U20 footballers are unchanged for All-Ireland semi-final

The Dublin U20 football team is unchanged for Saturday's All-Ireland U20FC semi-final against Galway in Glennon Bros Pearse Park, Longford (5.0).

The Dubs defeated Laois in the Leinster decider last Friday night in O'Connor Park, Tullamore and have given a vote of confidence to that same starting 15.

Dublin and Galway met as recently as June 13 in the John Kerins U20 Football Development League when Galway won in very impressive fashion 2-17 to 1-7 in Duggan Park, Ballinasloe.

John Kerins Cup Tournament winners Galway were by a stretch the strongest side in the John Kerins Cup recording four wins from four games with victories over Kildare (1-18 to 0-10), Cork (1-11 to 0-12), Kerry (1-10 to 1-8) and Dublin (2-17 to 1-7).

Galway have sustained that winning form with victories over Roscommon (0-17 to 1-7) in the Connacht semi-final and Mayo (0-16 to 0-10) in their provincial decider.

Saturday's U20FC game is part of a triple-header with the minor footballers of Dublin and Mayo (Connacht champions) getting the action underway in their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final (3.0), the final game of the day at the Longford venue is the All-Ireland MFC quarter-final between Galway and Kildare (Leinster champions) (7.0).

"Galway are an excellent team and they certainly represent a step up on what we have encountered up to now. We played them in the development league earlier in the year and most people would feel that they were the best team in it, so we’ll need to keep our rate of improvement going to have any chance of progressing into the final," said Dublin U20 manager Tom Gray.

"We were under a fair degree of pressure at certain times on Friday night (Leinster final victory over Laois), I thought that the lads coped well with those periods and stepped it up when they needed to.

"That was probably the most pleasing aspect of the performance from the management’s perspective and the lads are maturing nicely, both as individuals and as footballers.

"We are really looking forward to the challenge that Galway will present on Saturday and hopefully, it’s not the end of the journey for us," added Tom. 

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DUBLIN (U20FC v Galway)

1 David O'Hanlon Na Fianna

2 Darren Maher St Patrick's, Donabate

3 Daire Newcombe Lucan Sarsfields

4 Eoin O'Dea Na Fianna

5 Kieran Kennedy Ballyboden St Enda's

6 Neil Matthews Erin's Isle

7 Seán Lambe St Vincent’s

8 Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne Cuala

9 Donal Ryan Na Fianna

10 Niall O'Leary Kilmacud Crokes

11 Karl Lynch Bissett Naomh Mearnóg

12 James Doran Na Fianna

13 Brian O'Leary Na Fianna

14 Ciarán Archer St Maur's

15 Ross McGarry Ballyboden St Enda's

GALWAY (U20FC v Dublin)

1 Oran Burke

2 Ross Mahon

3 Seán Mulkerrin

4 Eoin McFadden

5 Liam Boyle

6 Cian Potter

7 Jack Kirrane

8 Mathias Barrett

9 Brian Harlowe

10 Matthew Tierney

11 Darragh Silke

12 Tony Gill

13 Pádraig Costello

14 Liam Costello

15 Rory Cunningham