McGuckin pays tribute to 'incredible' DCU

Paul Devlin competing against DCU's Eoin Culligan during last week's Sigerson Cup semi-final

AS DCU romped to victory over Maynooth in Saturday’s Sigerson Cup decider, the Jordanstown players and management could only look on and wonder what might have been.

To see off the challenge of DCU in Friday’s semi-final was always going to be a huge ask of the Shore Road outfit, given the sort of firepower DCU have at their disposal, but in the opening stages there were signs that they could indeed blow the bookies and the pundits predictions out of the water and take the spoils.

They started brightly, racing ahead courtesy of an Anton McArdle goal to finish off a flowing move, and could have had another just moments later to push them further ahead, but DCU kept in touch.

In the second half the Dublin outfit turned up the heat, and UUJ were unable to keep hold of their coat tails. But Jordanstown boss Adrian McGuckin insists that his troops can hold their heads high after a gallant display against all odds.

“Even though the score line suggests a walloping, they were only a point or so ahead with 12 minutes to go. I haven’t seen the DVD of the match yet, but I’d like to see just how it got away from us so badly.

“But you have to throw your hands up and say that DCU are an incredible outfit. They have something like seven of the current Dublin senior team, another few of the Dublin u-21 team who won the All-Ireland a few years ago.

“Then you have [Michael] Murphy, David Kelly, Dean Rock and forwards like that who would do any team damage.”

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