Dublin were always in command in this low-key Leinster minor football championship semi-final at Croke Park yesterday. The vastness of the stadium inhibited some players but there was an air of inevitability once Dublin asserted themselves in a mistake-riddled second half.

Wicklow could not put together enough moves to set their tightly marked forwards free. In fact, they could muster only one point from play, when corner forward Trevor O'Donnell kicked a score in the 41st minute.

For Dublin, the reliable Wayne McCarthy booted six points, four from frees, and his colleagues in the inside forward line, James Gahan and Mannix Ryan, struck a minor apiece.

Three points in succession shortly after the interval, from wing forward Peter Devitt, McCarthy and captain Declan Conlon, gave Dublin the momentum for a deserved victory.

Dublin: C Clarke; D Henry, M Breathnach, M Thompson; F Armstrong, C Moran, G Norton; M Kennedy, D Conlon (0-1); F Purcell, C Murphy, P Devitt (0-1); M Ryan (0-1), J Gahan (0-1), W McCarthy (0-6, 4 frees). Subs: K Golden for Ryan (42 mins).

Wicklow: B Behan; A Denver, P Dunne, B Daly; K Foster, C Toomey, L Keenan; D Jackman, B Hickey; A Hannon (0-4, 3 frees, 1 45'), B Sheehan, K Burke; D O'hAnnaidh, G Doran, T O'Donnell (0-1). Subs: P Murphy for Burke (45 mins), D Birchall for Jackman (48 mins), J P Davis for Hannon (57 mins).

Referee: J Bannon (Longford).