FOOTBALL is sexy again in the city, and it isn't just because Galway, All-Ireland champions and stars of the small screen, are back in the capital.

Dublin's regeneration on the field has brought about renewed interest off it, illustrated by the steady stream of customers knocking on the county board's doors all week in pursuit of match tickets for tomorrow's Church & General National Football League clash in Parnell Park.

An all-ticket match in March. Madness. But Davy Byrne, Dublin's goalkeeper, can feel the buzz as markedly these days as when he used to bring his shock of red hair to Hill 16 to shout on Barney Rock, Gerry Hargan and Anto McCaul, all Ballymun Kickhams men in sky-blue jerseys. Now, Byrne is one of a new crop of Kickhams players playing for Dublin and he's savouring the moment.

"We're one game away from a place in the knock-out stages and that is an important step for a young team. Croke Park can be a daunting place and, with so many relatively young players on this team, that's why it is essential we get to play there in a meaningful match," he insists. A win tomorrow would give them a place in the quarter-finals.

But nothing is being taken for granted. Last Sunday week's league defeat to Donegal (the team's first of the campaign) provided a stern reminder of life in the fast lane, and the O'Byrne Cup win in the interim, when they beat Louth, provided only a semblance of comfort, even if it did hint that Dublin's strength-in-depth is arguably stronger than for some time.

Byrne agrees. "I think the management have tried more players in the past year than previous managers did in 10 years. They are all young players, all chomping at the bit to get into the team, and the result is that if someone is missing then there is another player ready and able to step in."

Byrne believes the use of the squad system, with the size at a constant 32, has helped generate a strong spirit. "I haven't experienced anything like it since the championship campaign in 1995," he claims. "I think it is because some many young guys are in the squad, but I'll tell you, even the older players have found it infectious. Sure Paul Curran is a bigger kid than anyone."

The feel-good factor, however, requires victories to sustain it - and Byrne is as ambitious as the next person. "Ideally, we'd like to win all three competitions this season. We've already won the O'Byrne Cup, and that's a start. The league is very important to us and we're going out to try and win every game, and then after that we can face into the championship. We have a young, vibrant team and we want to do well and the effort put into training reflects that."

Even on the training ground, Byrne is the type of player determined to put in as much effort as any outfield player. "There is no special compensation for a goalkeeper, and I wouldn't expect any. Everyone is in this as a unit and, so, everyone must put in the work. I'm a firm believer in the adage that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. If you put in the physical work then you are going to be mentally alert, and that's vital at this level of football."

Tomorrow, four Ballymun Kickhams men will wear Dublin's blue jersey. Byrne, Ian Robertson, Paddy Christie and the club's newest recruit, Niall O'Donoghue. These days, Byrne and the others don't get many opportunities to train with the club. Such are the demands of life as an intercounty footballer. However, tomorrow's match with Galway will provide another indication of just how far Carr's Dublin team have come, and how far they have still to go. The All-Ireland champions will be posing the questions.