Antrim 1-10
Dublin 3-12
Casement Park

It was much easier for Dublin, at Casement Park yesterday than the winning margin might suggest as Antrim’s goal arrived just one minute from the final whistle.

Dublin bossed the action right from the start and playing with a strong wind at their back they raced into a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after just seven minutes, Paul Ryan the goalscorer from a Peter Kelly delivery.

Antrim were relying on the accurate free-taking of their skipper Neil McManus who notched three points from placed balls but the visitors answered with four points in a row before Eddie McCloskey got one back for the home side.

After 30 minutes Michael McCarton’s delivery from 80 yards deceived a bunch of players in the ‘square’ with the sliotar dropping into the Antrim net to help the Dubs to a 2-7 to 0-5 interval lead.

In the third quarter Antrim pressed the Dublin defence but managed only four points before the were hit with another blow. A cross from the right wing was completely missed by two defenders and David O’Callaghan finished at the far post for a 3-8 to 0-9 Dublin lead on 49 minutes.

Dublin dominated for the rest of the match until Stephen Beatty got Antrim’s face-saving goal on 69 minutes.

“It’s another two points,” reflected Dublin manager Anthony Daly, “but there were aspects of our play that I wouldn’t be happy about. That performance would never do against Limerick next Saturday. We have now six days to try and get some things right.

Said Antrim boss Kevin Ryan: “Dublin were slicker than us. They are a year or two ahead of us and they didn’t allow us to close them down.”