It could not have been much tighter at the top of Division Three after it took score difference to finally separate Offaly, Kildare and Clare for the final berths on Sunday.
Aaron Griffin’s late brace of goals helped hosts Clare complete a rousing 10-point second half turnaround to overcome Offaly by 2-14 to 2-09 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg in Ennis. However, while it was enough to put them level on points with the Leinster duo, Kildare and Offaly’s superior firepower over the seven matches was sufficient to edge promotion back to Division Two.
It means that despite beating both promotion rivals, the Banner agonisingly finish third in the Division 3 table for the second successive season but will take a lot of positives from their character-filled turnaround in front of 2,176 in Ennis.
Expecting Kildare to get the better of Antrim on home soil, which they eventually did by a flattering 1-26 to 1-15 margin in Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Clare were fully cognisant that they would require an 11-point triumph to be able to leapfrog their opponents in the table.
The Banner’s poor first half return proved decisive as overall the Munster side kicked 15 wides including a whopping nine missed two-point attempts in a predominantly frustrating encounter with Mickey Harte’s side.
Keelan Sexton hit the post in the eighth minute and Emmet McMahon had a shot saved whereas a far more efficient Offaly rattled the net with a flicked Jack Bryant goal only three minutes later to punish their hosts at 1-0 to 0-2.
It would prove a pattern for the remainder of the half as Clare finally regained parity in the 26th minute, only to be floored by a 33rd minute Cathal Flynn goal that powered Offaly to a 2-5 to 0-6 interval lead.
History repeated itself on the resumption too as three Keelan Sexton points helped Clare reel in the visitors once more by the 44th minute but found goalkeeper Paddy Dunican in stubborn mood as he popped up with an inspirational two point free to maintain a two point cushion into the final quarter.
Clare would outscore a flagging Offaly by 2-3 to 0-1 for the remainder including a clinical pair of Aaron Griffin goals but the final points were all that the home side would get out of the tie.
Kildare would finish top of Division Three after surviving a scare against a plucky Antrim side at the same time in Newbridge. Requiring a victory of any kind to return to Division Two at the first attempt, Niall Kelly, Callum Bolton and Alex Beirne kicked a brace of points each to put their side six clear nearing the end of the opening quarter.
However, fighting for their Division 3 lives, Antrim would subsequent convert six two-pointers, three from Dominic McEnhill to take a 0-14 to 0-09 advantage into the break.
With the wind now at their backs, a determined Kildare resumed with a 1-8 unanswered blitz including a Niall Kelly goal to recapture control and eventually run out eleven point winners.
The result confirmed Antrim’s relegation down to Division Four alongside Leitrim who went down by 0-32 to 0-10 to Connacht rivals Sligo, whereas Laois were pipped at the post for the second successive week, this time to comeback kings Fermanagh by 1-18 to 2-13 in Brewster Park.
