DUBLIN have been making fairly a behavior of profitable the Leinster Senior Soccer Championship title. This 12 months they’re looking for their thirteenth successive crown.
n a most convincing method, they took their first step to retaining the Delaney Cup at Laois Rent O’Moore Park. A journey that the Dubs hope will conclude with Sam’s return to the capital.
It was a giant day for the hosts. It was the primary time in over 100 years that Laois had met Dublin within the Championship at Portlaoise. That recreation, in 1912, noticed Dublin profitable, 2-2 to 0-2.
They’d slightly bit extra to spare on this event. Defeating a house facet who got here so near securing promotion from Division 4 this time period. Billy Sheehan’s workforce overcame Wexford within the Leinster Championship first spherical to earn a quarter-final tilt on the Dubs. They are going to now enter the Tailteann Cup.
The brand new Championship construction sees no second probability saloon within the race for the large prize. And Dublin meant enterprise. There was no time for small-talk. They had been brisk and brilliant from the beginning. Taking a agency maintain of the tussle within the brilliant sunshine.
Dublin made three modifications from their named workforce, which included a begin for Jack McCaffrey, which drew a giant cheer from the Dublin help.
Dublin went to work early, and by half-time the job regarded carried out because the guests led by 4-15 to 0-4. They had been attacking the city finish with gusto.
Con O’Callaghan was shifting sweetly at full-forward and a neat dummy introduced him a classical level early on.
After which got here Dublin’s first purpose within the sixth minute. James McCarthy launched O’Callaghan, and the end was composure itself as he tucked the ball contained in the right-hand publish.
Two minutes later, Colm Basquel’s neat flip allowed him to drill in Dublin’s second purpose, and on 25 minutes, a low strike from Lee Gannon introduced the third.
There was simply no stopping the Dubs, and within the thirty second minute, O’Callaghan’s cross noticed Ciaran Kilkenny ship Dublin’s fourth purpose.
Laois battled on. And simply earlier than the interval, Mark Barry got here near a purpose with a rasping strike that went inches extensive of the publish.
The perfect second for Laois got here when their centre half-back, Mark Timmons, landed their fourth level with a peach.
However issues obtained slightly higher for Laois early within the second half as Eoin Lowry produced two smartly-taken targets within the forty second and forty fourth minutes.
But the Dubs had been all the time in management as they superior to play Kildare in subsequent week’s Leinster semi-final.
SCORERS
DUBLIN: C O’Callaghan 1-7 (2f, 1m); C Basquel 1-5, C Kilkenny 1-4, P Mannion 1-3 (0-1f); L Gannon 1-0; B Fenton 0-3, D Rock 0-3 every; R McGarry 0-2; C Murphy, S Bugler, B Howard 0-1 every.
LAOIS: E Lowry 2-1 (0-1m); P Kingston 0-3 (1f, 1 m); E O’Carroll 0-2 (m, f), M Timmons, P Kirwan 0-1, M Barry every.
DUBLIN: D O’Hanlon; C Murphy, D Byrne, D Newcombe; J McCarthy, S MacMahon, L Gannon; B Fenton, J McCaffrey; S Bugler, C Basquel, C Kilkenny; P Mannion, C O’Callaghan, R McGarry. Subs: B Howard for McCarthy (ht); E Murchan for McCaffrey (45); C Costello for O’Callaghan (55); D Rock for Mannion (58); C Dias for Fenton (62).
LAOIS: S Osborne; S Greene, T Collins, R Pigott; S O’Flynn, M Timmons, P Kirwan; Ok Lillis, D Larkin; Ok Swayne, P Kingston, P O’Sullivan; E Lowry, E O’Carroll, M Barry. Subs: D Kavanagh for Greene (ht); S Lacey for Pigott (ht); C Murphy for Barry (49); J Finn for Swayne (55); A Mohan for O’Flynn (64).;
Ref: B Choose (Sligo).
