Minor Footballers overcome Laois in Leinster Championship

Picture Courtesy Paul Lundy

DUBLIN 1-9 

LAOIS 1-7

Dublin secured their second successive victory in Group 1 of the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship as they accounted for Laois by two points at Parnell Park on Thursday night. 

After defeating Offaly in Round 1, the Dubs took a narrow 0-5 to 0-4 lead into the break with the visitors generally coping well with some sporadic periods of pressure from the hosts. 

Laois’ Ultan Dunne and Dublin’s Mubarak Salami exchanged goals in the early stages of the third quarter with a late free from Salami securing a narrow but deserved victory.  

It was Dublin that took the lead in the 4th minute through a ‘45’ from Jamie Heavey after Laois goalkeeper Conor Dunne had almost allowed a Finn McGinnis attempt to slip through his hands into the net. 

The visitors replied a minute later through full-forward Ultan Dunne with neither side able to establish any significant advantage in the early stages. 

McGinnis edged the hosts back in front in the 11th minute but despite enjoying a fair degree of possession, their shot selection undermined a number of promising situations towards the end of the first quarter. 

It took wing-back Caoilinn O’Connell to eventually double Dublin’s advantage in the 17thminute and some improved precision yielded another point courtesy of Ryan Ennis three minutes later. 

Laois replied with two points in quick succession from Bobby Rowan and Sean Ward while at the opposite end, McGinnis raced down the middle before supplying Salami for a well-taken score.

Ward and Dunne combined well for the latter to reduce Dublin’s lead to the bare minimum in the 26th minute with neither side able to add to their respective tallies before the turnaround. 

While Ciarán Clifford increased Dublin’s narrow lead in the 34th minute, the visitors overtook their opponents a minute later as an inviting ball from deep by Joe Larkin was palmed to the net by the influential Dunne. 

Dublin’s response to this setback was as impressive as it was instant with an excellent Clifford point preceding their first goal as Salami powered home from close range in the 37thminute following a threatening run from deep by O’Connell. 

Following that relative glut of scores, the contest settled down once again with Sean Rowan kicking a brace of points within three minutes to bring Laois back into contention with ten minutes remaining. 

A Heavey free helped settle the hosts and while Mark O’Connor kicked a Laois point in the 59th minute, Salami had the final say as Dublin held on without further alarm.         

Dublin will complete the group stages when they host Louth in Parnell Park next Thursday evening (7.30). 

Scorers – Dublin: M Salami 1-2 (0-1f); J Heavey (1f, 1 ’45), C Clifford 0-2 each; C O’Connell, R Ennis, F McGinnis 0-1 apiece. Laois: U Dunne 1-2; S Rowan (1f) 0-2; M O’Connor, S Ward, B Rowan 0-1 apiece.

Dublin: F Byrne; E Fynes, J O’Keeffe, H Warnes; Z Donegan, J Heffernan, C O’Connell; T Ó Ceallaigh, F McGinnis; L Patten, C Clifford, R Ennis; C McCabe, M Salami, J Heavey. Subs: E Tennant for Donegan (half-time), C O’Dwyer for McCabe (half-time), M Farrell for Ó Ceallaigh (46), J Murray for Patten (56), T Coyle for Heavey (57). 

Laois: C Dunne; S Powders, S Maher, C Moran; J Lennon, F Brennan, F Dawson; J Larkin, M O’Connor; D Timmons, S Ward, S Rowan; C O’Sullivan, U Dunne, B Rowan. Subs: D Downey for O’Sullivan (23), J Doyle for Timmons (47), T Slattery for Ward (55), H Browne for Moran (57). 

Referee: Ryan Moran (Kildare).