A historic day for football. There have been similarly significant days in hurling with Galway and Offaly in the 1980s and, more recently Clare and Wexford in the '90s. In football already this decade, we have had Donegal and Derry winning All-Ireland titles and Clare and Leitrim winning provincial championships.

Now we have Kildare against Galway in an All-Ireland football final. The huge crowd of 65,000 shows clearly that the games' appeal has been greatly enhanced by the arrival of new counties able to compete at the highest level.

Kildare's win was richly deserved. When news emerged that Niall Buckley was not going to play the general belief was that this would be the end of Kildare's challenge. It seemed to be an enormous blow to their hopes that one of their best players was out of action. As things worked out they made a virtue out of their problem and Dermot Earley, who was moved to midfield, played a very important role in Kildare's victory. It was important too that Willie McCreery responded so well to the challenge.

Normally he would play second fiddle to Buckley in the middle of the field but his committed performance was a major factor in Kildare's success. Everyone, including myself, wondered how Kildare would react to their first appearance in an All-Ireland semi-final since 1956. There was tremendous pressure on them from their huge number of supporters and an uncertain start suggested that they might not be able to cope.

They remained calm and closed down the Kerry attack, however, and the champions' early pressure failed to yield the scores which would have put them in control. In this respect the Kildare full back line of Brian Lacey, Ronan Quinn and Seamus Dowling played a huge part in limiting Kerry's opportunities. Maurice Fitzgerald had an off-day for Kerry, although that may have been due to Lacey's excellent marking. Even his free-taking suffered and he missed two or three kicks that he would normally have converted without any trouble. When things were not going right for him, his confidence dipped and his overall influence was reduced. This demoralisation spread to his colleagues, who always look to him for inspiration. Maurice will be very disappointed with his own performance which was well below his best. Because he was effectively closed out of the match the team lost its rhythm and its pattern of play was disrupted.

Kerry's free-flowing football did not materialise as a result. A central issue involved the way in which the Kerry half back line gave far too much room to Eddie McCormack and Declan Kerrigan.

Kildare made great use of possession from the breaking ball and Earley was heroic in gaining a lot of possession and making good use of it.

The Kerry half backs, particularly Liam Flaherty and Eamonn Breen, had to contend with players running at them all the time and they were not able to curb those Kildare tactics. As a result the Kerry full back line struggled to control Martin Lynch and Padraig Graven.

Lynch always looked a major threat and he won some crucial frees when Kildare needed scores. As well as that his running created space for others and the delivery of the long ball from far out the field put players like Stack and O'Shea under constant pressure.

As well as that Karl O'Dwyer added an extra dimension to the Kildare attack. They are not a high-scoring side but O'Dwyer is a vital cog in the wheel and he makes the most of the opportunities which come his way. His use of the ball using both feet is very effective.

Glen Ryan really came into his own in the second half which was impressive, given his poor start. He made a big impression in the second half when his breaking out of defence and his accurate deliveries were crucial in keeping the Kildare challenge alive.

After the Kerry goal I thought Kildare were tiring. They had really run themselves ragged at great pace for most of the match. Of course, Kerry were tiring as well and Kildare stood up to it better. It was an energy-sapping day for both sides. I was surprised about the Kildare decision to bring in Davy Dalton, but I presume that Mick O'Dwyer had a reason. It certainly was not sentimentality. It was a bit of a gamble but it paid off.

In the long run I believe that Kildare's tough passage in the Leinster championship stood to them. With a testing time against Dublin and Meath they were much better prepared for a match of this importance. Kerry did not have anything like the same trials and, in the end, it showed.

(In an interview with Sean Kilfeather)