Roscommon and Dublin will both be going in search of their third Cadbury All-Ireland U21FC titles when they meet in Sunday's final. Dublin are the hottest of favourites, but Roscommon won't be travelling to Tullamore just to make up the numbers as their star full forward Colin Compton explains.

If the bookies are to be believed, Roscommon have no chance of beating Dublin in this weekend's Cadbury All-Ireland U21 football final. After blitzing Laois, Westmeath and Louth in Leinster and making light work of Munster champions Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final, Jim Gavin's men are 1/4 to collect their second Clarke Cup in three years. Some are even predicting that their margin of victory will run into double figures.

But one of the beauties of sport is its unpredictability and its ability to throw up the unexpected. In last year's All-Ireland minor final, Tipperary caused a sensation when they defeated what many considered to be the best minor team ever to come out of the capital, so Roscommon - who have caused one or two upsets already this year - can certainly take hope from that.

"Our attitude is we have nothing to lose," a relaxed Colin Compton told us this week.

"We're massive underdogs and that's an ideal situation to be in. We've been written off since the start of the year, yet here we are just 60 minutes away from winning the All-Ireland. We are just going to go out and give it our best shot and hope that it will be good enough.

"It's a final and anything is possible. You saw the minor final last year and how Tipp upset the odds. The longer we stay in the game, the better chance we have. Dublin haven't been fully tested this year, but if we're still in the game with 10 minutes to go, you'd never know what might happen."

The Roscommon full forward, who has played with Dublin captain Gary Sweeney, wing back John Kelly and sub-goalkeeper Ryan O'Flaherty for DCU, is under no illusions about the task facing the Connacht champions.

"It's hard to see any weaknesses in their team. They are strong all over the field and have a physical edge on most teams as well. Ciaran Kilkenny is obviously their dangerman in the full forward line, and the fact that he didn't have a great semi-final against Cork doesn't bode well for us because he will feel he has a point to prove.

"We know a lot about them, but they'll know just as much about us after watching us in the semi-final. All that we can do is worry about ourselves, try to hang in there and to make sure we play as well as we possibly can."

Compton, who is joined on the Roscommon team by fellow Strokestown man and captain Paddy Brogan, recalls how there hadn't been much expected of the primrose and blues at the outset of the year.

"I don't think anyone in Roscommon had any great expectations for us. We didn't go well in the Hastings Cup and everyone was talking about Galway and Roscommon for the Connacht title, which is usually the case most years anyway. It was difficult for the management to get us all together because most of us are away in college and were concentrating on the Sigerson Cup at the time.

"But coming away from the first round game between Mayo and Galway, I was quietly confident that we could beat Mayo. In the minor three years ago, they only beat us after a replay in the Connacht final and I felt we had come on a fair bit since then. As things turned out, we managed to beat them with the help of a few lucky breaks. Not so long ago, Roscommon would have feared Mayo at underage level, but we have a different mentality now. This was the third year in-a-row that we beat them in U21 and we would always give ourselves a 50/50 chance against them."

As in 2010, the Rossies claimed the Connacht title at Sligo's expense, this time by an eight-point margin. The result was never in doubt with five points from man of the match Donie Smith helping the winners to an unassailable 0-9 to 0-2 half-time lead.

Despite that victory, Roscommon went into last month's All-Ireland semi-final against Cavan as underdogs. But in a low-scoring game, goals from Conor Daly and Compton - who capitalised on a mistake by Cavan goalkeeper Conor Gilsenan by lobbing the ball over his head and into an empty net in injury-time - helped the Connacht champions to a 2-7 to 2-2 victory.

"Cavan had beaten all the big guns in Ulster and were rightly made favourites," remembers Colin, who is eligible for the U21 grade again next year.

"They missed a lot of chances, but I have to say our backs played very well. They worked like dogs and restricted Cavan to just four scores. They were coming back at us after they scored their second goal in the closing stages, but then their goalkeeper made the mistake and luckily enough and I was able to take advantage of it."

Compton attributes Roscommon's success this year to the work of the county's underage coaches and the Nigel Dineen-led management team.

"This is all down to the efforts of Willie Hegarty (Roscommon coaching and development officer, and well-known Shannonside radio commentator) and the rest of the lads. All those coaches have put in years of work and it is just paying off," he explains.

"The minor teams coming up and every team that is coming out of Roscommon now is capable of competing with anyone. If we can get three or four players off each team, then we should have a strong senior team in a couple of years."

He continues: "We are also fortunate to have a brilliant management team in Nigel Dineen, Eddie Lohan, Basil Mannion, David Casey and Denis Gavin. Each of those lads were great servants to Roscommon and because they're not long retired from the inter-county scene, they are extremely familiar with the modern game.
"They are very enthusiastic and are not afraid to make the hard calls when they're needed."

Roscommon previously lifted the Clarke Cup in 1966 and '78, but haven't appeared in an All-Ireland final since 1982 when they lost to Donegal. When the All-Ireland minor title was annexed in 2006, Roscommon enjoyed wonderful support and Colin is hoping for similar support in O'Connor Park on Sunday.

"Thirty years is a long time to be waiting to play in an All-Ireland U21 final and I would encourage as many Roscommon fans as possible to get down to Tullamore to support us. I was down there earlier this year with the seniors for a league game against Offaly and it's a fine ground. It's also fierce handy for Roscommon supporters.

"There has been a great buzz around the county since the Cavan game and I'm just delighted to be involved. It would be great if we could get across the line."
Studying Sports Science and Health in DCU, Colin was one of three Roscommon U21s - Ciaran Cafferkey and Donie Smith being the others - who won Sigerson Cup medals earlier this year with the star-studded Glasnevin outfit. DCU's Roscommon U21 contingent doesn't end there - Scott Oates, John McManus, Conor Daly, Fintan Kelly and Finbarr Cregg were also involved with their Freshers team this year.

Colin hails from a well-known GAA family in Strokestown. His father Pat is chairman of Strokestown GAA's Grounds Development Committee that has been responsible for the club's splendid new facilities, which includes two Prunty pitches, dressing rooms and a stand. Developed at a cost of €2 million, the new facilities were officially opened last month by GAA president Liam O'Neill and, to mark the occasion, Roscommon played Louth in the inaugural Dermot Earley Memorial Perpetual Cup match.

Colin, who spent last summer in San Francisco where he lined out for the local Sean Treacy's club, was joined on the Roscommon senior panel earlier this year by fellow U21s Niall Daly, Niall Kilroy, Ciaran Cafferkey and Conor Daly. All five, and perhaps one or two more, are expected to link up with Des Newton's panel as soon as their U21 commitments are over.

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