We face a step up in class: U20 manager Tom Gray

Dublin under-20 football manager Tom Gray knows that his side are facing a step up in class when they encounter Galway in this Saturday's All-Ireland U20FC semi-final in Glennon Bros Pearse Park, Longford (5.0).

The game forms part of a triple-header with Dublin's minor footballers playing Mayo in their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final (3.0) and following by the MFC quarter-final clash of Kildare and Galway (7.0).

The Tribesmen are managed by legendary Galway footballer Pádraic Joyce, and whose management team includes fellow two-time All-Ireland SFC winner (1998, 2001) John Divilly.

Divilly has managed UCD's Sigerson Cup team in recent years and will be familiar with several of Dublin's U20s who are students in Belfield.

The sides have 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.

Eventual 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 sustained that rich 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.

"We were delighted with how we played on Friday night and the score that we put up was always going to be difficult to overcome," said Dublin manager Tom Gray when reflecting on last Friday night's Leinster final victory over Laois (4-18 to 0-17) in O'Connor Park, Tullamore.

"Having said that, I think that the scoreline flattered us a small bit and, while we were deserving winners, the 13-point margin was slightly harsh on Laois, who are a very decent team.

"We were very clinical in front of goal and the lads have been working very hard in terms of their chance creation and conversion – and that’s something that we’ll look to replicate against Galway on Saturday.

"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," added Tom.

"We were under a fair degree of pressure at certain times on Friday night, 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," he added.