DUBLIN 0-10 LONGFORD 0-5 (Hill16.ie)

Dublin’s minor footballers progress to a Leinster MFC semi-final meeting with Kildare at the end of June following this hard-fought quarter-final victory at Pearse Park, Longford on Saturday evening.

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Home advantage in the provincial semi-final (Wednesday, June 29) is Dublin’s reward for a battling victory over last year’s provincial champions played in difficult blustery conditions which to some degree turned the game into a tactical battle.

The Dubs played into the wind in the opening half and despite plenty of possession could not open up the Longford defence with Gavin Ivory’s superbly converted ‘45’ in the 20th minute the score of the half from a Dublin perspective as the sides entered the break on level terms, 0-3 each after the Dublin defence, where Graham Hannigan and Robert McDaid were particularly strong, worked hard to curtail the Longford threat.

The second half was a different story with Dublin dominating around the centre sector both in terms of clean possession and breaking ball. However, it was not until the final ten minutes that they looked like putting any safe distance between the sides.

Ivory almost goaled in the 41st minute but was denied by an excellent save by Gareth Higgins but Ciaran Kilkenny was on hand to claim a point. This came three minutes after Emmet O Conghaile blazed over the crossbar from close range.

With ten minutes remaining their was just the minimum between the sides, 0-5 to 0-4, but five unanswered points saw Dublin safely into the provincial last four.

The impressive Ivory kicked two from play before drawing his second good safe from Higgins - this time from close range - before slotting his second ‘45’ of the night, before sub Cormac Costello made a telling impact when striking a fine point from 35 metres. As the game ticked into injury-time Kilkenny kicked his third point of the tie.