Best Kildare Games

Just so we all don't succumb to outright despair over the next fortnight, thought I'd start a more positive thread.

Interested in what people think are the best Kildare games they've been to over the years. They can be memorable in terms of excitement or the quality of football played, or both.

For me, the game that most fulfils both criteria was the first replay against Meath in 1997. In fact, I still rank this as the best football match I've been to in person. Non-stop action from start to finish and more twists than True Detective. Spectacular displays from Niall Buckley and Trevor Giles.

The most memorable game though was beating Dublin in the 2000 Leinster final. I was dancing around the Canal End in front of stunned Dubs when the two goals went in after half time. Other memorable games would include: 91 Lwague final v Dublin, and also beating Kerry, Donegal and Leitrim in the league that year (Martin Lynch was unbelievable in that Leitrim match in Navan and scored an awesome goal - he hit the ball so hard he actually broke the stanchion!); pretty much all of the games in 98 and 2000; 09 Leinster final; Meath and Down in 2010; and Donegal in 2011. Painful loss, but still, some match.

Where to start? I've been watching them since 1977 and can honestly say I don't recall a memorable win in a match of significance until Micko arrived in the '90s !

Can't really look beyond the 1998 Leinster Final v Meath - I honestly had given up on ever seeing us win a Leinster until that year. Of course the 2000 final is a close second. After that a few spring to mind:

V Kerry in 1998 - again I'd pretty much given up on us getting to an All Ireland Final (it's getting that way again mind you!!)
V Meath in the second drawn game in 1997 (probably the best quality Kildare game I've seen)
V Laois in 1997 with 13 men for most of the game
V Donegal in 2001 in the qualifiers in Newbridge
V Limerick in 2008 - strange one perhaps but that was the night it really felt like McGeeney was getting us on a road - great travelling support and a pitch invasion to boot!
V Laois in Tullamore in 2009 - a team playing at it's attacking peak and thrashing our beloved neighbours for the first time in my memory in championship
V Wicklow - can't remember the year but the comeback win when Martin Lynch scored a couple of goals

And then a number of thrilling (but sickening) defeats:

v Donegal 2011
v Dublin 2009
V Down 2010

I'll let someone else have a go now..

Yeah good selection Crofter. I was at that Wicklow game as well - it was 1993. We were destroyed in the first half and Lynchy turned it on in the second half. Mind you he took about 20 steps for the second goal but god knows we deserved a few refereeing breaks over the years.

The euphoria after the 98 Leinster win was something else alright. And Laois 97 was some achievement - Glen Ryan's display that day possibly the finest performance I've seen from a Kildare player.

13 men v Laois, that was the turning point for that era, Glen Ryan grew about 10 foot that day and he was William Wallace, talk about leadership and grabbing a game & team by the scruff of the neck!! Legendary stuff little things like that can make or break a team.

On the Hill for the '98 Leinster final, Brian Murphy goal chaos.

Canal end '00 at half time Dubs telling us to go home............

2nd draw against Meath in 97 was definitely the most exciting and full of drama. The 98 leinster final defeat of Meath was for me the best atmosphere ever at a Kildare match.

To finally win a Leinster you cant beat Meath 98.
For the quality of football Meath 97 , 2nd game and Loais 09 showed Kildare football at its free flowing skillful best.
For sickening defeats Galway in 00 and Down in 10 when I thought we had real chances of winning the AI. The absence of our best midfielders in both games cost ue dearly.
And strange as it may seem I really enjoyed a lot of league matches in Conleths when Micko was in charge and we had a great record there.

Definitely Donegal in 2001 in Newbridge - the place was hopping -

Laois in Tullamore in 2009 - the pleasure of the Laois misery -

Leinster Final in '98 ....more the afters on the pitch than the nail-biting before but I still savour every moment of it.

Kildare-Carlow in Athy, January 2015.

I can't remember anything before 2002 I missed out on the best years

The best Kildare games I was at.

Kildare v Meath Leinster semi final in 2003

Kildare v Roscommon 2007

Kildare v Limerick 2008

Kildare v Laois and Wiclow in 2009

The whole of 2010 never felt so much pride despite the loss after the Down match.

Kildare v Meath Navan 2011

I'm actually starting to miss the heartbreaking losses it was savage being one of the best teams in the country at the time.

Beating Laois in 1997 has to be the most enjoyable Kildare victory I have witnessed. I would put it ahead of the 1998 and 2000 Leinster Finals given the circumstances of the victory. Laois and Leo Turley had beaten us well in 1996 and despite Micko's return and a good league campaign (narrow defeat to Cork in the league semi final if I remember correctly) our championship looked done and dusted after ten minutes. The next hour was just an incredible show of resolve and sheer bloody mindedness - two qualities that were not often associated with Kildare senior footballers.

Although it proved to be something of a false dawn in the end, the win over Westmeath in 2005 was very satisfying at the time. They were the reigning Leinster champions and we were very fortunate to beat Wicklow in the first round. We started slowly and were four or five points to no score down and then Roli got the line for two very soft bookings. Like in 97, Glenn grabbed the team by the scruff of the neck and tore into everything in maroon. That was also the day Johnny Doyle really came of age in a Kildare jersey kicking some incredible scores.

Beating Offaly out the gate in Portlaoise in 1993 was a huge win at the time. Kildare teams had really struggled against the great Offaly team of the 1980s.

The best quality football I have seen Kildare play in a match was also against Offaly in the replay in 2000. They had knocked out Meath who were the defending All Ireland champions and were very confident that they could repeat their 1999 win against us. We had them beaten the first day before the concession of a late goal. They started well in the replay but from the mid point of the first half we took control and played some sparkling football. Eddie McCormack and Padraig Brennan really tore them apart that day.

Limerick in 2008, beating Meath in 2003 and the replay in Kilkenny against Offaly in 2002 were also memorable days.

The Meath replay in 1997 is probably the best game I have ever been at. People eulogized about the Kerry v Dublin game in 2013, that game v Meath was just as good if not better than that. Those games with Meath I believe really laid the foundation for what followed in 1998.

The 2 Leinster final wins were great days. Murphs goals will live long in the memory! The way we came back against the Dubs having looked beaten out the gate at half time was incredible.

The Leinster final v Laois in 2003 was a very good game but heartbreaking as we had done so well to comeback after having 2 lads put off!

I was at those great games (as a young young child in 1997 and 1998) and unfortunately my only recollection and proper memory was of my grandfather and father crying on our way into Newbridge after loosing the All Ireland Final!
Have seen them since on tape and by god were those ties against meath in 97 something epic!

Of my favourite games that I can remember was the Leinster final 2000. Corner of the Canal end lower tier it was something special. I remember not actually believing what I was seeing - Dermots goal followed by Fenin (or was it bryan murphy's goal) either way winning that day was something special and the way we did. The galway debacle that year was disappointing although I did enjoy the second half display particularly again the duo fenin and murphy working that goal into the Hill and Karl scoring a brace of fine points!

Other notable games were beating donegal in newbridge 2001 and definitely beating meath in 2003 (leinster semi final).
Roscommon in that same year was a great match minus the result of course!

Beating Laois in 09 and derry (to go up there and win so convincingly) and Meath in '10 were great to be at! The dancing we did in the canal end against meath in 2010 was some craic, and Johnny's display was fucking heroic that day especially after the bad start conceding 1-3!!