South edge out North in Colleges thriller

Tue, 27th January 2015

DUBLIN SOUTH 3-14 DUBLIN NORTH 1-16

(After extra-time)

Dublin South needed extra-time to finally get the better of a battling Dublin North team on Monday night in Parnell Park in this thrilling Leinster Colleges SHC preliminary quarter-final.

With the wind at their backs Dublin South made an electric start to register three goals inside the opening 16 minutes with Aidan Mellett, Mark McGuire and a spectacular effort from Colm Hayes propelling the southsiders into a commanding 3-1 to 0-3 lead.

The outstanding freetaking of Colin Currie kept the North in touch, however, the industrious Tom Fox contributed four first half points for the South to steer them to a 3-6 to 0-8 interval advantage.

While the North carried the fight to their South counterparts in the second half the eventual winners managed to keep their noses in front and looked primed for victory when leading by three points with time almost up.

However, Matthew Oliver followed a good point with a nicely taken goal, following good work by the impressive Donal Burke, to edge the North in front by a point as the game ticked into injury-time.

The South then showed commendable composure by engineering a well worked point with the last play of the game scored by sub Rian Doyle to force extra-time.

With both teams visibly tiring in extra-time it was Dublin South who seized the initiative with two more points from the impressive Doyle and one each from Chris Bennett, the pacey Alex Considine and Mark Maguire easing them home.

Dublin South progress to meet Good Counsel, Wexford this Saturday in Carlow.

SCORERS - Dublin South: T Fox 0-6 (0-5f), C Hayes, M McGuire 1-1 each, R Doyle 0-3, A Mellett 1-0, A Considine 0-2, C Bennett 0-1. Dublin North: C Currie 0-9 (0-8f, 0-1 '65'), M Oliver 1-1, D Burke 0-2, S Hickey (0-1f), O Lanigan, D Butler, G King (0-1f) 0-1 each.

DUBLIN SOUTH: D O'Neill; L Mulroney, G Kenny, J O'Neill; D Ryan, C Brady, P Rigney; C Dowling, T Fox; C Hayes, M McGuire, A Considine; A Mellett, C Bennett, J Byrne. Subs: R Di Felic, R Leddy, A Coffey, R Doyle, J McVeigh, D Flannery..

DUBLIN NORTH: E Skelly; C Hendricken, D Grey, C Ryan; O Lanigan, P Buggy, D Butler; G King, S Hickey; D Burke, W Maloney, M Oliver; C Currie, S McCaw, P Kelly. Subs: L Finnegan, S MacGearailt, Donncha Butler, D Keeley, M Hayes, K Callaghan, M O'Keefe.

REF: J Brennan (Dublin).