DUBLIN 1-17 WEXFORD 0-12

Deadball specialist Paul Ryan steered Dublin to victory in this Leinster SHC quarter-final replay at Parnell Park on Saturday night – the prize for the Dubs is a semi-final meeting against reigning All-Ireland champions Kilkenny next weekend (Sunday, Portlaoise, 3.30).

The Ballyboden St Enda’s man finished with an individual tally of 1-9, including eight frees and a converted ’65′, as Anthony Daly’s men overcame the 14-man Slaneysiders.

Wexford’s cause was not helped by having Andrew Shore sent off in the seventh minute on a straight red card and perhaps they were lucky not to have had further dismissals by ref Brian Gavin.

Ryan’s goal came in the 12th minute when Conal Keaney’s long delivery broke inside for this club-mate and the corner-forward made no mistake from close range.

Much like the drawn encounter Dublin’s forwards did not win a lot of their own ball but did show glimpses of better combination up front with points from John McCaffrey, a brilliant Keaney point and a long-range strike from David Treacy the pick of the opening half scores as they Dubs entered the break 1-9 to 0-4 to the good.

Wexford managed only one score from play in the opening 35 minutes – a Garrett Sinnott point in the 16th minute with Jack Guiney accounting for the rest from placed ball.

In a game where goal chances were at a premium Dublin keeper Gary Maguire did brilliantly to deny Rory Jacob from close range in the 44th minute and within seconds Mark Fanning pushed a Treacy drive around the posts for a ’65′.

A flurry of points from Danny Sutcliffe, Keaney, McCaffrey and Treacy just on the three-quarter mark pushed Dublin 1-14 to 0-7 clear and their evening’s work looked to be done.

However, the Slaneysiders rallied inside the concluding ten minutes with scores from Jacob, Paul Morris (two) and Sinnott to close the game to 1-15 to 0-12.

But it was too little too late for Liam Dunne’s men with Ryan converting a late ’65′ and free to set up a clash with the Cats.

SCORERS – Dublin: P Ryan 1-9 (0-8f, 0-1 ’65′), J McCaffrey, C Keaney, D Treacy 0-2 each, P Kelly, D Sutcliffe 0-1 each. Wexford: J Guiney 0-5 (0-5f), G Sinnott, P Morris 0-2 each, H Kehoe, P Doran, R Jacob 0-1 each

DUBLIN: G Maguire; N Corcoran, P Kelly, P Schutte; S Hiney, L Rushe, M Carton; J McCaffrey, J Boland; C Keaney, R O’Dwyer, D Sutcliffe; P Ryan, D Treacy, C McCormack. Subs: S Durkin for P Schutte (ht), D O’Callaghan for McCormack (42), S Lambert for Rushe (60), M Schutte for Treacy (63), N McMorrow for Sutcliffe (67).

WEXFORD: M Fanning; E Moore, T Waters, B Kenny; R Kehoe, A Shore, C Kenny; H Kehoe, L Chin; G Sinnott, E Quigley, D Redmond; P Morris, J Guiney, R Jacob. Subs: PJ Nolan for Quigley (42), P Doran for Redmond (42), M O’Regan for H Kehoe (65), G Moore for Jacob (68).

REF: B Gavin (Offaly).