Kildare appeared set to seal their immediate return to Division 2 only to be floored by a last-gasp Keelan Sexton goal as Clare snatched 2-12 to 0-16 victory in Ennis on Sunday afternoon.
Following a perfect start of four consecutive victories, Brian Flanagan’s side looked to have weathered the considerable home storm when Alex Beirne converted his second two-pointer of the second half to inch the minimum ahead in injury-time.
Having led for three-quarters of the tie and as much as six by half-time thanks an Eoin Cleary goal and a brace of two-pointers for Sexton, Clare were held scoreless for the third quarter as a wind-assisted Kildare used their momentum to turn the tide.
However, Peter Keane’s side would subsequently blow the promotion race wide open once more when Sexton raided for a 73rd-minute goal to ensure a third successive home win of 2025.
The biggest benefactors were Offaly, who bounced back from a first defeat to Fermanagh to hold off hosts Leitrim 1-13 to 1-9 to replace the Lilywhites at the top of the Division 3 table.
It was a far from straightforward win for Mickey Harte’s side after Darren Cox’s late goal teed up a grandstand finish but, crucially, they held out for their fourth win in advance of a winner-takes-all promotion showdown against Kildare in a fortnight’s time.
Laois are also still in the hunt for promotion after producing an eight-point turnaround against Antrim to prevail by 0-22 to 1-17 on Saturday. Mark Barry’s eight-point haul proved pivotal to securing a third win in five matches in advance of a must-win home tie against Clare on Saturday week.
The Banner must first take on a revived Sligo, who kept their Division 3 survival hopes alive with a battling 0-19 to 0-19 draw with Fermanagh in Brewster Park on Saturday. However, Tony McEntee’s side will wonder how they let a seven-point advantage slip as their hosts produced a frenetic finale with two-pointers from Declan McCusker, Garvan Jones and Sean Cassidy to salvage a share of the spoils.
