Sport

Laois on course for underage double

Leinster MFC First-round replay/ Laois 2-12 Dublin 1-3: This Leinster minor football championship replay ended in disappointment…

Thu May 17 2007 - 01:00

Leinster MFC First-round replay/ Laois 2-12 Dublin 1-3:This Leinster minor football championship replay ended in disappointment for Dublin as they were overwhelmed by Laois at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, last night.

Just one of the six Dublin forwards scored from play and, on this display, Laois will be fancied to capture their second provincial underage title of the year.

Dublin started reasonably well and led by 1-2 to 0-3 after 19 minutes, Shane Gallagher scoring their goal after a long ball in from Brendan Staunton. But things soon started to go wrong for them and they were especially guilty of wayward passing and shooting.

Laois reduced the gap to a point with a Conor Meredith free and then took control of the game when a terrible mix-up in the Dublin defence allowed Brian Smyth smash the ball home on 27 minutes.

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Dublin now seemed to fall apart, and with Laois cleaning up on the kick-outs, further points from Smyth, Donal Kingston and Eddie Kelly saw them lead 1-7 to 1-2 at the interval.

The concession of two early points after the turnaround further damaged Dublin's cause as the sharper Laois players wrested back possession almost at will.

And midway through the second half Dublin's fate was sealed. Laois cut their defence open. Kelly fought off two defenders and shot across the face of the goal but Dublin only half cleared the ball, allowing Smyth to post his second goal of the night.

LAOIS: M Webster; R Keogh, J Mulhare, J Connor; C Lillis, C Boyle, Z Tuohy (0-1); J O'Loughlin (0-1), S Ramsbottom; B Smyth (2-2), D Kingston (0-6, three frees), C Farrell; S Miller, C Meredith (0-1, free), E Kelly (0-1). Subs: C Delaney for Farrell (48 mins), C Hyland for Smyth (59 mins), D Lowry for Ramsbottom (60 mins).

DUBLIN: J Dignam; R O'Loughlin, R O'Carroll, D Lynch; J Cooper, S Casserly, N Brogan; K O'Connor, D Moher; M Coughlan, C McLoughlin, B Staunton; B O'Rorke (0-1, free), S Gallagher (1-1), T Furman (0-1, 45). Subs: S Lowndes for Staunton (half-time), F McMahon for O'Connor (42 mins), C Dorney for Gallagher (50 mins), J Edwards for O'Loughlin (57 mins).

Referee: S Carroll(Westmeath).