Dublin denied deserved victory

An experiment that almost went wrong saw Clare sneak back at the last moment to draw level with Dublin yesterday, although nobody at Parnell Park was suggesting they'll have similar problems when it comes to their semi-final meeting with Tipperary in a couple of weeks time.

The result was always going to be academic as far as the Munster champions were concerned, allowing Ger Loughnane to select a side probably unfamiliar to even the most faithful Clare supporter. Only Richard Woods, Stephen Sheedy and Lorcan Hassett remained from those that beat All-Ireland champions Offaly a couple of weeks back, while David Hoey and Donal Cahill were making debuts fresh from their club success with Doora-Barefield.

The recall of PJ O'Connell for the first time since last summer's championship at least provided something of a useful pointer. The corner forward saved Clare's blushes by completing their goal salvage on the last stroke of 60 minutes and depriving Dublin of a victory deserved on conviction alone.

At least Dublin can rest assured that their Division One status is safe for another season, although manager Michael O'Grady will certainly regret the lost victory for both his own confidence and that of his young, developing side. They were once again slow and lethargic in the first half, yet managed to raise the pace later in the game to offer another indication of their potential to progress further at this level.

The full-forward line of Thomas McGrane, Conor McCann and Emmet Carroll showed plenty of scoring ability when they needed to, and Liam Ryan and Shane Martin, just behind them, had their creative moments. The problem was that it took 10 minutes for them to get started, and by that stage Clare had gained the initiative, and held it for the remainder of the first half.

Brian Muineog and Fergal Hegarty were far quicker in getting Clare's scoring in motion, and augmented by Danny Scanlon and Lorcan Hassett they had Clare leading 0-6 to 0-1 after 18 minutes. At midfield, Stephen Sheedy was finding plenty of space, while Brian Quinn, recalled as captain, was also keeping mistakes to a minimum in the defence.

Still, it was nowhere the kind of stuff that gets you off your seat and while Dublin slowly improved, they were never in the hunt for anything substantial. McGrane did well with two frees before the interval and the damage didn't appear so bad as they trailed 0-7 to 0-4.

Clare were far less effective in the second half, as McGrane reduced the gap to two after just 10 seconds and to the one moments later. Martin then fired over his first on 36 minutes to bring the scores level and raise everybody's interests.

Clare were forced to battle and just as it seemed they could hold them at bay, Dublin lifted the standards higher with a goal on 48 minutes. McGrane fed a close-range pass to McCann and his semi-circle around the defence in the middle of the box created the target. He took the smart option and kicked the ball into the net to put Dublin in front for the first time, 1-11 to 0-11.

Carroll was still making a great impression at left corner forward and could even afford to be a little fancy in sustaining Dublin's lead. Stephen McNamara, however, ensured that Clare never drifted back more than three.

It was left for O'Connell to even things up. The late free by Muineog from 30 yards was initially blocked by the Dublin defence but O'Connell was first up for the rebound. He found the net and, with no time added, Dublin were never given a chance to respond.

At the start of the decade, there wasn't much between the best that these counties could offer. How long it takes Dublin to get back on terms remains to be seen.

DUBLIN: B Mc Loughlin; J Finnegan, S Power, D Spain; L Walsh, B O'Sullivan, D McLoughlin; S Duignan, D Sweeney (0-2, one free); S Martin (0-1), L Ryan (1-1), S Ryan; T McGrane (0-5, four frees), C McCann (0-2), E Carroll (0-2). Subs: S Perkins for Spain (58 mins).

CLARE: D Fitzgerald; D Hoey, D Cahill, B Scanlan; E Flannery, B Quinn, R Woods (0-1); S Sheedy, K Morrissey; D Scanlan (0-2), F Hegarty (0-2), L Hassett (0-2); PJ O'Connell (1-0), S McNamara (0-2), B Muineog (0-4, two frees). Subs: G Considine for Sheedy (39 mins); B Forde for Quinn (56 mins).

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).