Cracking Crossmaglen show from Earley

Imposing midfielder Dermot Earley reeled in the years when he shone in Kildare's 0-12 to 0-10 NFL Division 1B defeat of champions Armagh yesterday.

The 6ft 3in Earley looked back in the sort of the form that secured him an All-Star award in the Lilywhites' Leinster championship-winning year of 1998. He landed two excellent points and put in an exhibition of fielding to dent the Orchard county's title hopes at 'Fortress Crossmaglen'.

It was all the more impressive given the fact that Earley only recently recovered from a broken finger, sustained in Sarsfields' run through to the Leinster club final in December.

Delighted at the win up north, Earley said: "We knew this was going to be a big test for us but we were prepared for it and it's a great feeling to have won a game of such quality against the league champions.

"We were very unlucky not to win here last year but everyone worked really hard for each other today and we really put everything into it in that final quarter when the game was there to be won and lost.

"It was a very satisfying performance," he added.

While Allenwood attacker John Doyle led the Kildare scoring with seven points, veteran Glenn Ryan, who turns 34 this year, showed his trademark steel in defence, giving new manager John Crofton added optimism for the season ahead.