To their credit, Kildare haven't wallowed in any self-pity since their All-Ireland final defeat. Yesterday, on a crisp November afternoon, they produced enough snapshots of their summer finery to emphatically repel Mayo at Newbridge and secure a deserved winter's break with a fistful of league points in the bag.
"I'm proud of the players and the way they have responded," admitted Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer, whose team have collected five points from six in the first part of the league campaign. "It could have gone the other way for us after the All-Ireland, the players could have felt down and had no interest in the league after a long year. The really satisfying part is the way that the new players have come in and done well. You have got to have good reserves to win anything."
Kildare won this game against Mayo, the beaten finalists in 1996 and 1997, mainly due to an impressive second-half display when they used their possession wisely. Indeed, they had a period of dominance for 15 minutes during the half when they kicked seven unanswered points. In that spell, the only occasion the focus wasn't on their fluid football was when match referee Niall Barrett was forced to retire with a calf strain.
The opening minutes of the match left a false trail. Numerous pick-ups off the ground, mis-directed passes and poor handling probably fooled many in the 10,000 crowd into thinking that maybe they should have gone Christmas shopping instead. However, from the time that Paul "Knuckles" McCormack punched home Kildare's first goal - and their first score of game - in the 13th minute, the match took on an entirely new shape.
McCormack's goal was that of a real opportunist. Declan Kerrigan, who beavered away all afternoon, moved away from the team's customary short-passing game to float in a long, high ball into the Mayo area. Goalkeeper Peter Burke misjudged its flight and McCormack two-handed the ball to the net. Simple and lethal.
The Mayo response was swift. Within a few minutes, James Nallen, converted from defence into attack, latched on to a loose ball, fended off Glen Ryan and rifled in a low shot past Christy Byrne.
That Mayo goal came in the midst of seven minutes of madness because Kildare's response was even more ruthless. The home team moved back up the field, Willie McCreery's shot was blocked - but not held - by Burke, and Padraig Gravin was in the right place to drill home Kildare's second goal, leaving the score 2-2 to 2-1 in Kildare's favour after 20 minutes.
Kildare kicked eight wides to their opponents two in that first-half, but just about deserved their two-point lead (2-3 to 1-4) at the break.
Kildare's best was saved until the second half. Dermot Earley and Willie McCreery took a hold on centrefield and Kerrigan's influence in the forward line was augmented by an increasingly important contribution from Karl O'Dwyer. He scored three points in Kildare's golden spell from the 40th minute to the 55th minute, a period when they had seven points in succession.
O'Dwyer's scores came from a sideline, a free and from play and they knocked the heart out of a Mayo defence in which only Ken Mortimer and Pat Holmes appeared comfortable. Kildare produced some fine football. The off-the-ball running was superb and the passing was of a high quality. And they used their superiority to stretch their lead to eight points, 2-11 to 1-6, with just five minutes remaining.
Critically, Kildare's defence stood up to the task when Mayo came with a late, despairing surge. On only one occasion did Mayo get a sniff of a goal, but substitute Barry Moloney's 56th-minute shot flew wide.
Kildare: C Byrne; B Lacey, E Mulhall, K Doyle; D Maher, G Ryan, A Rainbow; D Earley (0-1), W McCreery; P Gravin (1-3, three frees), D Kerrigan (0-2), P McCormack (1-1); B Murphy, K O'Dwyer (0-4, one sidelines, one free), C Sheridan.
Mayo: P Burke; K Mortimer, K Cahill, P Holmes; F Costello (0-1), D Heaney, A Higgins; P Fallon (0-1), D Brady; J Nallen (1-0), G Brady, J Casey (0-1); D Nestor; K McDonald (0-1), M Sheridan (0-5, four frees, one 45). Subs: B Moloney for G Brady (49 mins); L McHale for D Brady (52 mins); N Conneely for McDonald (52 mins).
Referee: N Barrett (Cork), replaced by P Fox (Meath) after 43 minutes.
