Kildare County F.C.
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| Full name | Kildare County Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Thoroughbreds |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Dissolved | 2009 |
| Ground | Station Road |
| League |
League of Ireland First Division League of Ireland U21 Division |
Kildare County F.C. (Irish: Cumann Peile Chontae Chill Dara) was an Irish association football club based in Newbridge, County Kildare. Between 2002–03 and 2009 they played in the League of Ireland First Division. During this time they also entered a team in the League of Ireland U21 Division.
Kildare County was formed in 2002 by members of Newbridge Town F.C. in order to enter a team in the League of Ireland First Division. After St Francis withdrew from the First Division just two weeks before the start of the 2001–02 season, the League of Ireland began to look for a replacement club for 2002–03. Twelve clubs, including Newbridge Town, were approached to see if they were interested in joining the First Division. Members of Newbridge Town subsequently decided to form Kildare County as a separate legal entity and applied to join the First Division. The name Kildare County was chosen in an attempt to attract potential sponsors, players and supporters from throughout County Kildare. In February 2002 it was announced that Kildare County would be offered the First Division place ahead of Mullingar Town.
In March 2002 Kildare County appointed Dermot Keely as their first manager and John Gill as his assistant. On 15 June 2002 the club made their official debut in a friendly against Bray Wanderers. The game finished 2–2 with Keith O'Connor and Alan Kelly becoming the first and second players to score for County. On 6 July 2002 Kildare County made their competitive debut against Limerick at Station Road in a First Division Cup game. Philip Gorman and Shey Zellor scored for County as they won 2–0. On 24 August County made their League of Ireland First Division debut at Station Road again against Limerick. This time they lost 3–1 with Philip Gorman scoring the clubs first league goal. Dermot Keely remained in charge of County for the 2002–03 season, guiding them to fifth place. In July 2003, midway through the 2003 season, Keely resigned as County manager in order to take charge of Derry City. During their first three seasons in the League of Ireland First Division, Kildare County challenged for promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division and on each occasion finished just outside the qualifying places for the promotion play-offs. In the 2002–03 First Division Cup they won their regional group and finished as overall runners up, losing 4–0 on aggregate in the final to Finn Harps. They were also quarter-finalists in both the 2003 and 2004 FAI Cups.
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