Vins too strong for Lucan in SFC quarter-final

Mon, 19th October 2015

ST VINCENT'S 2-21 LUCAN SARSFIELDS 2-11

Reigning holders St Vincent's took another step forward as they attempt to defend the title when defeating Lucan Sarsfields in the Dublin SFC quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

Vinnies will face Na Fianna in their semi-final next Sunday and will be hoping to tighten up in defence after the brave Lucan created plenty of scoring opportunities in this last-eight tie.

However, Vincent's always looked like they could step up a gear when required to keep their opponents at bay.

Lucan made a brilliant start with the opening attack of the game - a high delivery from Stephen O'Shaughnessy was batted on by the towering Brian Collopy for Brendan Gallagher to finish past Michael Savage.

But Vincent's eased themselves back into the game when scoring four unanswered points between the fifth and 12th minute with the impressive Shane Carthy on target twice and Ruairí Trainor and Ciaran Dorney also splitting the posts.

Midfielder Carthy had an outstanding first half, breaking forward at will to kick four points from play and added a fifth midway into the second half.

The Marino men began to take control again in the last ten minutes of the opening half and points from Carthy (two), Dorney and Gavin Burke had them 0-12 to 1-4 up before Lucan replied before the break with scores from Stephen O'Shaughnessy and Emmett O Conghaile.

Five minutes into the second half Diarmuid Connolly picked out Tomás Quinn with an angled pass, Quinn won possession and unselfishly played it into the path of the on-running Nathan Mullins who palmed the ball to the net - Vincent's 1-14 Lucan 1-7 - and the chances of an upset effectively disappeared.

Thirteen minutes from time sub Joe Feeney, only on the pitch less then two minutes, was placed running through the middle by Connolly to score Vincent's second goal as they moved 2-16 to 1-8 clear and out of sight.

Lucan, though, did not give up and but for the goalkeeping heroics of Michael Savage could have got in for a couple of goals.

In the 50th minute who pulled off an excellent double save to first deny Stephen O'Shaughnessy and then Brendan Gallagher while earlier he came to the rescue to stop an effort from sub Conor Gallagher.

SCORERS - St Vincent’s: T Quinn 0-6 (0-3f, 0-2 45), S Carthy 0-5, N Mullins, J Feeney 1-0 each, C Dorney, D Connolly 0-3 each, G Burke 0-2, C Diamond, R Trainor 0-1 each. Lucan Sarsfields: B Gallagher 1-3 (0-1f), S O’Shaughnessy 1-1, Emmett O Conghaile 0-3, S Newcombe, P Greene (0-1 '45'), C Gallagher (0-1f), R Kelly 0-1 each.

ST VINCENT'S: M Savage; M Concarr, J Curley, H Gill; B Egan, G Brennan, N Mullins; D Murphy, S Carthy; G Burke, D Connolly, Cormac Diamond; R Trainor, C Dorney, T Quinn. Subs: K Golden for Murphy (42), J Feeney for Diamond (45), A Baxter for Trainor (49), C Wilson for Curley (53), M Loftus for Gill (57), G Murphy for Burke (60).

LUCAN SARSFIELDS: P Greene; C McHugh, M McCaffrey, O Ennis; D Gallagher, D Gallagher, P Casey; D Gavin, Emmett O Conghaile; S Newcombe, S O'Shaughnessy, J McCaffrey; B Gallagher, B Collopy, D O'Shaughnessy. Subs: J McCormack for D O'Shaughnessy (26), K Fitzgerald for Gavin (40), C Gallagher for D Gallagher (47), S Cleary for J McCaffrey (50), R Kelly for Collopy (56).

REF: D Feeney (Parnell's) replaced by T Ó Cuinneagáin (Clontarf).

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