Kildare on march as lifeless Laois swept aside

Kildare 0-13 Laois 0-8

But they had the good fortune to meet a Laois team whose momentum seems to have slowed to a halt since some early-season promise.

Local derbies are supposed to imbue teams with vast stocks of fire and brimstone, but Kildare seemed to have a monopoly on both commodities in Newbridge. Maybe it was the surprisingly strenuous half-hour warm-up Laois were put through prior to throw-in, or maybe it was just one of those days.

Either way, they were, to use the local vernacular, 'brutal.'

"It was a bad performance, definitely the worst I have seen from the team in my time with Laois," said Mick O'Dwyer. "We started well too, but we missed a few chances and maybe if we'd gotten them it would have been different. The heart just wasn't in it today."

Not for the first time in O'Dwyer's tenure, Laois were swamped at midfield, but just as worrying was their inability to read - or want - breaking ball anywhere on the pitch while their use of possession was appalling. Ross Munnelly was perhaps the only man in blue to leave St Conleth's Park with his reputation enhanced.

To be fair, they weren't helped by the unfortunate sending-off of full-forward Stephen Kelly four minutes before the interval. Kelly had collided accidentally with Michael Foley, and when the Kildareman attempted to release the ball while on the ground, he was struck in the face, sustaining a broken nose. After a resultant melee Kelly was shown red by Eugene Murtagh on the advice of one of his umpires.

Already 0-5 to 0-3 up, Kildare used the extra man well, allowing Glenn Ryan the freedom of the park, which the Round Towers vet did with some style.

In truth, Kildare were the better team throughout, apart from an opening period when Laois briefly showed the same hunger and ability as their local rivals. Foley was immense before his forced substitution, while their back line seemed to take every Laois attack as a personal affront.

Like their opponents, they struggled in front of the posts, accounting for ten of the day's 19 wides but there was still much to be taken from the efforts of men like Ronan Sweeney, Eamonn Callaghan, Tadgh Fennin and especially John Doyle, who earned himself a standing ovation near the end.

When it counted, with 20 minutes to go and Laois having narrowed the gap to just one point at 0-8 to 0-7, Kildare's front men stood up to be counted with five straight efforts over Fergal Byron's bar to secure a precious two points for Pauric Nolan's men.

"We played well but that performance was coming, as anyone who saw us in Down last week would have told you," said the Kildare coach.

KILDARE: E Murphy; A Rainbow, D Hendy, A McLoughlin; M Wright, G Ryan (0-1), K Ennis; K Brennan, M Foley (0-1); E Callaghan (0-2), D McCormack (0-2), R Sweeney; T Fennin (0-2, 1f), R Glavin (0-1), J Doyle (0-4, 2f).

Substitutes: M O'Sullivan for Foley 35, K Kelly for McMahon (yellow) 48, S McKenzie-Smith for Fennin (yellow) 55, T Archibald for Glavin 62, A Barry for Doyle 68.

LAOIS: F Byron; P McDonald, C Begley, T McDonald; D Rooney, T Kelly, P McMahon; P Clancy, N Garvan; R Munnelly (0-4, 3f), C Conway (0-3, 2f), M Dunne; S Cooke (0-1), S Kelly, G Kavanagh.

Substitutes: D Conroy for P McDonald 29, D Miller and P Begley for Dunne and Rooney 68.

REFEREE: E Murtagh (Longford).