Scully on the double as senior footballers make winning start

DUBLIN 2-15 DONEGAL 0-16

Dublin got their ‘Super 8’ campaign off to winning start with room for improvement in Saturday night’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final Group 2 Phase 1 victory over Donegal at Croke Park.

The Dubs face Tyrone next Saturday in Omagh (7.0) with the Ulster side buoyed by the clinical demolition of Roscommon in Saturday’s Croker curtain-raiser.

Goals in either half from Niall Scully, scoring his first championship goals, did the real damage for Dublin but the reigning All-Ireland champions left a lot of scores behind them throughout the game.

A crowd of 53,501 were treated to a mixed bag of a game but there was some excellent scores from both sides while the high fielding of Brian Howard, who won four marks, and Brian Fenton was a feature of the game.

The Dubs did well in the kickout department with the Raheny duo having telling contributions with Howard enjoying a superb game which included two points from play, one off either foot.

“It was a great test. You could see why Donegal are Ulster champions, they are a quality side," said Dublin manager Jim Gavin.

“If they took a few more scoring opportunities it might have been a different game going down the stretch, but we are satisfied and happy we got two points.

“It gives us a foundation in the group. The performance won't be good enough going forward no matter who we play, be it Roscommon or Tyrone so that gives us a lot to reflect upon.

“We will need to be putting up scores at the other end. That gives us something to reflect upon, it won't be good enough. That is, I suppose, a disappointing thing.

“We controlled the game well particularly the last 10 or 15 minutes," added Jim.

“I think the team finished it really well, the substitutes that came on all played their part and brought something to the game and gave us a new impetus.

“I thought we closed it out very well and in this format it is all about coming away with the two points at this stage of it. To that end we are satisfied.”

Cormac Costello and Paul Flynn came off the bench to make positive contributions, both getting two points from play.

Dublin opened with two Dean Rock scores (one free, one ‘45’) inside four minutes but trailed by the 11th minute after Donegal’s Jamie Brennan, Frank McGlynn and Ryan McHugh were on target.

The Dubs elected to start Eoin Murchan, making his senior championship starting debut, to track McHugh and the young Na Fianna man did a fine job of curtailing his influence.

Dublin led 1-9 to 0-8 at the break but it should have been more as they squandered several clearcut chances.

The only goal of the opening half came in the 27th minute when Scully cut through the defence before angling back around onto his right foot and slipping the ball to the net for a vital score.

Dublin’s goal remained intact at the other end but there were nervy moments with one last-ditch tackle from Michael Fitzsimons on Jamie Brennan forcing him to skew wide from close range.

Two minutes into the second half Scully found the net again after quick interplay by in Dublin attack mode.

The holders moved eight clear at one stage 2-10 to 0-8 but then missed opportunities with Brian Fenton denied by Shaun Patton while Jack McCaffrey and Con O’Callaghan were also in good positions on other occasions to put Dublin out of sight.

SCORERS - Dublin: D Rock 0-7 (0-5f, 0-1 ‘45’), N. Scully 2-0, B Howard, C Costello, P Flynn 0-2 each, C Kilkenny, J McCarthy 0-1 each. Donegal: M Murphy 0-6 (0-3f, 0-1 ‘45’), J Brennan 0-3, R McHugh, M Langan 0-2 each, F McGlynn, C Thompson, E Doherty 0-1 each.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; E Murchan, M Fitzsimons, J Cooper; J McCarthy, C O'Sullivan, J McCaffrey; B Fenton, MD Macauley; N Scully, C O'Callaghan, B Howard; P Mannion, D Rock, C Kilkenny. Subs: C Costello for Macauley (46), K McManamin for Mannion (48), P Flynn for Howard (54), E Lowndes for McCaffrey (62), C Basquel for O'Callaghan (70).

DONEGAL: S Patton; EB Gallagher, S McMenamin, E Doherty; F McGlynn, P Brennan, P McGrath; H McFadden, M Murphy; L McLoone, R McHugh, C Thompson; M Langan, O MacNiallais, J Brennan. Subs: N McGee for M McGrath (ht), D Ó Baoill for MacNiallais (51), C Mulligan for Thompson (53), C Ward for Doherty (57), A Thompson for P Brennan (62), S McBrearty for J Brennan (66).

REF: C Lane (Cork).