Dublin’s U20’s hung on in a frantic but low scoring second half to advance to this year’s Leinster Semi Final
Dublin 1-12
Wicklow 1-08
Leinster U20 Quarter Final, Parnell Park
It wasn’t a cut and dry affair by any stretch but the Dublin U20 Footballers hung on to move onto this year’s Leinster Semi Finals and keep their title defence alive.
From five down at the break, 1-01 from substitute JP Nolan inside the opening 2 minutes saw Wicklow close the gap to a single point. And in a frantic five minutes a foot block by Ben Millist on a JP Nolan goal shot gave Wicklow a penalty that Cillian McDonald blasts over the bar to level the game.
A Fionn Murray ’45 pushed Dublin‘s noses back in front and settled the game down again as Murray went on to score another brace either side of a Cillian McDonald score to leave 2 between the sides at the water break
The game went into a stalemate for the remaining quater. Wicklow had opportunities to level but McDonald and Johnny Keogh saw chances drift wide. In the end it was 2 late Luke Swan points that point the exclamation point on the game to send Dublin through to a Leinster Semi Final.
Dublin had thought the did the groundwork in the opening half
Dublin were five points clear at the first half water break. Fionn Murray opened the score in the third to get the home side up and running, with Cillian McDonald equalising three minutes later. Mark Lavin had Dublin’s first clear goal chance but chose to fist the ball over the bar.
Wing Back Mark L’Estrange scored Dublin’s third, cancelled out by Kevin Quinn’s forst for Wicklow to make it 0-03 to 0-02. A minute later Luke Swan had another goal chance for Dublin only to be swallowed up by three Wicklow defenders who recycle resulting in Quinn’s second score.
Just like Swan, Adam Fearon tried walking to ball into the Wicklow goal on 15 minutes, found himself dispossessed and keeper Jack Sargent clears his line. Swan however points a score to give Dublin a slender lead. A minute later Mark O’Leary added another for Dublin to give them a 2 point lead.
But just right before the water break whistle, Luke Swan found Sean Foran in space, dirving the ball past Sargent to give Dublin five point lead.
Murray pushed the lead to six for Dublin on the restart, but a Matthew Ging converted free heped Wicklow reset. Wing back Craig Maguire had a clear chance for a Wicklow goal only to see the bundled ball cleared off the line and straight down the other end for Murray’s third for Dublin.
likewise Quinn got his third Wicklow score to end the half with Dublin ahead by five.
Dublin Scorers
Fionn Murray 0-06 (2f)
Luke Swan 0-03
Sean Foran 1-00
Mark Lavin 0-01
Mark L’Estrange 0-01
Mark O’Leary 0-01
Wicklow Scorers
JP Nolan 1-01
Cillian McDonald 0-03 (1f)
Kevin Quinn 0-03
Matthew Ging 0-01 (1f)
Dublin
1. Josh O’Neill
2. Conor Tyrrell
3. Adam Rafter
4. Ben Millist
5. Rory Dwyer
6. Adam Waddick
7. Mark L’Estrange
8. Mark O Leary
9. Adam Fearon
10. Mark Lavin
11. Lorcan O’Dell
12. Sean Foran
13. Fionn Murray
14. Luke Swan
15. Luke Ward
Dublin Substitutes:
22. Luke Murphy-Guinane for Foran (34)
17. Conor Chawke for Ward (43)
19. Sean Forker for O’Leary (54)
23. David O’Dowd for Lavin (54)
Wicklow
1. Jack Sargent
2. Chris Grimes
3. Malachy Stone
4. Tom Moran
5. Gavin Fogarty
6. Zach Cullen
7. Craig Maguire
8. Eoghan Byrne
9. Sam O’Dowd
10. Kevin Quinn
11. Johnny Keogh
12. Cillian McDonald
13. Matthew Ging
14. Sean Crowley
15. Eoin Darcy
Wicklow Substitutes:
23. JP Nolan for Darcy (23)
20. Jordan Brady for Ging (37)
18. Oisin Cullen for Byrne
29. Arun Daly Danne for Maguire
17. Bradley Hickey for Crowley
