O'Byrne Cup round-up: Rock inspires Dubs
January 07, 2015
Dublin's Tomas Brady and Ruairi Allen of Offaly ©INPHO/James Crombie
Dean Rock helped himself to nine points as Dublin fought back to defeat plucky Offaly by 0-17 to 0-13 at Parnell Park tonight.
Meanwhile, one of the stories of the night unfolded at Portarlington, where NUI Maynooth crushed lacklustre Laois on a 0-18 to 1-7 scoreline, having at one stage led by twelve points.
Kildare got out of jail when Padraig Fogarty's injury-time goal gave them a fortunate 2-7 to 1-9 win over brave Carlow at Athy, while Meath overturned a five-point deficit to easily account for Longford in Navan - 1-17 to 1-9.
Elsewhere, goals from James Dolan, Ger Egan and Lorcan Smyth brought Westmeath's 15-match losing sequence to an end as they beat DCU by 3-11 to 2-13 in a Kinnegad classic.
David Power recorded his first win as Wexford senior football manager against IT Carlow in Enniscorthy (1-13 to 0-13) and DIT came away from Bray with a brilliant 3-10 to 1-12 victory over Wicklow.
The night's late throw-in was at Haggardstown, where substitute Ed O'Byrne palmed the ball to the back of the Louth net deep into stoppage time to give UCD a dramatic 2-8 to 0-12 win.
Both Dublin in Group 1 and DIT in Group 4 have now qualified for the semi-finals.
The remaining two groups are still up for grabs. Kildare and UCD have two wins from two in Group 2 and the winner of their game in Newbridge on Sunday will advance, or a draw will see the home side through on score difference.
Similarily Meath have a 100 per cent record in Group 3 and will earn a semi-final spot if they avoid defeat to DCU in Pairc Tailteann this Saturday.
O'Byrne Cup semi-finals (Sunday 18 January)
Meath or Westmeath or DCU v Dublin, first named at home
DIT v Kildare or DCU, TBC
