Derry 1-17 Kildare 0-11: Derry bounced back from their Ulster semi-final defeat by Donegal and showed they could yet be a force in the championship with this comprehensive qualifier win over Kildare at Celtic Park on Saturday.
Derry were vastly superior, Eoin Bradley playing superbly in a withdrawn role and Paddy Bradley, Ciarán Mullan and Jim Kelly sharp in a revamped attack.
John Doyle got Kildare off the mark with a 45 in the third minute before Mark Lynch pointed for Derry. Doyle edged Kildare back in front, but Derry responded when Kelly got on the end of a sweeping move to point.
The tit-for-tat pattern continued - Pádraig O'Neill, Joe Diver, James Kavanagh and Paddy Bradley swapping points.
Playing with the breeze, Kildare edged in front on 23 minutes when Pádraig O'Neill burst past Kevin McGuckin to make it 0-5 to 0-4. But Derry stepped up a gear,Gavin Donaghy, Paddy Bradley, and Jim Kelly kicking three points in four minutes.
And, on the half-hour mark, Derry struck for the game's only goal. A great ball from Gavin Donaghy played Mullan into space and he drew the defence before feeding Johnny McBride, who finished low and hard across Enda Murphy for a 1-7 to 0-5 lead.
Two late points from O'Neill and substitute Tadhg Fenin saw Kildare close the gap to a goal - 1-7 to 0-7, at the interval.
Kildare's profligacy - they posted eight wides to Derry's two in the first half - continued on the resumption, John Doyle missing a 21-metre free in the first minute. Derry put the tie beyond Kildare in a 10-minute spell, rattling over four points from Mullan (a free), Paddy Bradley, Fergal Doherty and Jim Kelly to lead 1-12 to 0-8 by the 54th minute.
Kildare did manage three more scores, but Derry responded with interest through the Bradleys and substitute Ruairi Convery.
DERRY: B Gillis; K McGuckin, K McCloy, J O'Kane; F McEldowney, M Lynch (0-1), F Crossan; J McBride (1-0), F Doherty (0-1); J Diver (0-1), J Kelly (0-3), G Dinghy (0-1); C Mullan (0-2, one free), P Bradley (0-6, four frees), E Bradley (0-1). Subs: SM Lockhart for Lynch (63 mins), R Convery (0-1) for J. Diver (63 mins), G Diamond for Donaghy, M McGoldrick for McEldowney.
KILDARE: E Murphy; A McLaughlin, K O'Neill, M Hogarty; M Foley, J Divilly, A Rainbow; K Brennan, P Hurley; J Doyle (0-3, one 45, two frees), J Cavanaugh (0-2), R Sweeney; T Archibald, T O'Connor, P O'Neill (0-4). Subs: T Fenin (0-1) for R Sweeney (blood sub 27 mins), Fenin for Archibald (55 mins), M Fitzharris (0-1) for Sweeney (53 mins).
Referee: M Daly (Mayo).
