Keeping the faith: Stephen Cluxton commences 20th championship run

Dublin's Stephen Cluxton: Embarking on a 20th Leinster SFC campaign. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane

A 20th inter-county championship begins for Stephen Cluxton in Portlaoise on Saturday evening.

Since his debut in 2001 when he lined out with current manager Dessie Farrell and predecessor Jim Gavin came on as a substitute, the five-in-a-row winning Dublin captain has been an ever-present between the posts at the outset of the Leinster SFC.

Not surprisingly, he has not lost one of those openers, seven of which he has been skipper and all but six of them taking place in Croke Park.

And the amount of goals he has conceded in those 19 games? Five, including two against Laois in 2016.

As he makes his 105th SFC appearance, we charter those 18 wins and one draw:

2001: Dublin 2-19 Longford 1-13.

With Davy Byrne ruled out through injury, Cluxton made his Championship debut in this clash in Croke Park where Dublin proved too strong in the second half despite current Longford manager Pádraic Davis scoring a late goal.

2002: Dublin 0-15 Wexford 1-10.

A difficult first Championship game for new manager Tommy Lyons where Alan Brogan and Barry Cahill also made their debuts. Redmond Barry breached Cluxton’s goal and but for Paddy Christie denying Mattie Forde at the death it could have been a second time.

2003: Dublin 1-19 Louth 0-9.

The first of 14 opening day clean sheets for Cluxton as Dublin had it all too easy in Croke Park, although things were to change completely in the following game against Mick O’Dwyer’s Laois and later in the qualifiers against Armagh when Cluxton was sent off.

2004: Dublin 0-12 Westmeath 0-14.

None of Cluxton’s team-mates have experience of losing a SFC game to Westmeath but he sure does, this game proving to be the beginning of the end for the Lyons’ era.

2005: Dublin 2-23 Longford 0-10.

The last time Dublin and the only time Cluxton has played in the preliminary round of the provincial competition. The first of an unbeaten run of 19 provincial games under Paul Caffrey (17) and Pat Gilroy (one).

2006: Dublin 1-12 Longford 0-13.

Prior to 2016 this was the last time Cluxton and Dublin played a Leinster SFC game outside Croke Park and it was a struggle in Pearse Park, Conal Keaney’s eight points helping them to get over the line.

2007: Dublin 1-11 Meath 0-14.

A scare for Caffrey’s men but they were the better team for the majority of the game having gone behind by five points early on. They made amends in the replay, winning by four points.

2008: Dublin 1-22 Louth 0-12.

A merciless Dublin performance where the Parnells' man had relatively little to do as Alan Brogan scored 1-7 from play.

2009: Dublin 0-14 Meath 0-12.

Not the most auspicious of debuts for new manager Gilroy but another victory over the arch-rivals. The new full-back line in front of Cluxton had some awkward moments.

2010: Dublin 2-16 Wexford 0-15.

A scoreline that doesn’t tell half the story. The defending champions pushed away from Wexford in extra-time but were trailing by six points at half-time. Worse was to come against Meath the next day out.

2011: Dublin 1-16 Laois 0-11.

Three 45s from the then 29-year-old who had started taking long-range deadball kicks in the previous year’s Championship.

2012: Dublin 2-22 Louth 0-12.

Another comprehensive win in what turned out to be the last season of Gilroy’s reign. Carrying on from where he left off in kicking the winning free in the 2011 All-Ireland final, Cluxton booted over two 45s.

2013: Dublin 1-22 Westmeath 0-9.

With Cluxton named as captain, the golden era of Gavin began with a 16-point victory although their only goal from Paddy Andrews came at the end of the game. A 10th consecutive clean sheet start for Cluxton.

2014: Dublin 2-21 Laois 0-16.

Another couple of 45s are provided by the skipper as Dublin blitz Laois after the break having been two points behind at half-time.

2015: Dublin 4-25 Longford 0-10.

The 45s and long-range frees are not a part of Cluxton’s brief anymore - the duties are handed over to Dean Rock - but it’s yet another fuss-free opener for him.

2016: Dublin 2-21 Laois 2-10.

Cluxton led Dublin in their first Leinster outing outside Croke Park in 10 years. Rock’s goal after just 22 seconds set the standard for a demolishing first-half display by Dublin.

2017: Dublin 0-19 Carlow 0-7.

A day remembered for Diarmuid Connolly’s retrospective red card and 12-week ban. Cluxton will be hoping for another quiet game in Portlaoise against Westmeath.

2018: Dublin 4-25 Wicklow 1-11.

The Wicklow goal was one of those rare Cluxton mistakes when he and Michael Darragh Macauley didn’t deal with a high ball.

2019: Dublin 5-21 Louth 0-10.

In O’Moore Park once more, Dublin got the ball rolling again and this was a breeze of a game for Gavin’s five-in-a-row chasing side as they led 4-13 to 1-4 at the interval.