Allianz Football League Division Three, round one
Kildare 2-24 Fermanagh 1-12
FERMANAGH ran into a devastating Kildare performance in their opening League game in Cedral St Conleth’s Park on Saturday evening.
Kildare, now under the management of All-Ireland U20-winning manager Brian Flanagan, revelled in the open spaces provided by the new rule ‘enhancements’ and Fermanagh were on the back foot from the throw-in.
With Kildare pressing up, Ross Bogue was forced to go long from kick-outs and that was meat and drink to an athletic midfield sector for the home side.
The Ernemen struggled against the slick-passing Kildare outfit, who peppered the opening half with some wonderful scores having opened their account through full-back Mick O’Grady inside two minutes, though Declan McCusker offered a quick retort with an attempted two-pointer that goalkeeper Didier Cordonnier tipped over.
Debutants Ryan Sinkey and Colm Dalton scored two points apiece as Kildare tore their visitors’ defence to shreds in notching up 13 first-half points, all from inside the ‘arc’.
The value of the two-pointer was illustrated before half-time, however, as Fermanagh finally gained some traction, this time off Cordonnier’s kick-outs, and midfielder Darragh McGurn notched three points, including an orange flag, as they closed the gap to six by the interval.
McGurn offered most resistance for the Fermanagh men with Conor Love, Bogue from a ’45 and Fionán O’Brien (free) also on target in the first half.
Kildare settled again early in the second period, but it was more even now. Substitute Ultan Kelm, Garvan Jones (free) and Bogue from play from just inside the ‘arc’ registered points for the Ernemen and the Lilywhites conceded a calamitous goal on 47 minutes when Kevin Feely’s attempted pass across his own goal was gobbled up by Shane McGullion, who finished past Cordonnier. That narrowed the gap briefly to five points.
The home side recovered, though, and finished strongly, with Niall Kelly and Alex Beirne (free) landing two-pointers and when Dalton led a break towards goal and off-loaded for Darragh Kirwan to finish to the net on the hour there was no way back for Fermanagh.
Feely set up a second goal for 20-year-old Sinkey and David Hyland rounded off a fine evening for the Lilywhites with their third two-pointer as they ran out 15-point winners.
Fermanagh’s only response came from two more Jones points on a chastening evening for Kieran Donnelly and his side.
Kildare D Cordonnier; H O’Neill, M O’Grady 0-1, B Byrne; D Hyland 0-2 (tp), J McGrath, R Houlihan 0-1; K Feely, C Bolton 0-2; B McLoughlin 0-1, A Beirne 0-4 (0-2f, 1tpf), C Dalton 0-2; R Sinkey 1-2, D Kirwan 1-6 (0-2f), N Kelly 0-3 (1tp)
Subs K Flynn for Houlihan 50, A Masterson for Kelly 53, D O’Donoghue for O’Neill 61, C Hagney for McLoughlin 61, D Swords for Bolton 67
Fermanagh R Bogue 0-2 (1x45); A Lyons, J McDade; J Cassidy, D McCusker 0-1, D Owens; R McCaffrey, D McGurn 0-3 (1tp); S McGullion 1-0, F O’Brien 0-1 (f), P Breen; Josh Largo Elis, G Jones 0-3 (2f), C Love 0-1.
Subs U Kelm 0-1 for A Jones 29, Jack Largo Elis for Owens h-t, R Lyons for Breen 52, C Cullen for McDade 58, O Murphy for McGurn 66
Referee B Judge (Sligo)
