SMALL INSISTS DUBS WON’T DWELL ON FARNEY LOSS

DUBLIN defender John Small insists he and his team mates won’t be dwelling on their rare Croke Park defeat last weekend, WRITES DONNCHADH BOYLE.

In what was essentially a meaningless game with neither Monaghan nor Dublin having anything to play for, the three-in-a-row AllIreland champions were pipped at the post after Fintan Kelly’s last-gasp winner for the Farney which inflicted only a second loss in three years on the champions.

“We don’t dwell on it,” Small (right) said. “We just prepare for the next time. We don’t have time to be thinking about stuff like that. We review and then we move on and we prepare for the next game.”

And Small insists the Dubs were a little off-colour against the Ulster side.

“It was a very competitive game out there, two good teams going at it. Obviously disappointed to lose, but Monaghan did well, it was a tough physical game. Probably from our perspective, our passing was bit off, and gives us something to work on, ahead, looking forward to the final.”

Ballymun Kickhams man Small has started every game of Dublin’s league campaign so far which is no mean feat in the ultra-competitive environment that is the Dublin dressing room but he insists there is room for improvement.

“Everything there is room for improvement, just trying to perform as best I can. Looking back on the games, did okay in some of them, room for improvement in the others.”

Jim Gavin’s Dublin move on to face

Galway in Sunday’s league final after the teams played out a draw in Salthill a fortnight ago on a day when Dublin went without a number of front-line players, including Stephen Cluxton. “We played them two weeks ago and we got what we expected, a very good side, good forwards, the likes of Shane Walsh and Damien Comer, these guys, (Eamonn) Brannigan, very dangerous forwards and they’ve a very good defence as well. “They’ve only conceded one goal I think in the whole league so very difficult game and we are looking forward to it. “They’ve a lot of very good players. There’s actually a lot of expectation on them and they’ve justified that in the Allianz League so far so yeah, really tough battle now on Sunday,” added Small.