Dominant Derry have promotion in sights after overpowering Kildare

Allianz National Football League, Division Two: Kildare 0-7 Derry 2-15

A feeble killing in the afternoon. It’s been a long time since any game at St Conleth’s Park ended in such death-like silence, and the wonder how on earth Kildare were so bad.

Any hope they might breathe further life back into their Division Two campaign was promptly smothered by Derry, the Ulster champions now four wins from four and playing some startling football to boot. Next week’s showdown against Dublin will be tasty, though both teams look primed for promotion.

Kildare’s place is very different, certainly a million miles from when they beat Dublin here a year ago. Derry scored a goal in either half and could easily have scored half a dozen more, with Mark Donnellan unquestionably Kildare’s best player of the afternoon in goal, making several key saves which prevented the chastening experience and 14-point defeat become a truly humiliating one.

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They were out-paced, out-styled and tactically outmanoeuvred by Derry’s superbly mobile and relentless running game, making Kildare appear sluggish and at times directionless in comparison.

After raising some spirit towards the end of the first half, already trailing 1-8 to 0-3, Kildare came out for the second half and didn’t score until the 56th minute; they finished with 14 wides, only two points from play, and despite emptying his bench nothing Glenn Ryan tried made any difference.

“What we talk about in the dressing room will stay in it,” Ryan said, when asked what he tells his players after a display like this. “But it’s certainly an experience that we’re all very disappointed with.

“They are a good side. But I thought we would test them more. We were in the same position after the Cork game. All I can say is, we work on stuff off the training pitch in the hope and the belief that it’s going to be brought out on the playing pitch, but it’s not happening.”

Not only are Kildare now circling the drain of relegation, teams at the bottom end of Division Two may not even make the All-Ireland race this summer. On this performance Kildare won’t be going far anyway.

No such worries for Rory Gallagher, the Derry manager positively beaming afterwards, the consistency around their performances suggesting they’re now proper All-Ireland contenders.

“Yeah, I think that was the best performance of the four,” he said. “Probably you’d expect your trajectory to go up, the more you train, the more games, different quality of opposition, so delighted to win, and win in style. Certainly from the start of the second half we were comfortable, home and dry.”

“We get a wee bit of criticism in that we play a very consistent team, but we’re not like Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Tyrone and Donegal for that matter, who’ve inherited a conveyor belt of things happening at a really good level. We’ve had to start that. We’re building it slowly with a consistent level of players, but they apply themselves really well and love training and playing together.”

Shane McGuigan was superb for Derry, finishing with 1-7, his goal on 42 minutes ending for sure what had already developed into a one-sided contest. Ethan Doherty and Benny Heron were especially busy too, Paul Cassidy also impressing from centre-forward. Conor Glass lorded midfield, while Chrissy McKaigue and Conor McCluskey were so astute in defence that even Kildare’s long-ball tactic proved futile.

It’s Derry attacking threat that has stepped up a gear from last year though, Heron often coming close to goal ready to pounce, with scoring chances aplenty.

“Look, I suppose we have to prove ourselves with or without the ball every day,” Gallagher said. “We try to push on, continue to evolve, because teams find out a wee bit about you.

“But we weren’t good enough to get out of Division Two last year; Kerry are there battling for every point after winning the All-Ireland, and it’s the same for us.”

The first goal that put Derry seven up came before the half-hour mark, the move started by goalkeeper Odhran Lynch as he pressed out the field, moving through a series of passes before Loughlin finished from close range.

Daniel Flynn was introduced on the half hour, Kildare in desperate need of something; but nothing worked.

“The whole performance,” Ryan said, when asked what disappointed him most. “There isn’t very much positives you can take out of it. I thought Mark Donnellan was outstanding, Mick O’Grady was outstanding. And then, throughout the field, it’s probably difficult for us to find where we won any battle. It’s going to be a tough afternoon if that’s the case.”

Confidence he admitted is fragile: “For any team that suffers defeats, confidence is an issue, you have to show resilience. A doggedness to overcome it. And we need to find that resilience and doggedness.

“From a management perspective, we’re the ones who need to be stepping forward and showing the right leadership. We’re not here to feel sorry for ourselves. It’s a challenge. And when there’s a challenge in front of you, you have to face that as best as you can.”

Right now Derry and Kildare are facing in opposite directions.

KILDARE: M Donnellan; M O’Grady, S Ryan, D Malone; D Hyland, K Flynn, P McDermott (0-1); K Feely, K O’Callaghan; E Doyle, B McCormack, A Beirne (0-1); N Flynn (0-2 both frees), D Kirwan (0-3 all frees), J Robinson. Subs: D Flynn for Robinson (30 mins), J Sargent for Malone (h-t), S O’Sullivan for N Flynn (h-t), P Cribbin for Beirne (43), B Coffey for McCormack (55)

DERRY: O Lynch; C McKaigue, E McEvoy (0-1), C McCluskey; C Doherty, P McGrogan, P Cassidy; C Glass, B Rogers; N Toner (0-2, one free), P Cassidy, E Doherty (0-3); B Heron (0-2), S McGuigan (1-7, four frees, one mark), N Loughlin (1-0). Subs: S Downey for McGrogan (55 mins), O McWilliams for Heron (60), C McGuckian for Pádraig Cassidy (64), P McNeil for McEvoy (65), B McCarron for Toner (67).

Referee: Barry Judge (Sligo).