their neighbouring counties, and perhaps even a return to Tullamore.

For Roscommon, the defeat means that they will have to make a long road trip to either Cork, Omagh or Ballybofey – but they can have no complaints after struggling to match Kildare’s intensity.

In general play, Kildare were the stronger side for the larger share of the game, other than a 15-minute spell in the first half when black cards for Alex Beirne and Ryan Houlihan put them on the back foot.

Outside of that, Glen Ryan’s side were much more impressive, both in their own attacking play, and how they shut down the majority of Roscommon’s main attacking weapons.

First and foremost was the manner in which they negated Conor Carroll’s kick-outs with