Gilroy: Dublin have closed the gap

Dublin may have fallen at the penultimate stage of the All-Ireland Championship, but the pain of the 1-15 to 1-14 defeat to Cork is likely to spur Pat Gilroy's side onto greater things in the future.

Refusing to blame his players for faltering in the closing stages, during which midfielder Ross McConnell conceded a penalty and got sent-off, Gilroy took the positives out of an intense and super-charged occasion that drew 82,225 spectators to sunny Croke Park.

"It's time for us to push on now. That is the big challenge for us next year," he insisted in the aftermath.

Keeping to their tactical blueprint of a flooded defence and two-man full-forward line, Dublin led by 1-8 to 0-7 at half-time but five points was as far as they could get clear of a resilient Cork team.

Their recent wins over Ulster kingpins Armagh and Tyrone, allied to yesterday's first half display, suggest that Dublin have the makings of a silverware-winning side.

With goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton at the top of his game, Bernard Brogan currently peerless as a frontman and midfielder Michael Darragh Macauley one of their most impressive newcomers, Gilroy's second season in charge has been one of definite promise.

It started with a shockingly bad display against Wexford, but the Dubs' far more defensive approach, founded on an impressively high work-rate, began to click as the weeks went by.

Before yesterday's game Gilroy said that getting to an All-Ireland semi-final was 'bonus territory' for his young panel. After it, he was content that his charges had given it their best over the 70-plus minutes.

"We said if we had lost and we gave it everything then we could deal with that and it is a hell of a lot easier to do that than if you just didn't show up," he conceded.

"We did throw everything at that. There was nothing left in any fella in that dressing room and you have to be really proud of them.

"Where we were this time last year to where we are now is a very different place, but it is really important that we, as a team, push on."

The horror shows in successive All-Ireland quarter-finals against Tyrone and Kerry, in 2008 and 2009, will be consigned to the history books if the Dubs can maintain their current graph and regularly make the Championship's final four.

Gilroy added: "It is a very young group and we have closed the gap. There is only a point between us and one of the top teams in the country."

Asked about those crucial final minutes when Dublin's first All-Ireland senior final appearance since 1995 slipped away from their grasp, the St Vincent's clubman pointed to his side's tiredness and lack of experience, as well as Cork's sheer desire to overcome their near misses of recent years.

"Maybe we were a bit tired, but we also had some wild stuff down the other end that last 10 minutes as well when we could have maybe held onto the ball for a bit longer.

"Look, it is a one-point defeat and it is all about the little things that add up to that. The little things went Cork's way today. That is sport.

"It can be cruel but we have to learn the lesson from it. That is all you can do when you lose.

"Cork have had a lot of pain over the past few years at Croke Park when maybe they were the strongest team in the country. Maybe that stood to them as well. A one-point defeat, it is just small things."