Dublin 1-14 Donegal 0-7
Dublin surged to a ten point demolition of Donegal in the Bank of Ireland senior football championship quarter-final replay at Croke Park today.
The welcomed return of manager Tommy Lyons certainly spurred the Leinster champions to their fluent best as they banished Donegal to the championship scrap heap with a relentless display.
Dublin opened by playing into a boisterous Hill 16 and that in turn spiced their play with verve and tenacity. Lyons’ side raced from the blocks and were three points to the good after 12 minutes. Donegal, still scoreless by that stage, had hit five wides and were already losing their way.
Ciaran Whelan stamped his authority on the game from the throw-in and dominated all midfield exchanges. Scrapping and chasing hard for breaking ball, the Raheny man belted over a fine score from the touchline to compliment Ray Cosgrove’s opening free. Johnny Magee then fired over when the ball rebounded to him after Alan Brogan’s 10th minute goal effort cannoned off the crossbar.
Donegal’s lively forward pairing of Brendan Devenney and Adrian Sweeney - the Ulster side’s savior in the original fixture - were kept subdued throughout the half. Although Dublin’s defensive lines were caught napping at times, it was Donegal’s persistence in juggling the ball among their backs that squeezed the life from their supply of ball.
Devenney and his forward colleague Brian Roper leaked through to register their county’s opening scores but Dublin, who were suddenly finding it hard to penetrate their opponents, bounced back to reinstall a commanding lead. Whelan and Cosgrove pointed their second scores before the latter delightfully fired home his sixth goal of the championship campaign seven minutes from the interval.
Darren Magee, guilty of spurning a point scoring opportunity minutes earlier, collected a Stephen Cluxton kick-out in midfield. He broke forward with purpose and fisted off to Dessie Farrell. The former captain in turn played a smart pass to Cosgrove who dummied the advancing Tony Blake to skillfully drop kick the ball to the roof of the Donegal net. Dublin led 1-6 to 0-3 at half-time.
There was no sign of the Leinster champions easing off in the second period as Cosgrove and Senan Connell cancelled out an earlier Adrian Sweeney free to keep the scoreboard operator on his toes. As Connell smacked over another score, Dublin introduced Jason Sherlock - on briefly in the first half as a blood substitute - for Farrell.
But Donegal, realising their perilous situation in midfield, were in need of more pressing substitutions and hauled off Jim McGuinness and Tony Gildea.
Sherlock’s introduction brought a renewed freshness to the Dublin attack and he linked up well with Alan Brogan for Dublin’s 11th point. The young corner forward raced 50 yards from the right corner to pop up on the other flank and collect a deft Sherlock pass. He swiveled and pointed to leave the Dubs nine points ahead.
Devenney, who endured a torrid time against the exceptional Paddy Christie, tapped over a late consolation free but Dublin kicked on with further scores from Whelan and Brogan to compound the Ulstermen’s agony.
Dublin play the winner of tomorrow’s remaining quarter-final replay between Armagh and Sligo in the All-Ireland semi-final.