Solid defensive display sees Kildare into a four point half-time lead over Wexford

Leinster SFC quarter-final

It hasn't been the most entertaining opening half of football that Croke Park has ever witnessed, but Kildare have gone into the break with a four point lead after delivering a relatively assured and composed display in the first 35 minutes.

They fell behind early on thanks to a John Tubritt score, but the influential Neill Flynn got the Lilywhites up and going with a couple points in the space of two minutes, while further scores from Ollie Lyons and Morgan O'Flaherty put them into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead with 15 minutes played.

Alan Smith grew into the game after a quite start, and the Sarsfields veteran has kicked two excellent points in the first half.

Kildare have adopted a much more defensive approach than we have been used to seeing so far under Cian O'Neill, and it has worked pretty well thus far. Morgan O'Flaherty and Ryan Houlihan were late inclusions to the side in place of Adam Tyrell and Eamonn Callaghan, and both men have dropped deep to help protect the Kildare goal and instigate attacks from their own half.

As the rain begins to tumble down and conditions worsen, Kildare will be hoping to continue to shut Wexford out for the remainder of the game and keep the scoreboard ticking over at the other end.

Join us back here straight after for a full-time match report and reaction....