A last gasp Keelan Sexton goal has blown Division 3 wide open as Clare dramatically ended Kildare's perfect start in the newly renamed Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg in Ennis.
Four successive victories had put the Lilywhites on the brink of an immediate return to Division 2 and they looked to have wrapped up promotion when chief marksman Alex Beirne twice nudged the Leinster side in front coming down the final straight.
However, Peter Keane’s Clare craved the points just as much to remain in the hunt for a promotion place and having led for three-quarters of the tie duly finished a battling display with a gutsy finish from Sexton, who played a one-two with Ikem Ugwueru, before rifling to the bottom left corner of the Kildare net.
While the Leinster side were wasteful with eleven wides, a more efficient Banner laid the foundations for victory with the aid of the conditions to take a six point cushion into the interval.
It was Eoin Cleary’s goal that sparked the hosts into life in front of their biggest attendance of the campaign (1,827) as a pacy back-to-front move involving Manus Doherty, Sean McAllister and Cillian Rouine teed up the former captain to finish to the bottom right corner at 1-03 to 0-02 by the 16th minute.
A Keelan Sexton two-pointer was matched by goalkeeper Didier Cordonnier’s long range free, only for Sexton to strike again just before the break with a second double to stretch the margin to six.
Clare were relieved to go in 1-09 to 0-06 clear after home goalkeeper Eamon Tubridy made a crucial late stop with his foot to deny Alex Beirne a reprieve.
Beirne and excellent midfielder Callum Bond duly led an inevitable second-half revival with the wind at their backs as Kildare kicked the first five points to slash the arrears to just one by the turn of the final quarter.
Colm Dalton, Ben McCormack, Kevin Feely, Bolton and Beirne all got in on the scoring action while Feely saw a goal chance acrobatically tipped away by Tubridy as Clare were held scoreless for the third quarter.
Kildare's failure to maintain three up front handed a timely lifeline to the Banner to finally open their second-half account with an Eoin Cleary free in the 55th minute but even that would be wiped out by a momentum-fuelled Lilywhites outft as Beirne dissected the posts with a rousing two-pointer at 1-10 to 0-13 in the 57th minute.
Beirne brought the best out of Tubridy once more to inch the visitors ahead for the first time in over 50 minutes but fresh legs from the bench would provide some timely home resistance as Dermot Coughlan announced his 2025 bow with successive points by the hour mark to give Clare the edge entering additional time.
Beirne’s second two-pointer looked to have sealed Kildare’s promotion but a never-say-die Clare weren’t content to eke out a draw as Sexton scored his first goal of the campaign to keep his side’s promotion hopes firmly in their own hands.
Clare: Eamon Tubridy; Manus Doherty, Cillian Brennan, Cillian Rouine; Alan Sweeney, Fionn Kelleher, Ikem Ugwueru; Sean McAllister, Brian McNamara (0-01); Ciaran Downes, Emmet McMahon (0-03, 2f), Connor Meaney; Keelan Sexton (1-04, 2tp), Eoin Cleary (1-01, 1f), Aaron Griffin (0-01)
Subs: Cormac Murray for Griffin (49), Evan Cahill for McAllister (52), Daniel Walsh for Meaney (55), Dermot Coughlan (0-02) for Sweeney (62), Mark McInerney for Downes (71)
Kildare: Didier Cordonnier (0-2, 1tpf); Ryan Burke, Mick O’Grady, Brian Byrne; Jack McKevitt, James McGrath, David Hyland; Cathal Hagney, Callum Bolton (0-03); Colm Dalton (0-02), Alex Beirne (0-06, 2tp), Ben McCormack (0-01); Niall Kelly, Kevin Feely (0-02, 1f), Darragh Swords
Subs: Brian McLoughlin for Swords (29), Harry O’Neill for Hagney (HT), Jimmy Hyland for Kelly (45), Ryan Sinkey for McCormack (52), Daniel Flynn for Feely (70)
Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry)
