Down 0-14 Kildare 1-11:A 73rd-minute equalising free from Aidan Carr deprived Kildare of a second successive campaign win at Newcastle yesterday. But a transitional Down team deserved their draw.
Leading 0-7 to 0-6 towards the end of a first half which had kept the 2,000 spectators absorbed, Down were rocked by a Kildare blitz, three pointed frees from John Doyle, and a Murt Donnelly goal that was a tap-in after Pádraig O'Neill's shot had been blocked by Daniel McCartan. That opened up a five-point gap at the end of a half distinguished by performances from O'Neill and Down's Daniel Hughes.
But Down got back into control as the pace and fluency of the football foundered in the second-half mud. Hughes spearheaded their revival, which culminated with Aidan Carr hitting the equalising point midway through the half. But Kildare stabilised, and, prompted by Anthony Rainbow, recovered the lead through Killian Brennan in the 60th minute.
Much as the crowd wanted to make an early getaway to reach a TV screen for the Croke Park rugby, they were transfixed by the unfolding drama as both teams battled for supremacy.
Carr shot the equaliser after 69 minutes, but Emmet Bolton stormed upfield to restore that lead, and the impatient spectators were kept hanging on until late in added-time when Aidan Carr gave his father, Ross, something to be happy about in the dressingroom with another equaliser in Down's final attack.
Kildare showed that their form on the opening day against Armagh had substance with a spirited display, especially late on. Rainbow, Mark Hegarty and Bolton formed a driving half-back line, while John Doyle and O'Neill were menacing.
Ronan Murtagh had an inspiring match in the Down full-back line, with Carr and Ronan Sexton providing consistent support to the on-fire Hughes.
DOWN: M McVeigh; D McCartan, A Scullion, K McGuigan; R Murtagh (0-1), D Rooney, J Clarke; B Coulter (0-1), P Turley; J McGovern (0-4, three frees), A Carr (0-3, three frees), P Murphy; D Hughes (0-4), D Gordon, R Sexton (0-1). Subs: M Poland for J McGovern (50 mins), J Brown for P Murphy (60 mins), B Doran for R Sexton (60 mins).
KILDARE: E.Murphy; E Callaghan, D Lyons, T Dowling; A Rainbow, M Hegarty (0-1), E Bolton (0-1); K Brennan (0-1), W Heffernan; D McCormack, J Doyle (0-5, four frees), K Donnelly; P O'Neill (0-2), T O'Connor (0-1), M Donnelly (1-0). Subs: J Kavanagh for D McCormack (54 mins), P Ennis for K Donnelly (54 mins), B Flanagan for D Lyons (60 mins), D Lyons for E Callaghan (66 mins).
Referee: J Curley (Meath).
