Lynch's early goal lights Derry fire

Derry 1-16 Kildare 0-8: VICTORIES IN the top tier of league football don't come any more comfortable than this emphatic display by Derry at a wet and windy Celtic Park yesterday.

Leading after 90 seconds through Mark Lynch's fisted goal Derry were out of sight by the 24th minute when they led by 1-10 to 0-1. Kildare did rally, briefly, in the 20 minutes either side of half-time but at the first inkling that the Lilywhites might make a game of it Derry simply went back up a gear and closed the game out.

Paddy Bradley's nine-point haul and Enda Muldoon's playmaking display will have caught the eye of the casual viewer but this was an outstanding team display by Derry. On the few occasions that Fergal Doherty and James Conway didn't claim the ball at midfield, the defence strangled any threat posed by the Kildare attack.

Some of Derry's attacking play was scintillating and the move leading Ciarán Mullan's 13th-minute point was as fluid a passage of football as fans anywhere will see all season.

Derry got off to a flying start when Lynch fisted home Conleith Gilligan's second-minute pass for an early goal.

Derry piled on the pressure and four points on the trot from Bradley (two), Gilligan and Mullan saw them lead by seven before James Kavanagh got the visitors off the mark on 13 minutes.

However, that proved a false dawn for Kildare as Derry piled on the pressure with six unanswered points from Bradley (three), Liam Hinphey, James Conway and Gilligan making it 1-10 to 0-1 after 24 minutes.

The introduction of Daryll Finn at midfield tightened things up for Kildare and Michael Conway (45) and John Doyle two frees made it 1-10 to 0-4 at the break.

Kildare managed three more scores on the bounce after the interval as Kavanagh, Morgan O'Flaherty and Doyle all raised the white flag.

But with Barry McGoldrick to the fore and substitute Eoin Bradley adding new impetus to the Derry attack the hosts regained control of the game and ran out easy winners.

DERRY: B Gillis: K McGuckin, N McCusker, M McIver; L Hinphey (0-1), K McCloy, M McBride; F Doherty, J Conway (0-1); M Lynch (1-0), B McGoldrick (0-1, free), E Muldoon (0-1); C Gilligan (0-2), P Bradley (0-9, five frees), C Mullan (0-1). Subs: E Bradley for Mullan (46 mins), C O'Kane for Gilligan (52 mins), P O'Hea for McBride (67 mins), P Murphy for Lynch (70 mins).

KILDARE: E Murphy; B Flanagan, K O'Neill, M O'Flaherty (0-1); E Callaghan, A Rainbow, G White; N Browne, D Earley; J Doyle (0-4, frees), M Conway (0-1, 45), T Fenin; J Kavanagh (0-2), P Mullarkey, K Donnelly. Subs: B Flanagan for Browne (24 mins), M Scanlon for Rainbow (44 mins), A Smith for Fenin (50 mins), K Ennis for Donnelly (57 mins), A Barry for Mullarkey (59 mins).

Referee: E Murtagh (Longford).

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times