Dublin advance in minor Football championship

DUBLIN 4-11 LOUTH 0-5

Dublin minor footballers dominated this Leinster MFC qualifier at Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon to set up a provincial quarter-final rematch with Kildare.
The Dubs had little difficulty in overcoming their Wee County opponents with first half goals from the impressive Fearghal Duffy and Donagh McCabe giving their side a 2-6 to 0-3 half-time advantage.
The midfield combination of Peter OCurry and JJ Martin controlled the middle sector and resultingly the Dubs had plenty of possession.
The first goal arrived in the seventh minute when McCabe showed good vision from a sideline to pick out Duffy who fired to the net and 11 minutes later a point effort from Duffy came back off the upright and McCabe finished it away calmly.
In between the freetaking of Ciarán Kilkenny kept the scoreboard ticking over to help the Dubs to a nine-point interval lead. Just before the break keeper John Brian Carthy pulled off a good save to deny Paudi Clarke.
The Dublin defence had a straight forward afternoon with the tactic of Louth playing five forwards back-firing but any time they did threaten the Dubs coped well.
Any hopes of a Louth revival were extinguished early in the second half when Kilkenny added three points to his tally (including two frees) and Seán Stewart raced clear of the Louth defence and finished clinicially for the third goal after a long angled delivery from McCabe.
Fifteen minutes from time Kilkenny raised the fourth green flag when he fielded a ball from sub Jake Russell Carroll before rounding his marker and applying the finish.
Dublin face Kildare in Newbridge on Saturday, May 22 in the Leinster MFC quarter-final. The Dubs were now originally scheduled to play Kilkenny before the winners advancing to face the Lilywhites but the Black and Amber withdrew last week after their 44 point defeat to Meath in the first round.

SCORERS – Dublin: C Kilkenny 1-8 (0-6f), F Duffy 1-1, D McCabe, S Stewart 1-0 each, A Caffrey 0-2. Louth: D Grimes (0-1f), P Clarke (0-1f) 0-2 each, A Lynch 0-1 (0-1f).
DUBLIN – JB Carthy; M Durkan, D Shatwell, J Small; M Gibbs, L Fletcher, A Fallon; JJ Martin, P OCurry; E O Conghaile, F Duffy, A Caffrey; S Stewart, C Kilkenny, D McCabe. Subs: J Russell Carroll for O Conghaile (40), N McGovern for Gibbs (50), P Maguire for Kilkenny (50), S Fitzsimons for OCurry (53), E Boyne for Durkan (57).
LOUTH – K Brennan; A Williams, C McEvoy, T Woods; N OCallaghan, S McMahon, E Duffy; T McKenna, D McConnell; M Keane, D Grimes, S Donnelly; P Clarke, A Lynch, A Quigley. Subs: P Ó Ciardubhain for Quigley (45), P O’Reilly for Donnelly (45), R Murphy for O Callaghan (53).
REF – F Barry (Kildare).