There was late drama as Wicklow footballers gave red-hot favourites Kildare a real fright at Netwatch Cullen Park this evening as the Leinster senior football championship got under way before an attendance of 3,800.

Donegal waltzed back to the top flight of the Allianz League with a comprehensive 13-point win over a listless Kildare at Fr Tierney Park in Ballyshannon yesterday.

Meath snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to take a major step in their quest for a return to top-tier football with this victory in driving snow at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

There was a sensational ending to this fully-blooded Division 2 NFL encounter as a penalty goal from Barry Dardis in added time strengthened Meath’s promotion push at Pairc Tailteann.

A paltry scoring return suggests the advanced mark is not making a significant impact on Gaelic football.

Ryan Lyons scored the only two points of the final 20 minutes to guide Fermanagh to their first victory of this league campaign against a woefully below-par Kildare side at Brewster Park on Saturday.

Where in the opening round Cork succeeded in securing a point despite being a man down for the closing 27 minutes of action, yesterday, despite being a man up for the same period of time, they were unable to manage anything at all.

Goalkeepers of the Year

YESTERDAY’S events in Thurles told us more about a man who wasn’t on the field than one who was. If anybody was in doubt about the Westmeath man taking charge of the All-Ireland final, they aren’t now.

In the end, it was all too comfortable for Kerry. But it mattered little, the result they needed from Pearse Stadium didn't materialise.

Newbridge or nowhere? That’s how it’s shaping up again for Kildare only this time they’ll have nowhere left to turn in the championship if they don’t beat Galway in Newbridge next weekend.

Latrobe, the outsider, nosed himself in front with two furlongs remaining in Saturday’s Irish Derby classic at The Curragh. He beat the unrelenting Rostropovich by half a length in the premier Flat race.

Kildare 1-16 Longford 1-13

Kildare claimed their first win in 12 months, with a richly deserved eight-point qualifier win over Derry.

Derry 1-18 Kildare 1-17: Kildare manager Cian O’Neill was left furious after a controversial Emmett McGuckin goal in injury time saw Derry end the Lilywhites’ perfect start to life back in Division Two.

Mayo 2-17 Kildare 0-14: There was the 20-minute burst either side of half-time in the Connacht semi-final where they outscored Galway by 0-9 to 0-2.

Westmeath 1-12 Kildare 1-11: Shot down in spring, but singing in summer. Such is the way of Westmeath under Tom Cribbin these last couple of seasons.

Trepidation has turned to anticipation in the Westmeath camp.

Kildare just about held out at the end of a pedestrian game to set up a Leinster semi-final with Westmeath or Offaly.

Kildare will be without team captain Eoin Doyle and Daniel Flynn for their Leinster championship opener against Wexford tomorrow week, while Niall Kelly faces a race against time to be fit.

Clare 2-17 Kildare 1-19: The joy was evident and there were plenty celebrations but perhaps the most notable aspect of this historic victory for Clare was the absence of delirium.

Clare produced a rousing finish to beat Kildare in a high-scoring Allianz Football League Division 3 final at Croke Park.

Cian O’Neill has so far done everything asked of him since he finally took the reins in his native county.

Captain Bryan Sheehan starts at right half-forward as one of two changes to the Kerry side for Sunday’s Allianz FL Division 1 final against Dublin at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Kildare 0-17 Dublin 2-14 (AET): If Dublin go on to win the EirGrid All-Ireland U21 title later this month manager Dessie Farrell will savour easily his greatest achievement in management.

Senior panellist Con O'Callaghan starred again for Dublin with 1-7 but Cillian O'Shea was the game breaker in Navan with a vital late goal to secure a three-in-a-row of EirGrid Leinster U-21 football titles.

A run-down on all this weekend’s action...

Kildare 2-15 Meath 0-13: This game hinged on a two-minute period straight after the break, when Kildare found the net almost immediately after Meath had had a gilt-edged opportunity to blow this Eirgrid Leinster U21FC semi-final wide open.

Connacht semi-final: Roscommon v Sligo, Kiltoom, 7.30pm.

Kildare 3-12 Offaly 0-9

A FASCINATING psychosexual thriller is how director, John Hayes, describes Clocked, which opens at the Cork Arts Theatre on June 6.

Dublin took off in the second half to book their place against Meath in the Leinster MFC final in convincing fashion.