Senior footballers face Fermanagh in historic first SFC meeting

The GAA All-Ireland senior football and hurling championships have completed the programme around the country and, from next weekend on, the focus will be on Croke Park, which hosts all the remaining games – nine in football, three in hurling.

There’s Round 4 qualifier action and All-Ireland quarter-finals on the Saturday/Sunday schedule as follows:

Saturday

Round 4B Qualifiers

Sligo v Tyrone, 4.0

Donegal v Galway, 6.0

Sunday

All-Ireland quarter-finals

Kerry v Kildare, 2.0

Dublin v Fermanagh, 4.0

SUNDAY

DUBLIN v FERMANAGH

They meet for the first time in the championship, adding to the appeal of what will a special occasion.

Paths to the quarter-finals

Dublin

Dublin 4-25 Longford 0-10 (Leinster quarter-final)

Dublin 5-18 Kildare 0-14 (Leinster semi-final)

Dublin 2-13 Westmeath 0-6 (Leinster final)

Average For: 4-18; Average Against: 0-10

Fermanagh

Fermanagh 1-15 Antrim 0-8 (Ulster quarter-final)

Monaghan 1-20 Fermanagh 0-13 (Ulster semi-final)

Fermanagh 1-21 Antrim 0-11 (Round 2 Qualifiers)

Fermanagh 1-14 Roscommon 0-16 (Round 3 Qualifiers)

Fermanagh 1-13 Westmeath 0-7 (Round 4 Qualifiers)

Average For: 1-15; Average Against: 0-13

Dublin

Dublin have played in 16 quarter-finals, winning eight, drawing three and losing five. The only year they didn’t qualify for the quarter-finals (introduced in 2001) was in 2003 when they lost to Armagh in the qualifiers.

2014: Dublin 2-22 Monaghan 0-11

2013: Dublin 1-16 Cork 0-12

2012: Dublin 1-12 Laois 0-12

2011: Dublin 0-22 Tyrone 0-15

2010: Dublin 1-15 Tyrone 0-13

2009: Kerry 1-24 Dublin 1-7

2008: Tyrone 3-14 Dublin 1-8

2007: Dublin 0-18 Derry 0-15

2006: Dublin 1-12 Westmeath 0-5

2005: Tyrone 2-18 Dublin 1-14 (replay)

2005: Dublin 1-14 Tyrone 1-14 (draw)

2004: Kerry 1-15 Dublin 1-8

2002: Dublin 1-14 Donegal 0-7 (replay)

2002: Dublin 2-8 Donegal 0-14(draw)

2001: Kerry 2-12 Dublin 1-12 (replay)

2001: Dublin 2-11 Kerry 1-14 (draw)

Fermanagh

They have played in two previous quarter-finals, losing by 1-21 to 0-5 to Tyrone in 2003 and beating Armagh by 0-12 to 0-11 in 2004.

KERRY v KILDARE

They meet in the championship for the first time since 2002 when Kerry won a Round 4 qualifier game in Thurles.

Paths to the quarter-final

Kerry

Kerry 2-14 Tipperary 2-8 (Munster semi-final)

Kerry 2-15 Cork 3-12 (Munster final) Draw

Kerry 1-11 Cork 1-6 (Munster final) Replay

Average For: 2-12; Average Against: 2-9

Kildare

Kildare 0-16 Laois 0-16 (Leinster quarter-final)

Kildare 3-18 Laois 1-11 (Leinster quarter-final) Replay

Dublin 5-18 Kildare 0-14 (Leinster semi-final)

Kildare 1-15 Offaly 1-13 (Round 2 qualifiers)

Kildare 2-24 Longford 0-11 (Round 3 qualifiers)

Kildare 1-21 Cork 1-13 (Round 4 qualifiers)

Average For: 1-19; Average Against: 1-15

Last Five Championship Clashes

2002: Kerry 2-10 Kildare 1-15 (Round 4 Qualifiers)

1998: Kildare 0-13 Kerry 1-9 (All-Ireland semi-final)

1931: Kerry 1-11 Kildare 0-8 (All-Ireland final)

1929: Kerry 1-8 Kildare 1-5 (All-Ireland final)

1927: Kildare 0-5 Kerry 0-3 (All-Ireland final)

Kerry

Kerry have are in the quarter-finals for a 15th successive season, winning twelve, drawing one and losing two (Donegal in 2012 and Down in 2010) of their previous fifteen games.

2014: Kerry 1-20 Galway 2-10

2013: Kerry 0-15 Cavan 0-9

2012: Donegal 1-12 Kerry 1-10

2011: Kerry 1-20 Limerick 0-10

2010: Down 1-16 Kerry 1-10

2009: Kerry 1-24 Dublin 1-7

2008: Kerry 1-21 Galway 1-16

2007: Kerry 1-12 Monaghan 1-11

2006: Kerry 3-15 Armagh 1-13

2005: Kerry 2-15 Mayo 0-18

2004: Kerry 1-15 Dublin 1-8

2003: Kerry 1-21 Roscommon 3-10

2002: Kerry 2-17 Galway 1-12

2001: Kerry 2-12 Dublin 1-12 (replay)

2001: Kerry 1-14 Dublin 2-11 (draw)

Kildare

The Lilywhite are appearing in the quarter-final for the sixth time, having won one and lost four of their previous five outings.

2012: Cork 2-19 Kildare 0-12

2011: Donegal 1-12 Kildare 0-14 (after extra-time)

2010: Kildare 2-17 Meath 1-12

2009: Tyrone 0-16 Kildare 1-11

2008: Cork 2-11 Kildare 0-11

SATURDAY

SLIGO v TYRONE

They meet for the second time in the All-Ireland championship, with Sligo having won the only meeting so far by 1-14 to 0-12 in a Round 4 qualifier in Croke Park in 2002.

How they got here...

Sligo 1-14 Roscommon 0-13 (Connacht semi-final)

Mayo 6-25 Sligo 2-11 (Connacht final)

Donegal 1-13 Tyrone 1-10 (Ulster preliminary round)

Tyrone 1-14 Limerick 0-8 (Round 1 Qualifiers)

Tyrone 1-10 Meath 0-11 (Round 2 Qualifiers)

Tyrone 0-19 Tipperary 0-7 (Round 3 Qualifiers)

? Tyrone are bidding to reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the 11th time.

? Sligo are bidding to reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the third time.

? Sligo’s Mark Breheny played at right full-forward on the team that beat Tyrone in the 2002 qualifiers, underlining his enduring qualities.

? Tyrone have never lost a Round 4 qualifier under Mickey Harte, beating Laois in 2004, Monaghan in 2005, Mayo in 2008, Roscommon in 2011 and Meath in 2013. Harte took over as Tyrone manager for the 2003 season.

? Sligo’s concession of 6-25 to Mayo in the Connacht final was the biggest in this year’s championship.

GALWAY v DONEGAL

They meet for the sixth time in the All-Ireland championship. Their last competitive clash was in the 2014 Allianz Football League (Division 2) when Donegal won by 1-16 to 0-12 in Pearse Stadium.

How they got here...

Donegal 1-13 Tyrone 1-10 (Ulster preliminary round)

Donegal 2-11 Armagh 0-8 (Ulster quarter-final)

Donegal 1-9 Derry 0-10 (Ulster semi-final)

Monaghan 0-11 Donegal 0-10 (Ulster final)

Average For: 1-11; Average Against: 0-11

Galway 2-18 New York 0-8 (Connacht 1st round)

Galway 1-13 Leitrim 0-8 (Connacht quarter-final)

Mayo 1-15 Galway 2-8 (Connacht semi-final)

Galway 1-12 Armagh 0-12 (Round 2 Qualifiers)

Galway 1-11 Derry 0-8 (Round 3 Qualifiers)

Average For: 1-14; Average Against: 0-11

Previous Championship Clashes

2009: Donegal 0-14 Galway 0-13 (Qualifier Round 4)

2003: Donegal 0-14 Galway 0-11 (All-Ireland quarter-final) Replay

2003: Donegal 0-14 Galway 1-11 (All-Ireland quarter-final) Draw

1983: Galway 1-12 Donegal 1-11 (All-Ireland semi-final)

1974: Galway 3-13 Donegal 1-14 (All-Ireland semi-final)

(They have only met five times)

? Donegal are bidding to reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals for the 9th time and for a fifth successive year.

? Galway are bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the 7th time.

? The last three Donegal-Galway championship games have produced only one goal, scored by Michael Meehan (Galway) in the drawn 2003 quarter-final.

? Donegal are seeking their first championship win over Galway in Croke Park. Their previous two wins came in Markievicz Park (2009) and Castlebar (2003). The sides drew in Croke Park in 2003 and Galway beat Donegal in All-Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park in 1974 and 1983.

? This is Donegal’s fifth time in a R4 qualifier as beaten Ulster finalists.

? They won three of the previous four, beating Meath in 2002, Fermanagh in 2006 and Laois in 2013. They lost to Fermanagh (extra-time) in 2004.

? Galway’s win over Tipperary last year was their first Round 4 qualifier success since 2001 when they beat Cork.

GAA FOOTBALL ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

2015 RESULTS & FIXTURES

CONNACHT

Round 1:

May 3: Galway 2-18 New York 0-8, Gaelic Park;

Quarter-finals:

Galway 1-13 Leitrim 0-8, Carrick-on-Shannon;

May 24: Roscommon 1-14 London 0-10;

Semi-finals:

June 14: Mayo 1-15 Galway 2-8, Pearse Stadium;

June 20: Sligo 1-14 Roscommon 0-13, Markievicz Park.

Final:

July 19: Mayo 6-25 Sligo 2-11, Dr. Hyde Park

LEINSTER

Round 1:

Laois 3-16 Carlow 0-8, Netwatch Cullen Park;

Longford 0-16 Offaly 0-13, O’Connor Park;

Westmeath 3-14 Louth 0-16, Drogheda.

Quarter-finals:

May 31: Dublin 4-25 Longford 0-10, Croke Park

June 6: Kildare 0-16 Laois 0-16, O’Connor Park

June 13: Replay: Kildare 3-18 Laois 1-11, Tullamore (replay)

June 14: Meath 2-19 Wicklow 3-12, Páirc Tailteann

Westmeath 1-21 Wexford 0-15, Cusack Park

Semi-finals:

June 28: Westmeath 3-19 Meath 2-18, Croke Park;

Dublin 5-18 Kildare 0-14, Croke Park

Final:

July 12: Dublin 2-13 Westmeath 0-6, Croke Park

MUNSTER

Quarter-finals:

May 24: Clare 0-15 Limerick 0-13, Ennis

May 31: Tipperary 1-24 Waterford 0-5, Thurles

Semi-finals:

June 14:

Cork 1-20 Clare 1-8, Pairc Uí Rinn

Kerry 2-14 Tipperary 2-8, Thurles.

Final:

July 5: Kerry 2-15 Cork 3-12, Killarney

July 18: Replay: Kerry 1-11 Cork 1-6, Killarney

ULSTER

Preliminary round:

Donegal 1-13 Tyrone 1-10 Ballybofey

Quarter-finals:

Monaghan 0-16 Cavan 0-15, Kingspan Breffni Park

Fermanagh 1-13 Antrim 0-8, Brewster Park;

Derry 0-12 Down 0-11, Celtic Park

June 14: Donegal 2-11 Armagh 0-8, Athletic Grounds

Semi-finals:

June 21: Monaghan 1-20 Fermanagh 0-13, Kingspan Breffni Park

June 27: Donegal 1-9 Derry 0-10, Clones

Final:

July 19: Monaghan 0-11 Donegal 0-10, Clones

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Qualifiers

Round 1A:

June 20: Cavan 2-22 London 0-11, Ruislip; Antrim 2-15 Laois 1-16, O’Moore Park; Longford 2-15 Carlow 1-8, Glennon Brother Pearse Park; Offaly 1-20 Waterford 1-7, Fraher Field, Dungarvan

Round 1B:

June 27: Louth 1-16 Leitrim 0-11, Drogheda; Armagh 2-17 Wicklow 2-7, Athletic Grounds; Wexford 2-16 Down 2-11, Wexford Park.

June 28: Tyrone 1-14 Limerick 0-8, Omagh.

Round 2A:

July 4: Kildare 1-15 Offaly 1-13, Tullamore; Longford 2-12 Clare 1-12, Ennis; Roscommon 3-17 Cavan 1-16, Kingspan Breffni Park.

July 5: Fermanagh 1-21 Antrim 0-11, Brewster Park.

Round 2B:

July 11: Derry 1-16 Wexford 0-10, Owenbeg; Tyrone 1-10 Meath 0-11, Omagh; Tipperary 3-21 Louth 0-7, Thurles.

July 12: Galway 1-12 Armagh 0-12, Athletic Grounds.

Round 3A:

July 11: Kildare 2-24 Longford 0-11, Mullingar; July 12: Fermanagh 1-14 Roscommon 0-16.

Round 3B

July 18: Tyrone 0-19 Tipperary 0-7, Thurles; Galway 1-11 Derry 0-8, Pearse Stadium

Round 4A:

July 25: Kildare 1-21 Cork 1-13, Thurles; Fermanagh 1-13 Westmeath 0-7, Kingspan Breffni Park.

Round 4B:

August 1: Sligo v Tyrone, Croke Park, 4.0; Donegal v Galway, Croke Park, 6.0

Quarter-finals:

August 2: Kerry v Kildare, Croke Park, 2.0; Dublin v Fermanagh, Croke Park 4.0

August 8: Mayo v 4B winner; Monaghan v 4B winner, Croke Park

Semi-final:

August 23: Ulster v Munster

August 30: Connacht v Leinster

Final:

September 20