Comfortable day's work for Kildare in Ballinamore

Allianz Football League

Kildare 1-27 Leitrim 0-7

 Kildare footballers made it three wins from three with a facile 23 point win over a raw Leitrim side at Páirc Sheán Uí Heislin in Ballinamore on Sunday afternoon.

With the two teams clearly going in opposite directions this winter, Leitrim having lost virtually a full side since giving Kildare an uncomfortable time in the Tailteann Cup in the summer, and the visitors enjoying an early bounce under new management, the only question from the opening few minutes onwards was how wide the margin would be.

At half-time we were looking through the record books with Kildare ahead by 1-17 to 0-1, having played against a slight breeze and a slight slope. They looked on course to beat their record inter-county score of 4-25, posted against Kilkenny in 1990, but a combination of Leitrim improvement and Brian Flanagan’s side taking their foot off the pedal a little, meant they didn’t get there.

That opening half was a chastening experience for Stephen Poacher’s young Leitrim side, already beaten heavily by Clare and Laois in their earlier games. It took them 14 minutes to muster their first shot and by then Kildare had six points on the board.

Kildare had doubled that tally by the 24th minute, helped by a brilliant two-pointer from the impressive newcomer Cathal Hagney, the Nurney man making his first start in the absence of the injured Darragh Kirwan, and a minute later you really felt for the hosts when they conceded an audacious goal from Lilywhite man-of-the-match Alex Beirne.

Leitrim, still seeking their first score at that stage, conceded a close-range free to a 3v3 transgression, and failed to supplement goalkeeper Daire O’Shea on the line. The quick-thinking Beirne saw his opportunity and buried a low shot to O’Shea’s right to put his side 1-12 to no score in front. Game over.

By half-time Kildare had ten different players on the scoreboard with Aaron Masterson notching their second two pointer in the run-up to half-time.

At least by then Leitrim had troubled the scoreboard operator, their DCU Sigerson winner from midweek Tom Prior scoring left-footed after a good run through the Kildare defence.

Kildare had to withdraw Ryan Houlihan after he injured himself scoring a point before the break, and by half-time Flanagan had used four of his substitutes having already started with four changes due to the absences of Kirwan, James McGrath and Niall Kelly, while he opted to rest UCD’s Sigerson finalist Callum Bolton.

Naturally perhaps, Kildare eased off in the second half and Leitrim managed to put six points on the board. The Lilywhites reached thirteen scorers with a sweetly struck Didier Cordonnier ’45 and scores from subs Rian Teahan and another DCU man, Darragh Swords, the latter with an impressive brace.

Brian McLoughlin added their third two-pointer while Ryan Sinkey angled over two classy efforts to bring his tally to three while the confident Hagney moved on to four points in all.

Beirne though was the star performer, the Naas man finishing with 1-6.

Much tougher tests await with Kildare still to face Laois (next Saturday night in Cedral St Conleth’s Park), Clare and Offaly, all of whom had impressive wins today to move into contention, before finishing their campaign at home to Antrim.

Kildare are joint of the table with Offaly on six points with Laois and Clare two points behind.

KILDARE: Didier Cordonnier 0-1 (45); Ryan Burke, Mick O’Grady, Brian Byrne; Jack McKevitt, David Hyland 0-1, Ryan Houlihan 0-1; Kevin Feely 0-1 (m), Aaron Masterson 0-2 (tp); Brian McLoughlin 0-3 (1tp), Alex Beirne 1-6 (1-3fs), Colm Dalton 0-1; Ryan Sinkey 0-3, Cathal Hagney 0-4 (1tp), Ben McCormack 0-1. Subs: Rian Teahan 0-1 for Dalton 26, Tommy Gill for Houlihan 34, Mark Dempsey for O’Grady HT, Adam Fannin for McCormack HT, Darragh Swords 0-2 for Feely 54.

LEITRIM: Daire O’Shea; Eoin McLoughlin, Éanna McNamara, Cathal McHugh; Sean Harkin 0-2, Mark Diffley, James Rooney; Conor Quinn, Keith Keegan; Jack Flynn, Stephen McLoughlin, Tom Prior 0-2; Paul Honeyman 0-2 (tpf), Keith Beirne, Jack Foley.

Subs: Diarmuid Kelleher for Beirne HT, Ben Guckian 0-1 (f) for S McLoughlin HT, Conall McGovern for Quinn 56, David Feeney for Foley 69.

REFEREE: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).