Derry make light work of abject Kildare in Newbridge

Derry returned to the top of the Division 2 table with a comprehensive dismantling of Kildare in Newbridge today.

After the game, manager Rory Gallagher labelled the performance as the best from his team this season, high praised considering they had won all three league games before this match, but it was easy to see why he would feel that way and only for a string of saves from Mark Donnellan the final result could have been even more embarrassing for Kildare.

Derry were tenacious in their defensive work but it was their transitions from defence to attack that the hosts could not deal with and on the day there was a gulf in class between the teams.

Glenn Ryan's Kildare had lost by 13 points in their last home game against Cork and an even worse defeat here leaves them teetering on the brink of relegation and they have a lot of work to do in their remaining three games if they are to avoid dropping into Division 3, and of course the Tailteann Cup.

That’s a world away from Derry’s worries and they look to have built on last year’s excellent season.

Although Odhran Lynch needed to make a save from Neil Flynn inside the opening two minutes, Derry generally dominated from the off. Benny Heron struck a post early on and then Donnellan diverted a shot from the same player over the bar in the 22nd minute. Five minutes later the Kildare goalkeeper dived low to his right to keep out an effort from Paul Cassidy.

However, a Derry goal seemed inevitable and it duly arrived on the half hour mark when Niall Loughlin was allowed too much space near the goal and he coolly finished to make it 1-05 to 0-01 at that stage.

Shane McGuigan was causing Kildare all sorts of problems and he, Ethan Doherty and Heron all scored late in the half to leave