ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION TWO: Monaghan 0-17 Kildare 0-12:MONAGHAN STAGED a vastly improved performance than that which they produced in their opening game against Meath, but the football on offer in Clones yesterday was overshadowed by a mass scuffle before half-time as the home team opened their win account in Division Two.

Referee Joe McQuillan consulted with his umpires before brandishing a red card to Kildare defender Brian Flanagan ahead of the start of the second half, while his team-mate Pádraig O’Neill and Monaghan duo Dick Clerkin and Dessie Mone both received yellows.

The best football was played by the home side with chief scorer Paul Finlay and captain Darren Hughes leading the charge as they built a 0-9 to 0-6 half-time lead.

Kildare hit 11 wides as they fell to a second successive defeat.

Monaghan led 0-3 to 0-0 thanks to efforts from David Hughes and Matthew McKenna (2) before Kildare replied with a couple of frees from Mikey Conway and their top scorer, Eoghan O’Flaherty.

But the hosts had their tails up early on and points from Paul Finlay and Dick Clerkin made it 0-5 to 0-2 after 15 minutes.

Points from O’Flaherty (free) and Eamonn Callaghan closed the gap to one, but Finlay (a free) and Dermot Malone, with a lovely strike from distance, made it 0-7 to 0-4 after 23 minutes.

Monaghan went on to lead at half-time by 0-9 to 0-6.

On the resumption, points were swapped, before Hughes sent Monaghan four ahead and there was a brief flashpoint when the brilliant Finlay, who hit three points in the space of five crucial minutes, went down injured.

Conway slotted a free from a tight angle as Kildare closed to within four points, 0-14 to 0-10.

But Kieran Hughes and Owen Duffy stretched the gap and a James Turley point had the margin up to seven before Kildare added late consolation scores.

MONAGHAN: M Keogh; R McNally, Darren Hughes, D Malone (0-1); V Corey, D Mone, David Hughes (0-1); D Clerkin (0-1), J Turley (0-1); M McKenna (0-2), P Finlay (0-7, 3f), S Gollogly; O Duffy (0-2), K Hughes (0-2), D Morgan. Subs: N McAdam for McNally (49 mins); M Downey for McKenna (60); D Wylie for Malone, C McGuinness for Gollogly (both 70).

KILDARE: S Connolly; M Scanlon, H McGrillen, O Lyons; B Flanagan, T O'Neill, E O'Flaherty (0-5, 3f); D Flynn, R Sweeney; E Callaghan (0-3), M Conway (0-3, one free), P O'Neill; K Donnelly, T OConnor, P Fogarty (0-1). Subs: J Doyle for Donnelly (23 mins); J Kavanagh for O'Connor (40); M Foley for Scanlon (44); A Smith for P O'Neill (56); G White for Sweeney (62).

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).