Monaghan picked up their first points of the season with a battling 1-10 to 0-12 victory over Kildare in Newbridge.

Conor McCarthy's excellent goal helped the well-drilled, disciplined and determined Farney County to a 1-6 to 0-5 interval advantage and they held on despite a gallant fightback from the hosts in the second half. Fintan Kelly and Karl O'Connell were exceptional for the winners. McCarthy's 65^th minutes free ultimately proved to be the telling score as Monaghan withstood a late Kildare rally to win the day.

Darren Hughes opened the scoring and Ballybay clubman Dessie Ward slotted an excellent second Monaghan point in the seventh minute before Paul Cribbin opened the hosts' account on the ten-minute mark. Kevin Feely missed a trio of straightforward Kildare frees and Jack McCarron converted one at the other end before Ben McCormack and Feely (free) tied the scores up by the 19^th minute.

When Cribbin edged Cian O'Neill's men in front for the first and only time, McCarron replied with his second on 20 minutes - 0-4 each. Ten minutes from the break, Kieran Duffy got forward to spear the lead point for the visitors at the end of a patient build-up. But Cribbin's third had Kildare level, with goal opportunities wasted at both sides of the St Conleth Park pitch.

On the stroke of the half hour, McCarthy got through with a jinking run before planting a delightful shot to the corner of the Kildare net: 1-5 to 0-5. Just before the break, the home side were dealt a self-inflicted blow when key man Cribbin was black-carded for a senseless rugby tackle on Hughes. Ward registered the last score before the break to leave four between them.

With their manager's words no doubt ringing in their ears, three quickfire points from Feely (free) and McCormack (2) had the Lilywhites back within the minimum within two minutes of the restart but goalkeeper Rory Beggan came upfield to thump over a 40^th-minute '45' for the border county.

Niall Kelly halved the deficit and we had a frantic seven-minute spell without a score before Feely's free drew Kildare level again in the 50^th minute. But Niall Kearns' free on the three-quarters stage restored the Farney lead as the tension rose and substitute Conor McManus marked his first appearance of the year with a 55^th-minute converted free after he had been fouled himself.

Paddy Brophy pegged one back and it was heart-in-the-mouth stuff as the home side spurned three chances of equalising and the visitors also missed opportunities to double their lead before Kelly hammered over the levelling point with seven minutes left to play - 0-12 to 1-9!

A foul on substitute Colin Walshe presented McCarthy with a tricky free, which he addressed manfully with his trusty left peg to restore the Monaghan lead five minutes from the end. Great defending from Hughes repelled a dangerous Kildare attack and, in a dramatic finale, Brophy's effort on 70 minutes rebounded back into play off an upright.

The final whistle sounded five minutes later as Malachy O'Rourke's men secured a sensational win - the perfect fillip as they prepare to host Kerry in Inniskeen next weekend!

Monaghan - R Beggan (0-1f); K Duffy (0-1), C Boyle, B Kerr; N McAdam, P McGuirk, K O'Connell; D Hughes (0-1), N Kearns (0-1f); D Ward (0-2), D Malone, F Kelly; C McCarthy (1-1, 0-1f), J McCarron (0-2, 1f), D Garland. Subs: C Walshe for P McGuirk, J Wilson for D Garland, C McManus (0-1f) for D Malone, D Freeman for J Wilson, O Duffy for J McCarron (BC).

Kildare - M Donnellan; P Kelly, D Hyland, M O'Grady; J Byrne, E Doyle, C O'Donoghue; K Feely (0-3f), L Flynn; F Conway, C Healy, P Cribbin (0-3); B McCormack (0-3), D Flynn, C McNally. Subs: D Slattery for P Cribbin (BC), N Kelly (0-2) for C McNally, M Hyland for M O'Grady, P Brophy (0-1) for B McCormack, E Callaghan for F Conway (BC) J Hyland for C Healy.

Referee - J McQuillan.

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