Dublin hold off late surge

Leinster MFC Final: Dublin 1-11 Laois 1-9 After jaunting along for a long while, yesterday's Leinster minor football final was suddenly elevated to great excitement in the closing stages. Dublin had just pulled six points clear with only minutes remaining but Laois cut it back to the minimum as the clock ticked into added time.

So with Dublin trying to hold on, and Laois trying to survive, it made for a cracking climax that certainly made up for the disappointing first half. But as the pressure mounted, Dublin kept their heads and were thus rewarded with the Leinster title they had surrendered last year to Longford.

For Laois it was simply a case of leaving themselves with too much to do in the time that was left. But much of their possession in the first half was squandered or sent wide and that too contributed to their downfall.

Dublin, however, weren't exactly highly efficient with all their possession either and it was only in the last 15 minutes that they established any sort of grip on the game. Brendan Phelan was a class apart at midfield and he initiated so many of the moves that helped press Dublin in front.

But it was the goal on 56 minutes that first allowed Dublin to breathe a little easier. Phelan had set off on one of his runs and although the pass went a little astray, corner forward John O'Hara spotted the loose ball and fly-kicked it straight into the net. Dublin were up 1-10 to 0-7 and apparently cruising now towards the finish.

With so much support behind them, Laois were almost obliged to give it one more shot. Michael Tierney sent over a close-range free to start reducing the deficit, and then came the break they needed with a goal - somewhat fortuitously - from corner forward Colm Kelly.

It was the Dublin defence that had, in fact, set up Laois. Gerard Brennan was passing back to Willie Lowry but they got their wires crossed and Kelly was ready to pounce.

The clock was now in added time, but with three minutes to be added there was still room for more Laois scores, and it only took 90 seconds for Tierney to slip over his third free.

That left 90 seconds of nerves and desperation. The pressure was now firmly on Dublin's shoulders to survive, yet it was Kevin Leahy - an early substitute for the injured Francis Fitzgerald - who coolly slotted over the security point for Dublin.

DUBLIN: K Walsh; A Downes, K Cleere (capt), W Lowry; D Reilly, G Brennan, I Ward; B Phelan, G O'Meara; J O'Brien (0-1), B Kennedy (0-2), M Vaughan (0-2, one free): A Relihan (0-2, one free), F Fitzgerald, J O'Hara (1-1). Subs: K Leahy (0-3) for Fitzgerald, inj (5 mins), C Moore for O'Brien (48 mins), C Noone for Relihan (62 mins).

LAOIS: C Gorman; C Fleming, C Ryan, R Stapleton; C Rogers (0-1), C Begley, N Donagher; B Quigley, Colm Kelly; P McNulty (capt), B Fitzgerald, I Fleming; D Brennan (0-2), C Bergin (0-1), Colm Kelly (1-2, one free). Subs: M Tierney (0-3, three frees) for Fitzgerald (37 mins), P O'Leary for McNulty (50 mins).

Referee: P O'Reilly (Longford).