Kildare registered 1-6 without reply in the last 15 minutes to beat Down by 1-18 to 0-11 at Newry.

With a crowd of 6,375 looking on, the winners outscored James McCartan's charges by 1-8 to 0-1 in the fourth quarter, Tommy Moolick sealing the deal with a last-minute rocket to the roof of the net.

Trailing by five points at half time, the hosts rallied after the restart and drew level by the 42nd minute. And it was 0-10 apiece with three-quarters of the match played but Kildare finished like a house on fire.

After a slow start from both sides, the winners gradually took control of proceedings in the first half and made the hosts look very ordinary indeed as they steamed into a 0-8 to 0-3 interval lead.

Points from Gary White and Cathal McNally got the visitors off to an encouraging start and a brace of Donal O'Hare frees drew the Mourne County level before Padraig Fogarty slotted the Lilywhites' third score from play to make it 0-3 to 0-2 after ten minutes.

There were no more scores until the 19th minute and it went Kildare's way as Eamonn O'Callaghan made it double scores with a lovely finish off his left. Ninety seconds later, Padraig O'Neill made it 0-5 to 0-2.

Jason Ryan introduced Alan Smith in place of the black-carded O'Callaghan and Padraig O'Neill fisted the ball between the posts eight minutes from the break to make it a four-point match; Smith swivelled to register the beaten Leinster semi-finalists' seventh point with his first touch.

On the stroke of half time, Benny Counter provided Down's first point from play (and their first score in some 26 minutes of play) but Eoghan O'Flathery cancelled that out in injury time to leave five points between the sides at the break.

A different Down side emerged for the second half and, after Coulter had engineering and narrowly missed a goal chance, they roared back into contention with a series of points from O'Hare (free), Coulter, Kevin McKernan, Darren O'Hagan and Coulter again to level the scores by the 42nd minute.

Smith replied and Fogarty doubled the gap before Down drew level for the third time with points from Declan Rooney and Conor Maginn - 0-10 apiece with a quarter of the game remaining.

The Lilywhites went back in front when Fogarty registered from a '45' after 55 minutes and Emmet Bolton made it 0-12 to 0-10. Conor Laverty replied (with Down's last score of this year's championship) but a disputed Fogarty point was awarded as the visitors again moved two clear.

Niall Kelly's brace was followed by efforts from O'Neill, Smith and McNally before Moolick's stunning strike confirmed the Lilywhites' passage to the third round of the Qualifiers.

Kildare - M Donnellan; C Fitzpatrick, H McGrillen, O Lyons; E Bolton (0-1), F Conway, K Cribbin; T Moolick (1-0), G White (0-1); C McNally (0-2), N Kelly (0-2), P O'Neill (0-3); E Callaghan (0-1), P Fogarty (0-4, 1f, 1'45), E O'Flaherty (0-1). Subs: A Smith (0-3) for E Callaghan, M O'Grady for H McGrillen, H Lynch for G White (BC), T O'Connor for E O'Flaherty, E Doyle for E Bolton, M Conway for C McNally.

Down - M Cunningham; D McCartan, D Rooney (0-1), D O'Hagan (0-1); C McCartan, C Garvey, K McKernan; D Gordon, P Turley; B Coulter (0-4), C Maginn (0-1), M Poland; D O'Hare (0-3f), N Madine, C Laverty (0-1). Subs: C Toner for P Turley, R Johnston for N Madine, B McArdle for D McCartan, D Turley for R Johnston.

Referee - D Coldrick. Tweet

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