Dean Rock stars as Ballymun Kickhams thrash Raheny

Ballymun Kickhams 2-23 Raheny 1-8

Ballymun Kickhams advanced to the semi-finals of the Dublin Senior Football Championship after they enjoyed an emphatic eighteen point victory over Raheny at Parnell Park.

Despite missing the injured James McCarthy, Ballymun served early notice of their intent as they opened the scoring in the 2nd minute through Alan Hubbard.

Raheny responded in kind thanks to Gavin Ivory and the even nature of the early exchanges was reflected in subsequent scores from Ballymun's Karl Connolly and Raheny's Brian Fenton.

However, Kickhams began to click through the gears as they kicked four successive scores with Dean Rock's two frees sandwiched by a brace from play by the influential Jason Whelan.

David Shatwell added two points for Raheny in riposte and they should have netted in the 20th minute as James O'Kane cannoned a close-range shot off the woodwork with Ivory at least pointing from the rebound.

The underdogs were left to rue that miss four minutes later as a free-flowing move involving Ted Furman and James Burke culminated in Paddy Small's rising shot beyond the helpless Conor Burns.

Far from building on that score, Kickhams were undone by a wonderfully individualistic goal from Raheny full-back Sean McMahon, who ran from deep before planting a measured finish past Sean Currie.

Trailing by 1-11 to 1-6 at the break, Raheny needed a bright start to maintain any comeback pretensions but the opposite occurred as Rock kicked two frees to complement a Ted Furman point.

Ballymun pushed on from that point, creating chances at will with only the goalkeeping of Conor Burns keeping the score at a respectable margin after superb saves to deny Furman and Rock.

However, Furman’s goal in the 58th minute was just reward for Kickhams as the 2012 champions eased menacingly into the last four.

Ballymun Kickhams: S Currie; L Young, E Dolan, P McMahon; K Connolly (0-2), J Small, J Burke; A Elliot, D Byrne; A Hubbard (0-2), J Whelan (0-4), K Leahy (0-1); P Small (1-1), D Rock (0-10, seven frees, one '45'), T Furman (1-3). Subs: J Welby for Young (half-time), L O'Donovan for Connolly (47), E Reilly for Elliot (53), D Keating for Leahy (57).

Raheny: C Burns; D Pelly, S McMahon (1-0), R Real; G Coady, E Keogh, S Byrne; B Fenton (0-1), C Talty; B Howard, D Shatwell (0-2), E Smyth; J O'Kane (0-1, free), CJ Heapes, G Ivory (0-3). Subs: D Ryan (0-1) for Heapes (half-time), R Diffley for Pelly (33), R Donnelly for Byrne (45), P Reid for Smyth (47), L O'Shea for Coady and J Ryan for Shatwell (57).

Referee: Darragh Sheppard (Round Tower Lusk)