Offaly caused a sensation in the Leinster hurling championship with a 1-29 to 0-15 win over Kildare, charging into the All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals.
Kilkenny are out of the championship after their loss to Dublin, while the Faithful County's summer is now alive with possibilities.
In front of a crowd of 5,602, made up almost entirely of Offaly support, Johnny Kelly’s team sensed the opportunity at hand and dominated pretty much throughout.
They led by three points at half-time but any chance Kildare had of playing the role of party pooper evaporated in the 37th minute with the sending off of Cathal McCabe after an off-the-ball clash with Ciaran Burke.
Although Kildare were already relegated before a ball was pucked this afternoon, they met Offaly head on in the opening exchanges and the first eight points were evenly shared before Offaly went ahead for the first time in the 15th minute through the outstanding Eoin Cahill.
There was still a point between the teams after a superb effort from distance by Cian Boran in the 22nd minute but Offaly then put daylight between the teams for the first time when they reled off five points in a row.
Kildare had a spell of three points in a row themselves before the half-time break before Cahill had the final say, leaving the score at 0-13 to 0-10 at the break.
Just seven minutes after McCabe’s second-half dismissal, Offaly got in for the only goal of the game when Kildare goalkeeper Paddy McKenna delayed his clearance allowing Brian Duignan to nip in and dispossess him before scoring into the empty net.
It was routine after that for Offaly and biggest cheer among their sizeable travelling support came when news of Donal Burke’s goal for Dublin against Kilkenny filtered through.
At the final whistle in Newbridge, that crowd invaded the pitch but it was only when the result from Parnell Park was confirmed a couple of minutes later that the celebrations really began.
Offaly: Liam Hoare; Ciaran Burke (0-01), Ben Connelly, Patrick Taaffe; Ross Ravenhill, Killan Sampson, Ter Guinan (0-01); Colin Spain (0-03), Cathal King; Shane Rigney (0-02), Conor Doyle (0-01), Daniel Bourke (0-04); Eoghan Cahill (0-13, 0-09fs), Brian Duignan (1-02), Adam Screeney.
Subs: Oisin Kelly for Guinan (23), David Nally for Screeney (41-42, blood sub), David Nally (0-01) for Rigney (60), James Mahon for Taaffe (63), Eoin Burke for Screeney (63), Ciaran Cleary (0-01) for Duignan (64).
Kildare: Paddy McKenna; Liam O’Reilly, Rian Boran, Dan O’Meara; Daire Guerin, Conan Boran (0-01), Simon Leacy (0-01); Cian Boran (0-02), Cathal McCabe (0-01); Jack Travers, Cathal Dowling, Gerry Keegan; Darragh Melville (0-02), Muiris Curtin (0-01), Jack Sheridan (0-05, 0-04fs).
Subs: Richy Hogan for O’Reilly (41), Tim Ryan (0-01) for Curtin (47), Paul Dolan (0-01), for Dowling (52), Conn Kehoe for Hogan (57), Tom Power for Travers (63).
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).
