CONTRASTING moods in the dressingroom complex at Celtic Park yesterday. Dermot Earley was questioned about his team's old failing. "Which is?" he replied, before answering the question himself: "failure to finish."

Brian Mullins lumbered into the Derry dressingroom, meanwhile, wearing a woolly hat and a broad grin. "Happy with two points." And what about the second half? "Perhaps you should ask the lads."

Therein hung the tale of yesterday's resumption of National League fare in Derry. Kildare played with bravery and invention but failed to finish. Derry found their stride just briefly, but their half-time lead provided sufficient insulation for the second period.

With another programme of league games next week and the league programme to be concluded before the end of the month, yesterday's clash didn't seem to offer much room for experimentation. Derry are chasing a play-off spot, Kildare are skirting the relegation trapdoor

Derry relaunched a slightly overweight Dermot Heaney as a full back and deployed the athletic and under-rated Fergal McCusker as a midfielder in the absence of both Ruari Boylan and Anthony Tohill. Both experiments served to underline the strength of Derry's panel. Heaney, playing with the two best corner backs in the game on either side of him, brought the calm excellence to his duties which has served him well in so many positions for Derry. McCusker was the best midfielder on view.

Kildare can't rely on such a pool of resources. Anthony Rainbow, on leave from army duty in the Lebanon, was pressed into the cockpit of hostilities at centre back yesterday and was virtually taken hostage by Damien Barton. For the second half Rainbow switched to his customary wing back posting and was a revelation. Indeed by the second half, Dermot Earley had sorted out many of the glitches in his side: Sos Dowling was keeping the effervescent Joe Brolly company, Davy Dalton was off the bench and in at full back, Glen Ryan was restored to the centre back pivot.

Earley's tactical acuity almost paid off. Having played with a vigorous wind in the first half, Kildare had scored four points in the opening 10 minutes and had then decided to leave it at that. Derry were just locating their old passion, however. The full forward line of Brolly, Damien Cassidy and Colin McIldowney was beginning to buzz.

Brolly's speed and accuracy dazzled Martin Ryan twice for lovely points, before Sos Dowling switched on to the Dungiven man.

Then came a little cameo of intelligent forward play. While Kildare were still adapting to their restructured full back line, Brolly threw the cat among the pigeons by initiating a switch with Damien Cassidy. When Brolly moved into the full forward spot Glen Ryan was slow to follow Cassidy out and suddenly a long ball from Dermot Dougan found Cassidy all alone while Ryan and Dowling watched Brolly. Bang. Derry 1-3, Kildare 0-4. Eighteen minutes gone and the scoring all done for the first half.

Kildare, in fairness, refused to give up, and for the wanted of a scoring forward this game was lost to them. Rainbow, Ryan and young Fergus Aspel performed wonderfully in the half back line after the break. Niall Buckley exerted a belated influence. For Derry, Brolly still buzzed and managed two points, but McIldowney had retired injured at halftime and Davy Dalton's presence was making life in the square quite uncomfortable for Damien Cassidy.

Kildare monopolised possession for long periods. Young Eddie McCormick, who had shown his mettle in a brief but incendiary clash with Brian McGilligan in the first half, looked moderately dangerous when in possession, but smuggling the ball to the inside line was Kildare's great difficulty.

In Ryan, Rainbow and Buckley, Kildare have proficient and determined ball carriers, but they have no speedy, free-scoring forward to pass to. As it was, Kildare ended up withdrawing both their full forward and their centre forward.

A couple of points from Brolly and one from the disappointing Enda Gormley kept Derry comfortably ahead until the final few minutes when, fittingly, Buckley (with a free) and Glen Ryan (with the best score of the day at the end of a 60-yard run) tacked on points to leave just two points separating the sides.

With Kildare winning virtually everything around the middle of the park now the game hung briefly in the balance. Niall Buckley picked up possession in his own half, the Derry defence were strung out across the opposite side of the pitch. Buckley had two lilywhite jerseys inside him as he thundered towards the Derry goals. He chose the wrong pass to the wrong man and Henry Downey intercepted with such an air of decisiveness that referee Michael Curley was almost forced to blow the whistle and finish the match.