Vintage Vins cruise into SFC last-four

ST VINCENT’S 0-20 ST SYLVESTER’S 0-7

Reigning champions, St Vincent's, cruised to a comfortable 13-point victory in Friday night's opening Dublin SFC quarter-final at Parnell Park.

Apart from their comfortable victory the Marino side were also boosted by the return to full competitive championship action of 2011 All-Ireland winner, Eamonn Fennell, after a very lengthy lay-off following hamstring surgery.

The early exchanges were tight with Diarmuid Connolly, with a 45-metre free, Alex Wright (free), Enda Varley (free) and a fine Gary Sweeney point, sharing the scores by the eight minute.

However, once Vincent's found their feet they were not long in putting distance between the sides and by the interval they held a commanding 0-12 to 0-4 lead.

Connolly was pulling the strings for Vinnies from centre-forward and his array of passes put Sylvester's on the back foot.

By the break Tomás Quinn already had six points in the kitty, three from play and three frees with Ger Brennan, Enda Varley (two frees) and Cormac Diamond also contributing on the scoreboard as Syls failed to score for the concluding 18 minutes of the opening half hour.

The Malahide men found the Vincent's defence impossible to break through and more often than not Brian Mullins' men turned the ball over, emerged with possession on the counter-attack and kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Points from Diamond, Quinn and Varley extended Vincent's advantage to 0-15 to 0-4 before Sweeney worked a good point off a trademark give-and-go burst.

With Vincent's well and truly in control they could bring in the subs with both Fennell and Gavin Burke adding to the final tally before the finish.

SCORERS - St Vincent's: T Quinn (0-8, 0-4f), E Varley 0-4 (0-2f), Cormac Diamond, D Connolly (0-1f) 0-2 each, S Carthy, G Burke, G Brennan, E Fennell 0-1 each. St Sylvester's: G Sweeney, A Wright (0-2f) 0-2 each, P White, E Walsh (0-1f), A Foy 0-1 each.

ST VINCENT'S: M Savage; M Concarr, J Curley, C Wilson; Cameron Diamond, G Brennan, B Egan; N Mullins, L Galvin; Cormac Diamond, D Connolly, S Carthy; R Trainor, E Varley, T Quinn. Subs: G Burke for Trainor (40), J Feeney for Cormac Diamond (44), E Fennell for Galvin (48), L Sheehy for Egan (57), F Breathnach for Mullins (60), L Smyth for Varley (60).

ST SYLVESTER'S: M Shiel; P White, C Quinn, J Peacock; A Cunningham, D St Ledger, B Sexton; S Cunningham, J Hazley; G Hazley, G Sweeney, S Doyle; M McCarthy, R Palmer, A Wright. Subs: E Walsh for S Cunningham (26), A Foy for Wright (35), J Kennedy for Sexton (40), G McArdle for St Ledger (48), D Connolly for McCarthy (50), N Coughlan for A Cunningham (60).

REF: B Tiernan (O’Dwyer’s).