Kildare manager Cian O'Neill admits that it is a massive boost for the Lilywhites to have Eoin Doyle back from injury.

Doyle was named Kildare captain for the year before Christmas, but hasn't kicked a ball in anger since the International Rules series last November.

However, he has now returned to the fold after the lengthy lay off, lining out for ten minutes in a challenge match against Laois last weekend.

And O'Neill stressed to the Kildare Nationalist that the return of the experienced defender has been timed well as they continue their preparations for the Leinster SFC opener in three weeks.

"We've been building up to this for quite some time," said O'Neill. "We were never being evasive but with the nature of the injury we could never put a time on it in terms of his return but he's made some really, really good gains in the last month.

"We earmarked a couple of weeks in training to ease him in and we just felt that the way the match was, he could have been on the second pitch doing a session with the boys or he could have been out there for ten minutes."

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