Kildare set out their intentions

ALL-IRELAND SFC QUALIFIER ROUND THREE Kildare 2-17 Derry 1-9:ON THIS form Kildare should prove to be formidable opposition for any of the sides still in this year's championship. After absorbing the shock of conceding a first-minute goal, the Leinster side set about taking Derry apart.

That initial flurry apart, Kieran McGeeney’s side were dominant in every sector. Alan Bolton ran the game from half back, Dermot Earley shrugged off injury worries to lord proceedings at midfield, John Doyle was as prolific as ever and Eamonn Callaghan added 1-4 from play. The scoreboard told no lies, Kildare were full value for an 11-point victory.

Yet even with an eight-point haul to his name, John Doyle attempted to rein in the expectation that is sure to follow such a devastating display.

“It would be easy to get carried away after a match like that, live on telly, but maybe the surprise element is gone for us now,” he said. “All this has does is get us to the next round of the competition, there’s no point falling at the next one.

“We knew that performance was in us, but we have to get back now on Tuesday evening and start working hard again. The manager keeps us grounded and we haven’t won anything, we’ve had in the past where we haven’t followed up on big performances. We’ve been to the well too many times and come away with no water. We can’t afford to do that again.”

Despite Doyle’s protestations, Kildare’s thoroughbreds will be stabled with the dark horses rather the also-rans after Saturday’s victory: “You could look at it that way, but the other side of it is a team could look at us and say ‘Kildare are flying high and think they are better than they are’. It’s easy to get caught. Look at Meath and Dublin. Meath came out, beat Dublin well and everyone was saying they’d get a handy Leinster final, it didn’t work out that way.

“Just because things went well for you today doesn’t mean they’ll do the same tomorrow. If you read too much into any game, positive or negative, you are setting yourself up for trouble.”

And what a job it was, this was a chastening end to a miserable year for Derry, relegated in the league and beaten four times in their former fortress of Celtic Park.

After Raymond Wilkinson’s early goal and points from Eoin Bradley and James Kielt gave them a five-point head start, Derry simply failed to compete.

Five scores from Doyle and one from Callaghan saw Kildare in front by 22 minutes, and despite points from Bradley and Declan Mullan, Doyle’s accuracy saw Kildare lead 0-8 to 1-4 at the break.

The second half was completely one-sided, as Doyle, O’Neill, Eoghan O’Flaherty, Hugh McGrillen, and Callaghan raised the white flag. By the time Callaghan took advantage of Barry Gillis error for 58th-minute goal it was 1-14 to 1-7.

The contest was over, but unfortunately for Derry the game wasn’t as Alan Smith added a second goal and Doyle (two) and Callaghan tacked on late points to complete the demolition.

KILDARE: S McCormack; P Kelly, H McGrillen (0-1), A MacLochlainn; M O'Flaherty, E Bolton (0-1), B Flanagan; D Flynn, D Early; J Kavanagh, P O'Neill, T O'Connor (0-1); J Doyle (0-8, 6f), R Sweeney (0-2), E Callaghan (1-4). Subs: A Smyth for O'Connor (9 mins), E OFlaherty for Sweeney (50 mins), D Lyons for Bolton (55 mins), D White for B Flanagan (55 mins).

DERRY: B Gillis; B Óg McAlary, K McGuckin, D McBride; G O'Kane, B McGoldrick, C Kielt; J Diver, E Muldoon (0-1, 45); C McKeever, J Kielt (0-2, one free), D Mullan (0-1); E Bradley (0-3), M Lynch (0-2, frees), R Wilkinson (1-0). Subs: Patsy Bradley for C Kielt (half-time), SL McGoldrick for Wilkinson (53 mins), M Craig for McKeever (60 mins), R Convery for Diver (58 mins).

Referee: Marty Duffy(Sligo).