Na Fianna and Crokes go through

Na Fianna 1-10 St Jude’s 0-10

The Mobhi Road side were gifted a soft goal only a minute in when Jude's keeper Paul Copeland dropped a free at the feet of corner-forward Des Macken who only had to tap the ball into an empty net.

Jude's dominated much of the opening half but failed to reel back the goal and trailed at the interval 1-5 to 0-4. Things improved for them after the restart though and four consecutive points saw the Templeogue side draw level by the 40th minute.

The comeback ran out of steam, however, and Na Fianna responded by upping the ante with a quartet of their own points that effectively sealed the result though there was still work to be done at the coal face.

St Jude's gamely pounded away at the deficit until the final whistle, but a typically effective final quarter from Kieran McGeeney was instrumental in stemming the tide and in the end.

Macken's fortuitous goal at the opening proved the only difference.

NA FIANNA: S Grey; A Downes, E McNulty, E Ledwith; S Cloherty, K McGeeney (0-1), N Cooper; J McNulty, K Donnelly; S Connell (0-3), T Brady, K O'Neill (0-6, 5f); D Macken (1-0), P McGeeney, J Sherlock.

SUBS: B Courtney for P McGeeney 38, M Collerin for Macken 48, T Lynch for Brady 53.

ST JUDE'S: P Copeland; N O'Shea, S Brehony, A Doyle; A Glover, C McGovern, C Voyles; M Lyons (0-2), S Early (0-1); E Crennan (0-2f), C Connelly (0-1), P Harlow; J Donnelly (0-4, 3f), S Cunningham, C Durkin.

SUBS: J Gilsenan for Harlow 35, D Keogh for Durkin 35, E Sheehy for Cunningham 55.

Referee: T Clarke (Lucan Sarsfields).

Kilmacud Crokes 1-13 St. Vincent's 0-12

KILMACUD CROKES are within 60 minutes of retaining their Dublin SFC title after disposing of St Vincent's at Parnell Park last night.

Vincent's owned the ball for vast sections of the game but were left to rue four missed goal chances, two in either half. In an open and entertaining game, the first third was almost a straightforward duel between Dublin free-takers Mark Vaughan for Crokes and Tomás Quinn.

Quinn and Vincent's emerged from that head to head leading 0-7 to 0-4 but Crokes turned the game on its head with an eight-minute period of dominance spanning the end of one half and the beginning of the other scoring an uninterrupted 1-8, Vaughan inevitably supplying the goal.

Crokes were by now ahead on double scores 1-11 to 0-7 but sat back on that cushion and were slowly but surely hauled back.

They were very close to gaining parity too, with another pair of Vaughan points bringing his final tally to 1-8 keeping Vincent's at arm's length and booking Crokes a tasty date with Na Fianna in the county decider.

KILMACUD CROKES: D Nelligan; C Kelleher, C Flanagan, N McGrath; B McGrath (0-1), L Og O'hEinachain, P Griffin; D Magee (0-2), J Magee; R Cosgrove (0-1), C Murphy, L McBarron; P Burke, M Davoran, M Vaughan (1-8, 5f).

SUBS: N Caffrey (0-1) for J Magee 16, B Phelan for Caffrey 42, K O'Carroll for McBarron 50.

ST VINCENT'S: M Savage; G Dent, E Brady, J Calvert; A Costellow, G Brennan, R Fallon; W Lowry, B Manning; P Conlon (0-1), P Gilroy, N Dunne (0-2); K Golden, G Beirne, T Quinn (0-8, 6f).

SUBS: J Ruane for Dent 33, R Traynor (0-1) for Beirne 33.

Referee: J Rutherford (Ballyboden).