Kildare 1-12 Leitrim 0-06

Leitrim's brave challenge petered out in Newbridge as Kildare maintained their All-Ireland SFC bid with a nine-point qualifier victory.

James Kavanagh found the visitors' net in the 61st minute, confirming Kildare's progress into the third round.

Ray Mulvey and Michael Foley (free) had Leitrim ahead early on, but the Lilywhites fought back to lead by 0-06 to 0-03 at half-time, helped by three late points.

Johnny Doyle's scoring influence from play and placed balls increased in the second half, during which free-taker Foley and substitute Darren Sweeney were Leitrim's only scorers.

Leitrim set a flurry of nerves about St. Conleth's Park as they made a business-like start, nudging ahead in the fifth minute through wing forward Mulvey.

Foley also converted a free as they used the wind to good advantage and controlled possession around the middle of the pitch.

Mickey Moran's men should have been further ahead by the midpoint of the half, with five wides struck and two decent goal-scoring chances gone a-begging.

Defender Daniel Beck watched his shot hit the crossbar on a break forward, while a punt towards the Kildare square from James Glancy was spilled by goalkeeper Shane McCormack and Declan Maxwell really should have hit the target when the ball broke to him.

Kildare captain Johnny Doyle missed two kickable frees before he opened his side's account in the 20th minute, bending over a terrific shot on the turn after a ball in from Brian Flanagan.

Padraig O'Neill added a second, four minutes later, and as Shane Canning and James Kavanagh traded scores, the rain stopped and the pace of the game quickened.

Kildare were tightening things up at midfield, and they used possession wisely in the closing minutes of the half, setting up points for Eamonn Callaghan, Ronan Sweeney and Kavanagh.

Leitrim's hard work seemed to have been undone in a cruel five-minute spell, but they opened the second period with another free from Foley to cut the gap to 0-06 to 0-04.

As the rain began to fall once again and a degree of niggle crept into the game, Kavanagh's third point of the evening gave Kieran McGeeney's a charges a three-point buffer, with little over 20 minutes remaining.

The killer blow came with just under ten minutes to go. Callaghan pumped a long ball in, substitute Tomas O'Connor did brilliantly to field it and pass across the Leitrim rearguard for Kavanagh to knock it home.

Two excellent frees from Doyle and points from play from Morgan O'Flaherty and substitute Hugh Lynch took Kildare out of sight, but Leitrim, to their credit, never stopped play and late placed balls from substitute Darren Sweeney ('45') and Foley (free) gave a more respectable look to the final scoreboard.

Scorers:

Kildare: J Kavanagh 1-04, J Doyle 0-03 (0-02f), H Lynch, E Callaghan, M O'Flaherty, P O'Neill, R Sweeney 0-01 each

Leitrim: M Foley 0-03 (0-03f), R Mulvey, S Canning, D Sweeney (0-01 '45') 0-01 each

Kildare: S McCormack; P Kelly, H McGrillen, A MacLochlainn; B Flanagan, E Callaghan, E Bolton; D Flynn, D Earley; M O'Flaherty, P O'Neill, E O'Flaherty; J Doyle, R Sweeney, J Kavanagh.

Subs used: T O'Connor for E O'Flaherty (50 mins), D Whyte for Earley (54), D Lyons for MacLochlainn (54-55, blood sub), H Lynch for Sweeney (65).

Leitrim: G Phelan; D Reynolds, C Egan, D Beck; W McKeon, J McKeon, G Reynolds; T Beirne, S Canning; R Mulvey, J Glancy, M Foley; P Howard, D Maxwell, B Gallagher.

Subs used: D O'Connor for Howard (31 mins), C Clarke for Mulvey (45), D Sweeney for Canning (55); B Prior for Beck (59)

Referee: Cormac Reilly (Meath)