Senior footballers to face Longford for 19th time in Championship

Tue, 5th June 2018

This weekend will be the busiest of the season so far in the GAA football All-Ireland championships, with three provincial semi-finals and eight All-Ireland qualifiers on the packed schedule.

SATURDAY

All-Ireland SF Qualifiers – Round 1: Wexford v Waterford, Innovate Wexford Park, 2.0; Derry v Kildare, Ow-enbeg, 3.0; Meath v Tyrone, Pairc Tailteann, 5.0 Wicklow v Cavan, Joule Park, Aughrim, 6.0; Offaly v Antrim, Bord na Mona, Tullamore, 6.0; Limerick v Mayo, Gaelic Grounds ,6.0; Westmeath v Armagh, TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar, 7.0;

SUNDAY

Leinster SF semi-finals: Carlow v Laois, Croke Park, 2.0; Dublin v Longford, Croke Park, 4.0

Ulster SF semi-final: Donegal v Down, Clones, 4.0

All-Ireland SF Qualifier – Round 1: London v Louth, McGovern Park, Ruislip, 2.0

DUBLIN v LONGFORD

They meet for the 19th time in the championship, with Dublin having won 15 and Longford two, while there was one draw in the previous 18 meetings.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2015: Dublin 4-25 Longford 0-10 (Leinster quarter-final)

2006: Dublin 1-12 Longford 0-13 (Leinster quarter-final)

2005: Dublin 2-23 Longford 0-10 (Leinster 1st round)

2004: Dublin 1-17 Longford 0-11 (All-Ireland qualifier – Round 3)

2001: Dublin 2-19 Longford 1-13 (Leinster quarter-final)

Longford’s only championship wins over Dublin came in 1968 (1-12 to 0-12) and 1970 (2-14 to 3-8). Both were Leinster quarter-finals.

Longford have not scored a goal in any of their last four championship meetings with Dublin.

Dublin are bidding to reach the Leinster final for the 13th time in 14 seasons, having missed out in 2010 only.

Longford are bidding to reach the Leinster final for the first time since 1968.

Longford beat Meath (0-16 to 0-14) to reach the semi-final while Dublin beat Wicklow (4-25 to 1-11).

Dublin’s last defeat in the Leinster semi-final was in 2010 when they lost to Meath.

CARLOW v LAOIS

Carlow are seeking their first championship win over Laois since 1988 in what will be their third competi-tive meeting this year. Laois won both in Division 4 of the Allianz League, 1-6 to 0-8 in Round 7 and by 0- 15 to 0-11 in the final.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2015: Laois 3-16 Carlow 0-8 (Leinster first round)

2013: Laois 3-13 Carlow 0-12 (Round 1 qualifier)

2012: Laois 1-10 Carlow 0-9 (Round 1 qualifier)

2006: Laois 1-17 Carlow 1-9 (Leinster quarter-final)

2004: Laois 0-15 Carlow 1-7 (Leinster quarter-final)

Carlow are bidding to reach the Leinster final for the first time since 1944 while Laois were last there in 2007.

Carlow beat Louth by 2-17 to 0-12 and Kildare by 2-14 to 1-10 to reach the semi-final. Paul Broderick is their top scorer on 1-19 (0-14 frees)

Laois beat Wexford 2-21 to 1-18 (after extra-time) and Westmeath by 4-13 to 1-12 to reach the semi-final. Their top scorer is Paul Kingston on 3-5.

Carlow haven’t scored a goal in any of their last three championship meetings with Laois.

Laois were last in the Leinster semi-final in 2009 (lost to Kildare) while Carlow’s last appearance was in 2011 (lost to Wexford)

DONEGAL v DOWN

They meet in the championship for the first time since 2013 when Donegal won an Ulster quarter-final clash by three points.

LAST FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETINGS

2013: Donegal 0-12 Down 0-9 (Ulster semi-final)

2012: Donegal 2-18 Down 0-13 (Ulster final)

2010: Down 1-15 Donegal 2-10 (Ulster quarter-final) after extra-time

2006: Donegal 1-12 Down 1-11 (Ulster quarter-final)

2003: Donegal 3-15 Down 2-10 (All-Ireland qualifiers Round 4)

Donegal beat Cavan (2-20 to 1-15) and Derry (2-16 to 0-16) to reach the semi-final. Paddy McBrearty is their top scorer on 0-12 (0-3 frees) .

Down beat Antrim by 1-18 to 0-14 in the quarter-final, with Donal O’Hare their top scorer on 0-7 (0-5 frees).

Donegal have won five of their last six championship meetings with Down, the exception being 2010 when Down an Ulster quarter-final clash by 1-15 to 2-10 after extra-time.

Donegal are bidding to reach the Ulster final for the sixth time in seven seasons, having missed out in 2017 only.

Down are bidding to reach the final for the second successive year, something they haven’t done since 1973-74.

MEATH v TYRONE

This will be the fifth championship meeting between them, with wins standing at two each from the previ-ous four. Meath won the 1996 All-Ireland semi-final (2-15 to 0-12) and the 2007 quarter-final (1-13 to 2-8) while Tyrone won qualifiers in 2013 (0-17 to 2-9) and 2015 (1-9 to 0-10).

2018 Championship: Longford 0-16 Meath 0-14; Monaghan 1-18 Tyrone 1-16.

LIMERICK V MAYO

This will be only their second championship clash, having first met in 2002 when Mayo won a Round 3 Qualifier game by 0-13 to 1-9 in Dr.Hyde Park. Mayo were last in Round 1 of the qualifiers in 2010 when they lost by a point to Longford in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park. Current squad members, David Clarke, Chris Barrett, Ger Cafferkey, Keith Higgins, Donal Vaughan, Kevin McLoughlin, Seamus and Aidan O’Shea, Andy Moran and Barry Moran all featured in that game. Tom Parsons, who suffered a bad injury against Galway last month, came on as a sub against Longford eight years ago.

2018 Championship: Galway 1-12 Mayo 0-12; Clare 1-23 Limerick 0-14.

WEXFORD v WATERFORD

This is the first championship clash between the counties. They met in the Allianz League in 2017 and 2016 with Wexford winning both narrowly. They won by 1-9 to 0-10 last year and by 0-12 to 0-11 in 2016:

2018 Championship: Laois 2-21 Wexford 1-18; Tipperary 0-20 Waterford 0-9.

DERRY v KILDARE

This will be the third clash between the counties in the qualifiers. Their last meeting was in 2011 when Kildare won a fourth round game by 0-19 to 0-13 in Croke Park. They met in last year’s Allianz League Di-vision 2 when Derry won by a point.

2018 Championship: Donegal 2-16 Derry 0-16; Carlow 2-14 Kildare 1-10.

WICKLOW v CAVAN

This will be the third championship game between the counties, with one win each from their previous two meetings. Wicklow won by 1-12 to 0-8 in Aughrim in 2009 while Cavan won by 0-15 to 2-8 in King-span Breffni Park a year later.

2018 Championship: Wicklow 1-20 Offaly 1-15 (aet); Dublin 4-25 Wicklow 1-11; Donegal 2-20 Cavan 1-15.

OFFALY v ANTRIM

A first championship game between the counties while their last Allianz League clash was last year when Offaly won a Division 3 meeting by 0-23 to 1-7.

2018 Championship: Wicklow 1-20 Offaly 1-15 (aet); Down 1-18 Antrim 0-14.

WESTMEATH v ARMAGH

They meet in the qualifiers for a second successive year, with Armagh having won a Round 2 qualifier by 1-12 to 1-7 in Mullingar last year. Armagh also beat Westmeath in this year’s Allianz League (Division 3) winning by 2-17 to 1-11 in Mullingar in early February.

2018 Championship: Laois 4-13 Westmeath 1-12; Fermanagh 0-12 Armagh 0-7.

LONDON v LOUTH

They meet in the championship for the first time since 1913 when Louth won an All-Ireland semi-final by 3-6 to 1-2.

2018 Championship: Carlow 2-17 Louth 0-12; Sligo 1-21 London 1-11.

2018 GAA FOOTBALL ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

CONNACHT

May 6: Quarter-finals: Leitrim 0-19 New York 1-15 (aet), Gaelic Park; Sligo 1-21 London 1-11, McGovern Park, Ruislip.

May 13: Quarter-final: Galway 1-12 Mayo 0-12, Elverys Mac Hale Park.

May 26: Semi-final: Roscommon 0-24 Leitrim 0-10, Carrick-on-Shannon.

June 3: Semi-final: Galway 4-24 Sligo 1-12, Pearse Stadium

June 17: Final: Roscommon v Galway.

LEINSTER

May 12: First round: Laois 2-21 Wexford 1-18 (aet), Innovate Wexford Park.

May 13: First round: Carlow 2-17 Louth 0-12; Wicklow 1-20 Offaly 1-15 (aet) Both in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.

May 26/27: Quarter-finals: Laois 4-13 Westmeath 1-12, Tullamore; Carlow 2-14 Kildare 1-10, Tullamore; Dublin 4-25 Wicklow 1-11; Longford 0-16 Meath 0-14, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park.

June 10: Semi-finals: Carlow v Laois; Dublin v Longford. Both in Croke Park.

June 24: Final, Croke Park.

MUNSTER

May 19: Quarter-finals: Clare 1-23 Limerick 0-14, Gaelic Grounds; Tipperary 0-20 Waterford 0-9, Semple Stadium.

May 26: Semi-final: Cork 1-17 Tipperary 0-9, Semple Stadium.

June 3: Kerry 0-32 Clare 0-10, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.

June 23: Final: Cork v Kerry, Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

ULSTER

May 13: Preliminary Round: Donegal 2-20 Cavan 1-15, Ballybofey.

May 19: Quarter-final: Fermanagh 0-12 Armagh 0-7, Enniskillen.

May 20: Quarter-final: Monaghan 1-18 Tyrone 1-16, Omagh.

May 26: Quarter-final: Down 1-18 Antrim 0-14, Newry.

May 27: Quarter-final: Donegal 2-16 Derry 0-16, Celtic Park.

June 3: Semi-final: Fermanagh 1-8 Monaghan, 0-10, Omagh

June 10: Semi-final: Donegal v Down.

June 24: Final: Fermanagh v Donegal/Down

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 9/10: Qualifiers – Round 1: Derry v Kildare; Meath v Tyrone; London v Louth; Limerick v Mayo; West-meath v Armagh; Wexford v Waterford; Wicklow v Cavan; Offaly v Antrim.

June 23: Qualifiers – Round 2: Round 1 winners v beaten provincial semi-finalists (Clare, Tipperary, Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan, Donegal or Down, Longford or Dublin, Carlow or Laois)

June 30: Round 2 winners – four games

July 7/8: Round 2 winners v beaten provincial finalists

QUARTER-FINALS

July 14/15: Phase 1: Group 1: Connacht winners v Munster winners; Ulster runners-up/Round 4 winner v Leinster runner-up/Round 4 winner. Group 2: Leinster winners v Ulster winners; Munster runners-up/Round 4 winners v Connacht runners-up/ Round 4 winners.

July 21/22: Phase 2: Group 1: Connacht winners v Ulster runners-up/ Round 4 qualifier; Munster winners v Leinster runners-up/ Round 4 qualifier; Group 2: Ulster winners v Munster runners-up/Round 4 qualifi-er; Leinster winners v Connacht runners-up/Round 4 winner.

August 4/5/6: Phase 3: Group 1: Munster winners v Ulster runners-up/Round 4 winners; Connacht win-ners v Leinster runners-up/Round 4 winners; Group 2: Leinster winners v Munster runners-up/Round 4 winners; Ulster winners v Connacht runners-up/Round 4 winner.