Dublin ... 0-17 Roscommon ... 0-14: A pleasant stop in the west for the blue carnival. The country hosts had Hyde Park looking gorgeous for the arrival of their storied guests from the big smoke and for long stretches were forced to sit back and reluctantly admire the city way.
A decent suburban crowd packed picnics and mosquito cream and travelled here to perhaps witness the unique sight of the former Dublin general Tom Carr standing within yards of the present chief Tom Lyons.
No ceremonial smoking of the peace pipe for the two Toms, however; a quick handshake beforehand deflected the attention to what was going on between the lines.
Tom Carr could take solace from the close of a vexing afternoon in the sun when his team rallied with courage, Tom Lyons from the fact his team won and at last discovered the elan that seduced the city last summer.
The result leaves both counties hanging tough in a gripping relegation battle.
"It was the first summer pitch game that we have played on," enthused Lyons. "It was a very fast game and the disappointment for us is that we should have won it by more. But it was the first day we played with a bit of fluency and we are a top-of-the-ground side, there is no doubt about it."
And there were countless occasions when the glimmering blue shirts were charging at alarming speed through Roscommon's defensive lines.
Roscommon's troubles started long before the game when Carr was forced to plan without his first-choice midfielders Alan Nolan and Seamus O'Neill. Their replacements, Karol Mannion and Donal Casserly, "tried their hearts out", as Carr observed, but were up against "two big, strong and fast men".
Sunshine seems to inspire Ciarán Whelan. Aided by Darren Magee, he cut a majestic figure, soaring to an altitude that he alone knows on days like this and pitching in with three typically dashing points. During the periods that he was on song, Dublin looked like they were going to leave Roscommon far, far behind.
It will come as no surprise to anyone remotely acquainted with this Dublin era that they didn't do so. Hanging around is becoming a fatal habit. Up 0-6 to 0-2 after 16 minutes, 0-13 to 0-6 after 50 minutes and 0-16 to 0-11 after 62 minutes, they still found themselves starring in a cliff-hanger that roused the heartland at the close.
First-half wides were at the root of their late problems; they hit 10, but their collective radar improved after the Ribena. Seventeen points is no bad total, but it should be noted that referee Pat McAnaney presented them with two gifts of frees in front of the posts, whistling the defence for carrying. Still, the tally was encouraging for Dublin.
"Yeah, and no goals," noted Lyons. " And that's great because, when the goals don't come, you need to be hitting your points."
Roscommon's muted start left them in a position of requiring a goal to revive them. Gamely they chased that hope through times when it looked easier to die. Through those bleakest moments, Francie Grehan stood staunch and proud and Shane Curran, Stephen Lohan and Frankie Dolan kept showing for the ball.
As against Armagh, the releasing of full back David Casey to midfield was the font of good things. Newly alive to the concept of the breaking ball, the home team's half-forward line began to create.
Big Stephen Lohan was the target and Dolan the source. The target man hit 11 points for the afternoon and drew a pair of magnificent saves from Stephen Cluxton - albeit with tightly-angled shots.
For Dublin, Paddy Christie's nationwide full-back master class continued uninterrupted, and Collie Moran, thrown in as defensive cover, was a revelation. His tackle when Johnathan Dunning was racing through the Dublin penalty area was arguably the defining point of the game.
It was a last-gasp denial and risky, but even though the partisan crowd of 10,000 screamed for a penalty, it was probably fair.
Dublin kept their heads during the closing crescendo, with Johnny Magee stealing out of his defensive role to link with Jason Sherlock for a simple but significant 69th-minute point that left the score at 0-17 to 0-14 after a sustained period of Roscommon pressure. Dolan floated a 50 on the close of full-time and the last three minutes were great fun to watch.
With Roscommon flowing forward in search of an equaliser, goalkeeper Shane Curran could contain himself no longer and embarked on a Barthezian adventure up the field which brought him into the penalty area. We watched this Roscommon version of Shock and Awe as Curran jumped among a pack and actually collected the ball. But surrounded by blue shirts, the moment was smothered. Needless to say, it was not one from the training ground.
"There is no such thing as a rehearsed move with Shane Curran," smiled Carr. "They are all off the cuff."
Roscommon left with no grumbles. They played poorly for 50 minutes and without a recognised midfield; nonetheless they might have drawn or even won. Now they face a visit to winless Donegal to preserve their status.
"And that is a killer of a game," sighed Carr. "It's what we didn't want, having to go there needing a win.
"I suppose we have to go there the same way as Dublin came here."
Which is with something of the swagger that the Dubs in the terraces had been pining for until this afternoon. They will be pleased with the manner in which Senan Connell wreaked havoc along the right wing and with the team's general flow and style that is certainly pleasing to watch.
But they face a gripping close to the league against Galway next week when plain substance and nerve will be all.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; D Henry, P Christie, P Griffin; P Casey, J Magee (0-1), C Goggins (0-1); C Whelan (0-3), D Magee (0-1); S Ryan, B Cullen (0-2, free), S Connell (0-5); T Mulligan (0-1), R Cosgrove (0-1), T Quinn (0-2, frees). Substitutes: C Moran for P Casey (8 mins, inj), J Sherlock for T Quinn (48 mins), J McNally for T Mulligan (51 mins), D Homan for D Magee (51 mins), E Crenna for C Goggins (72 mins).
ROSCOMMON: S Curran; J Whyte, D Casey, R Cox; M Beirne, F Grehan, B Higgins; D Casserly, K Mannion; C Connelly, G Cox (0-1), S Lohan (0-1); N Dineen, G Lohan (0-1), F Dolan (0-11, 5 frees, 1 50). Substitutes: J Dunning for G Lohan (16 mins), J Tiernan for C Connelly (44 mins), J Nolan for D Casserly (50 mins) A Carberry for B Higgins (63 mins).
Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan).
