All-Ireland winning Kildare captain Aisling Holton announces retirement from intercounty action

Aisling Holton has announced her retirement from intercounty football.

The Balyna club player has played in Kildare's two National League games so far, and scored three points in the Lilywhites' defeat to Tyrone on Sunday, but she has decided to step away from the setup after 14 years of service in the white jersey.

Holton's crowning moment came when she captained her county to All-Ireland glory last September as Kildare edged out Clare in the Intermediate Championship final, with Holton kicking two vital scores during that victory.

There were question marks over her intercounty future in the immediate aftermath of the game, but when she lined out for the first two fixtures of this league campaign it was expected that she would continue on for the remainder of the 2017 season. She informed manager Morgan O'Callaghan of her decision on Friday night at a training session in Hawkfield, though she didn't want to make any official announcement in relation to the matter.

She joins St Laurence's defender Paula Keatley and Leixlip's Aisling Savage in retirement.

All-Star goalkeeper Mary Hulgraine is expected to return to the fold when she shakes off a foot injury however, but a date on her return is not yet known. The veteran duo of Noelle Earley and Maria Moolick have made no official decision on their intercounty futures, but a source from within the Kildare LGFA confirmed to KildareNow that the door remains open for both players to return.