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Naill O'Dea, Collie Carr, Phil Ryan & Kevin Twomey face Louth in Leinster Minor Opener - Thu, 16 Apr 2009

Best of Luck to Naill O'Dea(above), Collie Carr, Philip Ryan & Kevin Twomey this Saturday. The Dublin Minor Footballers face Louth in their Leinster Championship opener. Its sure to be tough game with Louth having improved massively at underage recently. Throw-in at 7pm in Drogheda this Saturday.

Preview:

DUBLIN'S preparations for their upcoming Leinster MFC first round clash with Louth in Drogheda this Saturday evening (7.0) continued in Killeavy last Saturday afternoon as the Dubs lost to Armagh by 0-12 to 1-7 in the Ulster MFL. Having beaten Down, lost to Cavan and drawn with Monaghan in their previous matches in the Ulster MFL, Dublin led by a point with five minutes remaining, thanks largely to Cormac Diamond's first-half goal but a three point blitz by the home side maintained Armagh's unbeaten league record this year.

However, manager Cyril Kevlihan was not too concerned about the resultas he prepares his panel for Saturday's acid test against a strong Louth side. "This was another good competitive game played at close to championship pace and all the games in the Ulster League have been hugely beneficial for us as they are a level above any number of challenge matches." The Thomas Davis clubman acknowledges that the league results have been of secondary importance to finding the right blend and approach for the Leinster campaign that lies ahead.

"All of these games have been crucial to our preparations for the championship and we've been delighted with the attitude and application of all the panel so far. "We have given everybody an opportunity to show their form before the championship and despite these two defeats (Cavan, Armagh) we're happy enough with where we are at present." Kevlihan will certainly not be guilty of underestimating the challenge that Louth present next Saturday. "We're looking forward to the challenge and we have a lot of respect for Louth at this level. They have a very impressive record in challenge games against top class opposition of late and nothing will come easy.

We'd be delighted to leave Drogheda on Saturday evening with a one-point victory and take it from there." Kevlihan has a full panel to choose from apart from Ger Dodrill who fractured a knuckle against Monaghan last week. Dublin will look to the forward duo of Darragh Stapleton and Gary Sweeney, both members of last year's team, to steer them into the winner's enclosure. The winner of Saturday's game will have home advantage for their quarter-final clash with Longford or Laois.

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