Laois injury-time equaliser sets up replay

Dublin 1-18, Laois 2-15

Dublin began briskly and within five minutes were 0-4 to no 0-0 ahead. Laois had stalled on the blocks and with the Dublin forwards Shane Martin and captain Kevin Flynn, especially, slicing through a static rearguard at will, one feared for the game as a contest.

Inevitably, though, Laois shook away the cobwebs and James Young snapped over the first of his 11 points from a free to settle his side and a battle was on. Laois have become a far less physical side under Páidí Butler, but the increased temperature stirred the blood sufficiently for them to grasp the lead. It came after 20 minutes when Enda Maher’s clever cross-field pass found Damien Culleton, who showed a deceptive turn of pace to burst past his marker and fire into the net past Brendan McLoughlin. Advantage Laois, who went 1-3 to 0-5 in front.

Two minutes later, Dublin seemed to be totally losing their way when Keith Wilson, so effective in midfield until that point, was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball altercation with David Cuddy, who was on the field as a temporary substitution. Cuddy wasn’t entirely blameless and he received a yellow card for his part in the fray. Marty Morris’ troops refused to wilt, however. Quite the opposite, in fact and by half-time the sides were again level at 0-10 to 1-7 with Dublin’s Thomas McGrane finishing the period with eight points.

Dublin swept into a four-point lead with 25 minutes to play. Flynn was central to that, capitalising on Laois’ keeper, John Lyons, having to bat down Martin’s drooping point attempt under his crossbar after 41 minutes.

Tommy Fitzgerald’s goal in the midst of a goalmouth scramble 52 minutes in reclaimed the lead for the O’Moore’s and six minutes later it really did look like game, set and match when Liam Tynan ran along the Dublin byline and poked the sliotar past McLoughlin and into his net. Still Laois forged a three-point lead as Dublin’s 14 men seemed to tire. Admirably, the numerically-challenged Cosmopolitans dragged themselves level yet again, even though they had Keith Elliot sent off for a second bookable offence with two minutes to play. Their comeback was so forceful that they actually held a one-point lead deep into injury-time before Young, inevitably, equalised to set up a replay.

Scorers for: Dublin: T McGrane 0-13 (0-9 frees, 2 65s), K Flynn 1-0, S Martin 0-2, D Russell, M Carton, T Moore 0-1 each.

Laois: J Young 0-11 (0-7 frees, 1 65), D Culleton 1-1, T Fitzgerald 1-0, L Tynan, R Jones, D Cuddy, 0-1 each.

DUBLIN: B McLoughlin; P Brennan, S Perkins, K Elliot; S Hiney, C Keaney, K Ryan; K Wilson, C Meehan; S McDonnell, D Russell, K Flynn; T McGrane, S Martin, G Ennis.Subs: M Carton for S McDonnell 27, T Moore for G Ennis 56, D Spain for C Meehan 63, K Horga for D Russell 63.

LAOIS: J Lyons; L Mahon, Pakie Cuddy, P Mahon; C Cuddy, Paul Cuddy, M McEvoy; D Rooney, J Young; J Phelan, R Jones, E Maher; T Fitzgerald, L Tynan, D Culleton.

Subs: L Wynne for E Maher 34, D Cuddy for D Rooney 47, F O’Sullivan for T Fitzgerald 56, P Drennan for J Phelan 66, B McCormack for L Wynne 70.

Referee: J Sexton (Limerick).