Kildare claimed the Division Two silverware with an impressive 0-16 to 0-11 defeat of Tyrone.

This is Tyrone's first defeat of the year, while Kildare can go into the championship with their tails up.

The curtain-raiser at Croke Park was in the melting pot for an hour but the winners reeled off seven points in succession to take a firm grip of the match, with substitute Padraig Fogarty and playmaker Mikey Conway particularly impressive.

Three Conway frees helped Kieran McGeeney's charges take a 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the end of a evenly-contested first half that lasted for 49 minutes following a serious injury to Tyrone corner back Aidan McCrory.

Kildare made a late change to their starting XV with Eamonn Callaghan replacing Gary White at left half back, while Tyrone started as announced earlier in the week.

Winning captain Johnny Doyle opened the scoring in the second minute with an exquisite point, which he sliced between the posts at the Hill 16 end off the outside of his right boot, having collected a pass from Alan Smith. Eoghan O'Flaherty doubled the gap with a lovely finish from a free after Peter Harte was penalised for lifting the ball directly off the ground.

In the sixth minute, Owen Mulligan opened the O'Neill County's account after good approach play from Cathal McCarron and Aidan Cassidy. A Mulligan free had the sides level by the ninth minute but Conway restored the Short Grass County's advantage instantly. However, Mark Donnelly got on the end of a good Tyrone move to make it 0-3 apiece after eleven minutes.

Niall McKenna punished some wasteful Kildare shooting with the point that put Tyrone in front for the first time and they still led at the end of the opening quarter: 0-4 to 0-3. James Kavanagh equalised after some important set-up play from target man Tomas O'Connor.

Donnelly was ultra-alert as he seized possession and restored Tyrone's advantage but the border county followed up with misses from Peter Harte and Mulligan before O'Connor won a free from Conor Gormley in front of the posts and Conway obliged to tie the scores up again after 29 minutes.

The Lilygreens went back in front when McCarron rugby-tackled Conway and the No.11 brushed himself down to stroke over the free from a central position into a deserted Hill 16. Excellent work from O'Connor almost created a goal chance as he beat Gormley to O'Flaherty's delivery and then beat goalkeeper Jonathan Curran to the second-phase ball only to be denied by vigilant corner back McCrory, who got back and flicked the ball over his own bar with the big Kildare full forward ready to tap it to the net.

The Tyrone No.2 picked up a nasty-looking injury in the process, colliding with O'Connor as he landed and he had to be substituted in first-half injury time, with Joe McMahon coming in. There was a lengthy hold-up - over ten minutes - as McCrory seemed to be seriously injured and the medical personnel ensured he got the best-possible attention before being removed from the pitch.

It was helter-skelter when the action resumed as both sides tried to carve open scoring opportunities in a shapeless, scrappy period of play with composure in short supply and defences on top. But Stephen O'Neill arrowed over Tyrone's sixth point in the 13th minute of first-half injury time and the No.15 fired a glorious goal chance inches outside the right-hand post two minutes later after fielding a wonderful Mulligan pass.

Mulligan tied the scores up again from a free in the second minute of the second half and the Ulster side moved two points clear thanks to strikes from Mulligan (free) and O'Neill. Eoghan O'Flaherty pulled back a Kildare point from a '45' after a handling effort by Curran and substitute Padraig Fogarty had the sides level again - 0-9 each - after 51 minutes.

On 55 minutes, Sean Cavanagh landed a brilliant point off his left foot at the end of a patient Tyrone move. Kieran McGeeney had compared the O'Neill County to Barcelona during the week and there were certainly signs of the Nou Camp side in that particular move!

Fogarty was unfortunate when his shot went wide off the outside of an upright but the No.22 was then awarded a free for a fairly innocuous Gormley challenge close to goal and Conway had the easiest of tasks in tapping the ball between the posts from off the ground - ten points apiece with an hour played.

Young Fogarty had been causing Tyrone all sorts of problems since his introduction and he nonchalantly put them back in front before Conway followed up with his first point from play and fifth in all: 0-12 to 0-10. Callaghan - wearing No.27 - made it three points in as many minutes as daylight suddenly appeared between the teams.

Moments after lighting up HQ with a spectacular piece of fielding, Doyle curled over an astonishing Kildare point from a sideline ball. Game Over! Fogarty's third point - after great industry from Kavanagh - confirmed that the Leinster representatives would be collecting the silverware.

Somehow the referee missed a clear foul on Donnelly but awarded a free to Fogarty at the other end, with O'Flaherty providing a simple conversion. O'Neill's injury-time free in response to seven successive Kildare scores was a mere consolation.

Kildare: Shane Connolly; Peter Kelly, Hugh McGrillen, Ollie Lyons; Emmet Bolton, Morgan O'Flaherty, Eamonn Callaghan (0-1); Mick Foley, Padraig O'Neill; Eoghan O'Flaherty (0-3), Mikey Conway (0-5), Johnny Doyle (0-2); Alan Smith, Tomas O'Connor, James Kavanagh (0-1). Subs: Padraig Fogarty (0-3), Daryl Flynn.

Tyrone: Jonathan Curran; Aidan McCrory, Conor Gormley, PJ Quinn; Cathal McCarron, Peter Harte, Damian McCaul; Aidan Cassidy, Colm Cavanagh; Ronan McNabb, Mark Donnelly (0-2), Sean Cavanagh (0-1); Owen Mulligan (0-4), Niall McKenna (0-1), Stephen O'Neill (0-3). Subs: Joe McMahon, Sean O'Neill, Martin Penrose, Michael Murphy. Tweet

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