All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers First round/Dublin 3-24 London 0-5: The relevance of this victory to Dublin will be borne out by their next performance. About 4,500 Dublin supporters turned up in Parnell Park for Saturday's encounter soothed by the cast-iron certainty of a win.
But it was the manner of victory that had to be gauged. The home side didn't manage to rattle the London net eight times as Galway did recently but there were enough positives to suggest that Dublin manager Tommy Lyons would have viewed it as a worthwhile exercise.
Senan Connell ferried ball tirelessly to the full-forward line and on the few occasions the visitors managed to hang onto to the ball for longer than four or five seconds he was prepared to track back and win ball.
There was also the small matter of his free-taking: very few of the six points he posted from frees - he kicked one from play but was largely unselfish all afternoon - were straightforward but he stroked the ball with calm assurance.
Tomás "Mossy" Quinn was another for whom this contest proved beneficial. He struggled from time to time in the physical cut and thrust but in possession he revealed a sound footballing intellect. His distribution was good and he was largely accurate in sight of the posts, one early missed free aside. He also calmly dispatched a penalty for what approximated to grievous bodily harm on Ciarán Whelan by London goalkeeper Michael Lillis.
Jason Sherlock was superb once again, his movement, work-rate, and vision a lesson to some of his colleagues.
Alan Brogan helped himself to 2-4, partially facilitated by naïve London defending. Ray Cosgrove provided a three-point 14-minute cameo that will have Lyons scratching his head, wondering why the star of 2002 can't regularly reproduce that nonchalant accuracy.
Therein lies the crux of the matter for the Dublin manager: can his team maintain similar composure and incisiveness against less accommodating teams?
Lyons was upbeat in the wake of Saturday's game. "You learn that you can get the ship back in the water. We kicked some good scores. Look, the hunger is still there.
"We didn't go out to make mistakes last week. (But) We all did. That's history now and we're looking forward to the draw whenever it takes place."
One or two concerns remain, notably the tendency to launch long, hopeful balls into what is a fairly small forward line. And there is still a proneness towards overplaying possession or not spotting and maximising the clever running of the full-forward line.
Conal Keaney missed the game and so, too, did Bryan Cullen and Darren Homan and for Lyons the game may have raised one or two issues. Darren Magee played well at centre-half back, operating most of the time as a third midfielder, while Colin Moran enjoyed his role in the half-forward line. Johnny McNally had a frustrating afternoon in the left corner, the only starting forward not to score.
Missing their initial flight was a portent of London's weekend in Dublin. One point from play in the entire first half and only a further five will have been disappointing, so too their attitude at times. They endeavoured to match Dublin physically but that undertaking was laced with a cynicism that produced several ill-judged challenges. Rules aren't supposed to discriminate and London were luck at least twice that the cards received were yellow and not red.
DUBLIN: S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, P Griffin; S Ryan, D Magee (0-1), P Andrews; C Whelan, D O'Mahony (0-1, one free); C Moran (0-2), T Quinn (1-5, penalty, one free), S Connell (0-7, six frees); A Brogan (2-4, one sideline), J Sherlock (0-1), J McNally. Subs: P Casey for Ryan (half-time); D Henry for Griffin (43 mins); C Goggins for Andrews (44); D Lally for McNally (47); R Cosgrove (0-3) for Moran (56).
LONDON: M Lillis; C Harrison, B McGonigle, S Murphy; J Niblock, D McKenna, A McLarnon; G Kane, P Quinn; S Doran (0-1), F McMahon (0-3, one 45, one free), B Egan (0-1); G Weldon, D Kineavey, P Lynott. Subs: T Ó hAilpín for Lynott (33 mins); C Slane for Niblock (33); C Scanlon for Weldon (54); S Byrnes (0-1) for McLarnon (60).
Referee: B Tyrrell (Tipperary)
