Ballymun Kickhams come out with win in tight battle v Lucan Sarsfields - PTSB Dublin Senior 1 Football Championship

BALLYMUN KICKHAMS 0-18

LUCAN SARSFIELDS 0-17

By Paul Keane

This was a cracking PTSB Dublin Senior Football Championship 1 tie that could have gone either way at the Clann Mhuire grounds in Naul.

Ballymun Kickhams ultimately edged it with 65th and 66th minute points from Dean Rock and Fiach Andrews, securing their first win of the campaign.

After the Round 1 draw with Cuala, it is a result that has left the 2020 champions in a good position in Group 4 with three points from a possible four.

But it was a close run thing and Lucan can count themselves desperately unlucky not to have taken at least a point from the game.

Mark Lavin's fourth point of the game, from a free that he won himself, left Lucan 0-17 to 0-16 ahead with 62 minutes on the clock.

A hugely significant win against the head was there for the taking. But Lucan couldn't hold on and will be frustrated by how the final few minutes panned out.

Rock tied the scores up at 0-17 apiece when he tapped over from a free that was won by the increasingly influential John Small.

When the subsequent kick-out flew out over the sideline, Ballymun regained possession and worked a move that ended with Andrews stroking over the matchwinner.

There was still time for a Sarsfields kick-out but Small rose superbly to snatch the ball out of the air at midfield and full-time was called.

Rock finished with seven points for Ballymun while Longford man Keelin McGann added three points to the 1-3 he struck against Cuala.

There was a terrific early two-pointer from James McCarthy too while Small and Andrews stood out in the closing minutes when leadership was truly required.

Truth be told, Ballymun would have kicked themselves if they hadn't grabbed a result from this game as they failed to convert no less than six decent goal chances over the hour.

Throw in the 10 wides they tallied and it was clear they created enough chances to win a little more comfortably.

As for Lucan, they lost no face in defeat and their performance on the back of an eight-point defeat to St Judes in Round 1 amounted to a strong bounceback.

Rian Doherty was excellent for them up front and former county man Daire Newcombe raided forward for two important first-half Lucan points.

Ballymun led by 0-11 to 0-10 at half-time and deserved to do so with Cameron McCormack a powerful performer for them throughout the middle third.

McCormack had an early goal attempt that struck the woodwork and he was involved in two more goal chances that frustratingly petered out. Rock also had a goal chance at the end of a counter-attack move in the 26th minute that he sliced wide.

Ballymun led by 0-11 to 0-6 after 25 minutes but a Doherty two-pointer and singles from Matthew Guilfoyle and Gavin left the mimimum between them at the interval.

Lucan could easily have led at the turnaround because Doherty struck wide with the last kick of the first half from a free outside the arc.

Rock made no mistake with a two-point attempt early in the second half, punishing Lucan when they failed to keep four players back.

That left three between the teams, 0-13 to 0-10, but Ballymun coudln't kick on and assert their authority in the run-in as expected.

Instead, a resolute Lucan battled back with a series of points from Doherty and Lavin to tie the game up at 0-15 apiece.

They were level twice more in the closing stages but Ballymun drew on all their big game experience to grind out a significant win.

Scorers - Ballymun Kickhams: D Rock 0-7 (0-5f, 1 tpf); K McGann 0-3 (1 tp); J McCarthy (1 tp), F Andrews 0-2 each; C McCormack, E Hill, D Leonard, J Grant 0-1 each. Lucan Sarsfields: R Doherty 0-6 (1 tp); M Lavin 0-4 (2f); D Newcombe, J Smith 0-2 each; C Behan, M Guilfoyle, C Gavin 0-1 each.

Ballymun Kickhams: E Comerford; D Robertson, D Conlon, C Fagan; J Grant, J McCarthy, E Hill; A Elliot, J Small; D Leonard, F Andrews, C McCormack; D Keating, K McGann, D Rock. Subs: C Keeley for Robertson (44), D Kane for Elliot (54), E Dolan for Keeley (64).

Lucan Sarsfields: M Griffin; A Murphy, D Cahill, E Seery; J Smith, D Newcombe, M Coogan; C Behan, D Gavin; C Gavin, C Coffey, M Guilfoyle; J Carey, M Lavin, R Doherty. Subs: M O'Brien for Coffey (HT), E Kilduff for Seery (46), S Curran for Guilfoyle (50), B O'Sullivan for Doherty (62).

Referee: Ian Howley (O'Dwyer's)