Jude’s into senior final after defeating Lucan, while Ballyboden bow out

St Jude’s held off a gallant fightback from Lucan Sarsfields at Parnell Park on Saturday to book their place alongside Kilmacud Crokes in the forthcoming Dublin Senior One Football Championship final.

12 points clear (1-14 to 1-2) with just 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the Templeogue men conceded 2-2 on the bounce to leave their supporters on tenterhooks in the closing stages of a last-four encounter.

However, thanks in no small part to late scores from substitutes Brian Coakley, Diarmuid McLoughlin and Seamus Ryan, Jude’s ultimately prevailed on a final scoreline of 1-18 to 3-5.

Brendan Gallagher registered a magnificent tally of 3-3 for Lucan, but there was to be no repeat of their quarter-final heroics against last year’s champions Ballymun Kickhams.

Despite the best efforts of Gallagher to keep the 12th Lock men ticking over, Jude’s were the dominant force during the opening half.

In addition to three points from the boot of Mannix, ex-Cork footballer Niall Coakley (two), Alan Connolly and Colm Murphy were on target to give Jude’s a commanding 0-7 to 0-2 interval lead.

A coolly-converted Gallagher penalty offered Lucan renewed hope on the resumption, but their Tymon Park counterparts registered 1-7 without reply in response.

This included two-point salvos from Pat Spillane (son to the Kerry legend of the same name) and Sky Blues star Kevin McManamon as well as a 36th-minute goal courtesy of Niall Coakley.

Still, Lucan weren’t prepared to go down without a fight. After hammering home a rebound following a Paul Copeland save off his second penalty of the game, Gallagher completed his hat-trick when referee Dan Stynes awarded Lucan another penalty with one minute of normal time remaining.

Yet, when the gauntlet was thrown down to them, Jude’s kept their composure and advanced to a third-ever county decider.

The forthcoming showpiece will be a rematch of the 2018 final, after Kilmacud comfortably saw off the challenge of Ballyboden St Enda’s in the day’s other penultimate round clash at the Donnycarney venue.

Despite the best efforts of former inter-county dual star Conal Keaney, the Firhouse Rad outfit fell well short of reaching a third decider in succession.

While Ryan Basquel, Warren Egan and Keaney were all on target in the opening period, a Shane Cunningham goal propelled their Stillorgan counterparts into a 1-9 to 0-3 interval cushion.

With Cunningham and ex-Sky Blues attacker Paul Mannion to the fore, Crokes had placed the outcome beyond doubt well before the end.

Anthony Rainbow’s ‘Boden persevered in the face of adversity, however, and Simon Lambert grabbed a stoppage-time goal to leave them just seven points adrift (1-15 to 1-18) in the end.