Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors
First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements (No.
333-57736, No. 333-105525, and No. 333-105526) on Forms S-8 of First Niagara
Financial Group, Inc. of our reports dated March 14, 2005, with respect to the
consolidated statements of condition of First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. and
subsidiary as of December 31, 2004 and 2003, and the related consolidated
statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders' equity, and
cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31,
2004, management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting as of December 31, 2004 and the effectiveness of internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2004, which reports appear
in the December 31, 2004 annual report on Form 10-K of First Niagara Financial
Group, Inc.


/s/ KPMG LLP

Buffalo, New York
March 14, 2005