John O'Mahony AnalysisThe first thing that struck me after Dublin's victory was that 3-6 of their total of 3-9 came from players that were introduced to the team beaten by Laois. Dessie Farrell got 1-1, Jason Sherlock 1-3, Senan Connell 1-1, and Darren Homan 0-1. So I suppose that justifies a little of the criticism of the team selection the last day, but you must also give some credit to Tommy Lyons because the five changes he did decide to make worked a treat.

Beforehand though, I had expected the Dublin management would look to the more experienced campaigners to pull them out of a game like this. The likes of Farrell and Connell and Homan have been around a while and it was good call to start them. But it doesn't mean the players that were left off from the last day are bad footballers. I would say they all have good futures with Dublin ahead of them, but in a crisis situation, and particularly mentally, you need players that have been through the mill, and can take the responsibility.

So great credit has to go to those players, and especially Farrell, who showed great leadership. His goal came at a crucial time, around the 27th minute, because at that stage Derry were winning an awful lot of ball at midfield, and Dublin were struggling.

Having said that, Derry didn't seem to have much of a game plan. They pulled out Enda Muldoon, and that left the only real option of kicking in long ball to Geoffrey McGonigle who did quite well in many instances, but he needs players flashing by him and that wasn't happening. Paddy Bradley had too much weight on his shoulders again, and it was interesting that all the Derry half forwards were replaced.

That fact the team changes worked so well doesn't mean Lyons has found the perfect line-up. The guys that came in did the job they needed to do. But the bottom line is Dublin won the game, are in the next round, and are back as serious contenders.

The other thing that struck me at the end, and what keeps Dublin's win in perspective, is that overall Derry were quite disappointing. You would have to question the amount of space that was given to the Dublin forwards in the second half, and especially down the right side of their attack. To me Derry looked a bit disjointed, and had no other plan of attack other than lorry the ball in for McGonigle.

Muldoon did win a fair amount of ball around midfield, but when he was needed inside towards the end, there wasn't enough possession being won to feed him. So they needed about five or six Muldoon's. Plus Anthony Tohill never exerted his influence on the game. Dublin have plenty of things to work on, such as their free-taking. Ray Cosgrove was under a lot of focus again, and while he didn't have his best game, he did dig out a reasonable performance. And that's what he needed to do.

I suppose no one expected Jason Sherlock to be Dublin's top scorer. His first point could just as easily have been a goal, and he has certainly played himself back into serious contention. He looked to be at his liveliest since 1995, and part of that was the great understanding between himself and Farrell and Connell, all Na Fianna players. It gives Dublin some great options for the next game. What happens when the older players perform is that the pressure comes off the younger players.

I said before the game a good start was very important to both teams as their confidence had already been knocked back a bit this summer. And in a strange way they both started well. Derry had the better possession, although they didn't convert it onto the scoreboard, and that gave Dublin a chance to settle. And they needed that time, because they looked very tentative at the start. Overall the one big difference about Dublin's this performance compared to the Laois game was they converted their goal chances. Their finishing was far more clinical, and that was a key factor in their victory.

When you think back on a winning performance one of the things you look for is attitude, and Dublin definitely had the better work ethic, and team-work. That was epitomised by the second goal, coming from a defensive block, worked straight up the field, and finished into the net by Connell.

Dublin have taken a big step forward again, and will have come on a lot after this game. So in many ways it worked out as the perfect game to get their season back on course.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan