Dublin had to be patient to beat defensive Derry by 0-8 to 0-4 in a poor encounter at Croke Park.

With 19,224 spectators struggling to stay awake, the northerners played with 14 men behind the ball at times as the Leinster champions tried in vain to find the key to unlock their mass rearguard action.

With an hour played, the sides were deadlocked on four points apiece but the hosts eventually ground the Oak Leafers down to prevail thanks to late points from Dean Rock (free), Paddy Andrews, Diarmuid Connolly and Rock again.

At the end of a turgid first half, Derry led by the odd point from five, 0-3 to 0-2. The first score didn't arrive until the eleventh minute courtesy of Michael Darragh Macauley, who replaced Denis Bastick in the Dubs starting XV, but Derry then turned the screw in a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach to move ahead with points from Mark Lynch, Benny Heron ('45') and James Kielt (free).

Connolly supplied Dublin's second score with the last kick of the first half and nobody was sorry to hear the short whistle sound.

The winners moved ahead with points from Cormac Costello (whose effort was initially waved wide before Hawk-eye intervened) and Rock (free) before Enda Lynn slotted Derry's first point in some 33 minutes of mind-numbing action.

In the end, Dublin's quality came out on top. The clocks go forward tonight but at Croker it looked like gaelic football was going backwards.

Dublin - S Cluxton; P McMahon, R O'Carroll, E Culligan; J Cooper, J Small, J McCaffrey; M D Macauley (0-1), T Brady; P Flynn, D Connolly (0-2), C Kilkenny; K McManamon, D Rock (0-3, 2f), B Brogan. Subs: C Costello (0-1) for K McManamon, J McCarthy for T Brady, David Byrne for E Culligan, P Andrews (0-1) for C Kilkenny, B Fenton for M D Macauley, Davy Byrne for B Brogan.

Derry - T Mallon; O Duffy, N Holly, K Johnston; L McGoldrick, C McAtamney, M McIver; M Lynch (0-1), E Bradley; S L McGoldrick, D Heavron, E Lynn (0-1); B Heron (0-1'45), E McGuckin, J Kielt (0-1f). Subs: F Doherty for E Bradley, T O'Brien for E McGuckin, C McFaul for J Kielt, D McKinless for M McIver, N McNicholl for L McGoldrick.

Referee - C Lane.

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