Micheál Bannigan kicked a late flurry of points at St Clare’s to squeeze DCU past the stubborn challenge of Garda College in the Sigerson Cup opening round.

DCU 6-14 Athlone IT 1-7: Monaghan’s Shane Carey fired a brilliant 3-6 as holders Dublin City University made a strong statement of their intention to capture back-to-back Sigerson Cup titles for the first time.

NEW YORK manager Louis Holland dismissed fears that injury could force two key players to miss tomorrow’s Connacht SFC opener against Roscommon at Gaelic Park.