Paddy O'Rourke had hoped for a Kildare victory in Sligo

Sligo's 0-12 to 1-7 win over 13-man Kildare in Sunday's Allianz NFL refixture means Paddy O'Rourke's Down side are relegated to Division Two.

Down needed already-relegated Kildare to win Sunday's Markievicz Park match - a result which would have meant Sligo suffering the drop.

Kildare, to their credit, battled hard but the dismissals of Glen Ryan and Alan Barry turned the game in Sligo's favour.

Tadhg Fennin hit the only goal of the game in the first half which helped Kildare to a 1-3 to 0-5 lead over the home side at half-time.

However, the Lilywhites had already lost Ryan at the stage with the centre half-back receiving his second yellow card five minutes before the interval.

Kildare were reduced to 13 men in the 52nd minute when Barry was dismissed.

In addition to the dismissals, Kildare also had seven players booked while in contrast, Sligo received only one booking from referee Paddy Russell.

Despite their numerical advantage, Sligo struggled for much of the second half to subdue the battling Leinster county.

However after a succession of wides, late Dessie Sloyane and Mark Brehony points earned victory and consigned Down to Division Two next season.