St Vincent’s (Dublin) 0-16 Palatine (Carlow) 0-8

Recently crowned Dublin football champions, St Vincent’s, made light of the loss to a black card on 19 minutes of senior county star Diarmuid Connolly, to record a double scores victory over a spirited Palatine of Carlow in this Leinster Championship quarter-final before an attendance of 2,000 at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday.

Vincent’s made a positive start to the game hitting four points from play in the opening four minutes from Enda Varley, midfielder Shane Carthy and two from Cormac Diamond.

Shane O’Neill opened the Palatine scoring with a fine point from play on 12 minutes as the scores began to dry up. By half time the visitors held an 0-5 to 0-3 lead, having shot eight wides and lost Connolly following an incident which saw Shane O’Neill yellow-carded.

With the experienced Ger Brennan orchestrating things in defence and Shane Carthy having a fine game in midfield, the superior fitness of Vincent’s began to tell as the second half wore on. Tomás (Mossy) Quinn found the range to strike five second half points, 0-3 from frees, as the pace of the game began to tell on the Carlow champions.

Still the Carlow champions never gave in with Conor Lawlor, Christopher Crowley, Ciarán Mora nand Conor Crowley continuing to take the game to their fancied opponents. But there was an obvious weakness in the Palatine attack and Michael Savage in the St Vincent’s goal had no genuine save to make in the entire match.

In the final quarter Vincent’s superiority was pronounced and their eventual victory margin of eight points just about represented their level of overall superiority.

Cormac Diamond was the pick of the Vincent’s attack, picking off five points from play while the industry of Shane Carthy in midfield was also important - the No 9 contributed 0-3 out of play. His midfield partner, Daithí Murphy, also made his mark before being withdrawn early in the second half, as the physically bigger Dublin champions progressed to the provincial semi-final.

St Vincent's: M Savage; M Concarr, J Curley, C Wilson; B Egan, G Brennan, Cameron Diamond; D Murphy, S Carthy (0-3); G Burke, D Connolly, Cormac Diamond (0-5); R Trainor (0-1), E Varley (0-1), T Quinn (0-5, 0-3 frees). Subs: J Feeney for Connolly (black card) (20); A Martin (0-1) for Murphy (35); A Baxter for Varley (41); K Golden for Burke (47); J McCusker for Trainor (55); F Breathnach for Brennan (57).

Palatine: C Kearney; C O'Doherty, C Lawlor, M Rennick; S O'Reilly (0-1), Cristopher Crowley (0-1), J Brennan; D Reid, J Kane (0-1); N Reid, C Moran, S O'Neill (0-3, 0-1 free); J Kenny (0-1), T Kenny, Conor Crowley. Subs: P Reid for J Kenny (40); J Reid for O'Reilly (53); B Kelly (0-1, free) for O'Neill (58)

Referee: N Ward (Westmeath).

Rhode (Offaly) 1-12 Simonstown Gaels (Meath) 1-9

It was a bad day for the O’Rourke’s as Simonstown Gaels’ ambitions in the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship were ended by Rhode in a ferociously contested quarter-final in Tullamore on Sunday.

Manager Colm O’Rourke was ordered from the sideline during the first half after contesting a decision by referee, Patrick Maguire, who also removed the Meath legend when he tried to resume his place on the line at the start of the second half while his son, Shane O’Rourke, was sent off for a second yellow card nine minutes after the break.

Maguire proved to be a central figure in proceedings and Simonstown made their displeasure known - Rhode’s first point from a Niall McNamee free certainly looked to be wide of the target while a second half point by Anton Sullivan was also the subject of debate afterwards.

It was a teak tough game of football and Simonstown were the better team by a distance early on. They were full value for their 0-4 to 0-1 lead after eleven minutes but once Rhode settled, they began to make inroads and they went in at half time with a 0-6 to 0-4 lead.

Frees from Pauric McKeever and the outstanding Sean Tobin put the Meath kingpins on level terms after the restart. Rhode had edged a point clear when O’Rourke saw red and as the game wore on, the extra man had a big bearing on proceedings.

With Niall McNamee in great form for the Offaly champions, they had a four point gap opened up by the 46th minute and Conor McNamee’s powerful 50th minute goal gave them a 1-10 to 0-7 lead.

Impressive sub Darren Garry quickly added a point but there was still fight in a very gallant Simonstown. A penalty goal from Eanna Donoghue gave them a lifeline with seven minutes left and they got it back to two points but the final score was a fantastic individual point from Niall McNamee as Rhode held on.

Rhode: K Garry; J McPadden, S Sullivan, J Kavanagh; B Darby (0-1), E Rigney, N Darby (0-1); A McNamee, C McNamee (1-1); A Sullivan (0-1), N McNamee (0-5, 1f), P Sullivan; P McPadden (0-1, f), R McNamee, S Hannon. Subs: D Garry (0-2) for P McPadden (39m), G O'Connell for P Sullivan (45m), C Heavey for N Darby (57m), G Mcnamee for R McNamee (62m).

Simonstown Gaels: R Burlingham; S Gallagher, N McNahon, S Moran; M O'Rourke, C Conlon, N Kane; S O'Rourke, C Sheridan; J Lyons (0-1), S Kenny, M McCabe; P McKeever (0-2, 1f), S Tobin (0-5, 1f), E Donoghue (1-0, p). Subs: McGrath for M O'Rourke (H/t), M Brennan (0-1, '45') for Lyons (41m), S Barry for Sheridan (52m), C Nash for Kenny (55m).

Referee: P Maguire (Longford).

St. Columba’s Mullinalaghta (Longford) 0-14 St. Loman’s Mullingar (Westmeath) 1-09

St. Columba’s Mullinalaghta recorded another famous win as they defeated St. Loman’s to advance to the Leinster Senior Club semi-final.

The Longford side were full value for the win and showed great character throughout as they set up a home meeting with Dublin side St. Vincent’s in the last four of the competition.

James McGivney was exceptional and kicked five points. His younger brother played his part while captain Shane Mulligan and Aidan McElligott got vital scores at the end as Loman’s tried to get back into the game.

The Longford side started the game better and created scoring chances inside the opening five minutes with David McGivney bringing an excellent save out of Loman’s keeper Stephen Gallagher. Despite Mullinalaghta’s early pressure it was Loman’s who got the game’s opening point through Shane Dempsey.

Loman’s opened up a two point advantage in the 18th minute but with the McGivney brothers James and David in fine form the Longford side turned the game around and led by three in the 28th minute.

Right before half-time John Heslin got his first point of the game as Mullinalaghta held a two point lead at the break; 0-7 to 0-5. Loman’s cut the gap to one in the 39th minute with Paddy Dowdall getting a goal.

John Heslin kept the Mullingar side in the game but Mullinalaghta showed heart and fight in the final minutes to claim another great win.

St. Columba's: P Rogers; S Cadam (J Mooney 49), P Fox, M Cunningham (C McElligott 46); C Brady, S Mulligan (0-1), D McElligott; R McElligott (L Meehan 60+4), J Keegan; G Rogers, J McGivney 0-5, D McGivney 0-6 (6f); J Matthews (0-1), A McElligott, R Brady.

St. Loman's: S Gallagher; J O'Toole, S Flynn, G Grehan; G Glennon, P Dowdall 1-0, D Whelan; K Reilly, P Sharry 0-1; D Windsor (G Hickey 58), J Heslin 0-4 (2f), C Reilly; R O'Toole (S Flanagan 38), K Kilmurray 0-1 (B O'Loughlin 60+8), S Dempsey 0-3.

Referee: A Nolan (Wicklow)

Sean O’Mahony’s 1-8 Sarsfields 0-8

Sean O’Mahony’s held off a spirited comeback from 14-man Sarsfields in Drogheda on Sunday to book a home semi-final with Rhode.

The first-time Louth champions have built a reputation for grinding out victories against the odds, and they performed their biggest giant-killing yet against the fancied Kildare kingpins.

The opening half was typical November fare and the first score from open play didn’t arrive until injury-time, substitute David Dowling tapping over from close range to hand his side a 0-4 to 0-2 cushion at the interval.

Alan Smith wasn’t deemed fit to start for Sarsfields, and he was duly summoned at half-time, but it was the home side who continued where they left off with points from Conor Finnegan and Stephen Kilcoyne.

Sarsfields had yet to score from open play and they really looked rattled when the hosts turned over possession in the final third and set Stephen Fisher clear to fire past Andy O’Brien.

Now trailing by seven - 1-6 to 0-2 - Sarsfields shipped another heavy hit in the 44th minute when Gary White was dismissed for a headbutt on Conor Martin.

But the 14 men didn’t accept their fate and Smith kick-started a rousing fightback.

Wityh O’Mahony’s perhaps guilty of dropping too deep, Sarsfields added five more points without reply to close the gap to the minimum, 1-6 to 0-8.

All the momentum seemed to be with the visitors, but O’Mahony’s kept their cool and former Everton trainee Ben McLaughlin gave them a little breathing space in the final minute of normal-time.

After some brave defending to resists Sarsfields last-gasp efforts for a goal, O’Mahony’s broke away for Liam Dullaghan to tee up Kilcoyne for the clincher.

Sean O'Mahony's: B Traynor; K Murphy, R Byrne, M Clarke; J Connolly, J O'Brien, L Dullaghan; C Martin, S Brennan; C Finnegan (0-4 frees), K McLaughlin, S Fisher (1-0); S Kilcoyne (0-2), C Crawley, B McLaughlin (0-1). Subs: D Dowling (0-1) for C Crawley (18), N McLaughlin for K McLaughlin (42), P O'Brien for N McLaughlin (49 Black Card), B Mackin for J Connolly (58).

Sarsfields: A O'Brien; C Duffy, S Ryan, C Hartley (0-1); G White, D McDonnell, C McInerney Aspell; C McDonnell, C Kavanagh; R Fitzgibbon, R Cahill (0-4 frees), C Tiernan; D Nea, B McCormack (0-1), R Connor. Subs: A Smith (0-2) for R Connor (ht), J Healy for C Duffy (37), C Costigan for D Nea (45).

Referee: D Gough (Meath).