First half goals see Plunkett’s frustrate Ballymun

ST OLIVER PLUNKETT'S/EOGHAN RUADH 2-12 BALLYMUN KICKHAMS 0-10

First half goals from cousins James and Alan Brogan saw Plunkett's defeat Kickhams in Saturday's opening Dublin SFC quarter-final at Parnell Park.

Plunkett's tactic of flooding their defence and hitting their opponents on the counter-attack worked a treat for the Dublin 7 side but it was the goals which ultimately did the damage.

Thanks to the deadball accuracy of Dean Rock Ballymun led 0-4 to 0-3 after 14 minutes but were rocked by James Brogan's 15th minute goal when he was left unmarked inside the Kickhams full-back line and after originally initiating the move was on hand to apply the finish after good work by Conor Walsh and Gareth Smith.

Four minutes later Seán Currie was picking the ball from the back of the net again, this time he could do nothing to stop Alan Brogan's clinical finish as Plunkett's opened up a 2-4 to 0-5 advantage.

The Mun concluded the half with points from Rock (free) and a long-range effort from Seán George to cut the deficit to four points, 2-5 to 0-7, by the interval.

Four points in-a-row between the 40th and 50th minute as good as saw Plunkett's into the last four with the hard-working Craig Dunleavy getting the first of the quartet following good work by Niall Walsh and Alan Brogan.

A brace from Bernard Brogan, one a stylish point off his left and the second a monster effort from the standside, put his side seven clear before Gareth Smith finished off a good move as Plunkett's pressed home their advantage.

Despite two late points from sub James Burke there was to be no way back for the 2012 champions Ballymun Kickhams, who had Jason Whelan dismissed for two yellow late on,  as Plunkett's dream of their first Dublin SFC title stays very much alive.

SCORERS - St Oliver Plunkett’s/ER: G Smith 0-5 (0-3f), B Brogan 0-4, J Brogan, A Brogan 1-0, C Dunleavy 0-2, N Walsh 0-1. Ballymun Kickhams: D Rock 0-6 (0-5f), J Burke 0-2, S George, J Small 0-1 each.

ST OLIVER PLUNKETT'S/ER: A O’Mara; S Lyons, E Clarke, D Kelly; D Brogan, R O’Connor, J Brogan; C Dunleavy, P McNulty; C Walsh, A Brogan, D Lally; G Smith, B Brogan, N Walsh. Subs: P Brogan for McNulty (48), S O’Connor for R O’Connor (57).

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS: S Currie; K Connolly, S George, Eoin Dolan; J McCarthy, J Small, A Hubbard; R Noonan, Davey Byrne; K Leahy, D Rock, J Whelan; F Andrews, T Furman, Derek Byrne. Subs: P McMahon for Connolly (28), L O’Donovan for Andrews (39), E Reilly for Leahy (44), M Brady for Derek Byrne (49), J Burke for Hubbard (61).

REF: G McCormack (Naomh Barróg).