Lacklustre Joes set up a date with the mighty Flynn

Freshly crowned All-Ireland champion and four-time All-Star Paul Flynn looks set for a visit to Dromiskin on Saturday week, but the Joe’s are unlikely to be rolling out the red carpet for the dynamic Dublin attacker.

The Louth champs made heavy work of much less glamorous opposition on Saturday afternoon to book a quarter-final date with the Dublin winners.

Flynn’s Swords outfit Fingallians face Ballymun Kickhams ‘B’ team in the final this coming weekend, but Ballymun would not be allowed advance to the provincial competition, so win, lose or draw the spot should pass to their opponents.

But whoever arrives in Cluskey Park on Saturday week, Joe’s boss Wayne McKeever will be seeking a big improvement from his own troops.

They eventually shook off gallant Carlow champions St Andrew’s with a last-gasp point from sub Shane McQuillan, but for most of the contest they looked set to follow St Kevin’s off the provincial stage after the first act.

The Bagenalstown side were handy to an extent, but it was the lack of hunger and intensity from the hosts that almost proved fatal to their Leinster aspirations.

Joe’s boasted better individual players, which in the end added up to a scarcely deserved one-point victory, but for three quarters of the match they were merely hanging in.

The visitors started brightly, opening a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after five minutes.

Laim Galway and Conall O’Hanlon swapped early scores, but a free from Jamie Clarke and a lovely effort from Alan Beaton, put the hosts on the back foot.

Joe’s did respond with a point from Derek Mulligan and trademark long-range free from Alan Quigley and O’Hanlon even edged them ahead, but after that brief flurry the intensity levels dropped again and St Andrew’s took advantage to kick three points in as many minutes.

The Carlow men may have had the edge in work ethic at that stage, but Joe’s always looked classier when they chose to turn it on and a well-worked move and neat shimmy by Conal O’Hanlon worked space for the big full-forward to slot home an important goal on 25 minutes.

But again St Andrew’s rallied and points from Jamie Clarke, Alan Beaton and Alan Corcoran restored a fully deserved twopoint cushion at half-time, 0-9 to 1-4.

It was no surprise to see McKeever keeping his troops in longer than his counterpart Hamish Beaton at half-time - the Joe’s boss surely had a lot more to say!

And whatever approach he took to lift his players did work.

Craig Doherty and John Doyle traded scores early in the second-half and then both sides passed up good goal chances with Barry Lambe slapping a glorious opportunity wide before Ben Mulligan was thwarted by Rory Doyle over a more difficult opening at the other end.

But the Joe’s looked re-invigorated and two superb points from Conall Smyth either side of a Quigley free edged them in front at the end of the third quarter, 1-8 to 0-10.

St Andrew’s looked like they might rue some bad miss es in the opening stages of the second period, but they didn’t shirk the challenge.

A Doyle free drew them level, before O’Hanlon egded the Joe’s back in front, but Darren Crooks levelled it up again and then tees up Shane Clarke for the lead score with less than three minutes of normal-time on the clock.

Home supporters must have feared the worst, but the players remained calm and O’Hanlon converted a free to put extra-time firmly on the agenda.

But it wouldn’t be required. The Joe’s steadfastly refused to let Andrew’s out of their own half as the seconds ticked away and one particular turnover saw Killian Staunton stride forward and lay off to Shane McQuillan on his outside.

The substitute had time and space, which isn’t always a good mix over a pressure kick, but he nailed it straight over the blackspot, much to the joy of the home supporters.

The Joe’s get a chance to assess their opponents in Sunday’s Dublin final, with Flynn likely to continue at half back, having kicked eight points in their ten-point semi-final win over Naomh Fionnbarra.

They will be favourites to dispose of Ballymun and enter Leinster as champions, rather than through the back door, but either way the Joes will have to be better when Flynn and Co. come to town.