Holders Dublin, despite hitting 16 wides, coasted into the semi-final of the Leinster minor football championship with a nine-point victory over Wicklow at Parnell Park last night.
Physically stronger and streetwise, Dublin paraded eight of last year's team which was beaten in an All-Ireland semi-final replay by eventual winner's Down.
With the exception of Stephen Mills, all of the old influential sources were to the fore, with the O'Driscoll brothers, Niall and Cillain, Alan Brogan, Liam Og O hEineachain, Seamus Walsh and Graham Joyce, doing the business.
Wicklow were not as poor as the score and Dublin's 16 wayward shots at their posts would suggest. They were at times able to match the winner's ability to combine well throughout the field but had difficulty in finding the target against a close-knit home defence.
Dublin's only concern was an 11-minute barren spell in the third quarter as Wicklow substitutes David Cronin and Stephen Flynn reduced a 1-6 to 0-1 interval deficit, with good points.
Wicklow's lack of ideas up front was clearly reflected in the fact that only two of their starting fifteen scored.
O hEineachain's goal scored in the 19th minute clearly put paid to Wicklow's chances.
Dublin: V Galvin; N Kane, G Coughlan, D Murray; S McCann, A Cleere, N O'Driscoll (0-1); S Walsh (0-1, free), A Brogan; K Devine (0-1), L Og O hEineachain (1-2), G Joyce (0-1); S Mills (0-2), D Lally (0-1), C O'Driscoll (0-1). Subs: D Lowry for Mills (39 mins); J Waldron for Lally (59 mins).
Wicklow: C Byrne; E O'Neill, R Connolly, D O'Neill; C Hyland, L Mooney, T Darcy; S Byrne, J P Connolly; B Rossiter, D Dempsey, A Nolan (0-1, free); S Flanagan, S Flynn (0-1), R Odlum. Subs: N Butler for Darcy (15 mins); D Cronin (0-2, one free) for Odlum (37 mins); L Daly for Nolan (52 mins); D Carter for Rossiter (47 mins); L Brennan for E O'Neill(59 mins).
Referee: P Fox (Westmeath).
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