Galway United took full points with a 2-1 win on their trip to Station Road last night despite falling a goal behind in the 13th minute of this eircom League First Division tie.
Kildare's in-form striker, Phillip Gorman slotted his seventh of the season after a Gareth Christie corner had been flicked on by 17-year-old debutant Paddy Mahon.
County had been forced by injuries to blood Mahon, who scored a hat-trick when these two clubs met in U-21 action last week.
Long term absentees Alan Byrne and Ian Malone were replaced by Phillip Byrne and Alan McDermott in the centre of defence and a lack of communication between them and goalkeeper Brendan Kennedy seemed to be responsible for the equaliser.
It was the impressive Derek O'Brien who sent in the cross in from the left, less than a minute after Gorman had opened the scoring. Both Byrne and McDermott elected to leave it to Kennedy and the 'keeper seemed to be caught unawares as the ball snuck in at the far post.
The winner came four minutes into the second half, when O'Brien touched on a Fran Carter cross and Barry Moran finished.
Remarkably, County had wasted a couple of opportunities before Moran struck and pushed hard for the equaliser. The visitors reverted to a back five in the remaining quarter and invited the Thoroughbreds onto them.
John Ryan's men would have been good value for a draw and John Reilly, Barry Slattery and Trevor Bowers all had opportunities to secure it.
It was Gorman who wasted the best opportunity, however. With time running out, Stephen Cooling embarked on a mazy run that was halted on the edge of the Galway area. The ball broke kindly to County's number 10 but his low driven shot from the right was splendidly saved by fellow Suncroft native, Alan Gough.
Kildare County: B Kennedy, P Mahon, B Slattery, A McDermott, P Byrne, S Cooling, S McCrossan, I Maher, J Reilly, P Gorman, G Christie. Subs: M Gibson for Christie 54th; T Bowers for Mahon 61st; T Morgan for McCrossan 71st.
Galway United: A Gough, A Keane, M O'Donnell, W Charles, B Clery, F Carter, R Createro, C Foley, B Moran, D O'Dowd, D O'Brien. Subs: M Harty for Foley 73rd; A Murphy for Moran 85th.
