KILDARE'S emergence as the form team in the early stages of this season's National Football League sees them in possession of Division One's only 100 per cent record. Their last match before the break will be down in Cork and victory would probably sew up their quarter final place before the year is out.

For Glen Ryan, centre back and team captain, the year is coming to a busy conclusion In addition to the county's progress, Ryan is preparing for a Leinster semi final with Round Towers the Kildare town club who face twice All Ireland finalists Eire Og from Carlow next Sunday.

The county's success has coincided with Mick O'Dwyer's return to management in Kildare. His decision to take up the position again two years after stepping down was a surprise but so far, is working out well. Ryan also sees other factors at work.

"There are some new footballers making a contribution. It could be a different team next summer. There's not really a major difference at the moment. We're after getting a couple of results and were a bit lucky against Tyrone. They missed a penalty at a time they looked like they were going fairly well, looked like they were going to run all over us. But we got that bit of luck that maybe other years we didn't get."

Some would maintain that luck may also have played its part in Round Towers' exploits. Trailing Laois champions St Joseph's by four points with only two minutes left, the Kildare champions rattled over three injury time points to win and qualify for the semifinal.

"That's been a thing about Towers," says Ryan. "During the championship, we've been seven or eight points behind a couple of times and managed to turn it around.

"Over the last two years, Kildare teams have done very badly (in the club championship). It's a whole new experience for Towers.

"We hadn't won it (the county title) for 35 years and it's great for the town. Coupled with the Kildare wins, it adds spice at this time of the year.

Eire Og will be hot favourites. John Courtney (the Curragh based army captain who was involved with Sarsfields in Newbridge for a long dime and who now manages Eire Og) would know his way around Kildare football. He's been around for 15, 20 years and will be hoping that his knowledge of Towers will assist Eire Og next Sunday. We're concentrating on our own game rather than Eire Og. We've always said this year that the team most likely to beat Towers is Towers.