THERE'S NO SAFETY NET

O Ceallachain says Dublin have to deliver

- BY PAUL KEANE

NIALL O CEALLACHAIN has warned that Dublin's ‘safety net’ is gone ahead of this evening's Croke Park clash with Wexford.

After losing to Clare in Round 1, a second loss in Division 1B would probably end Dublin's hopes of a top-two finish.

That's pretty much how it played out last year, when losses to Offaly and Waterford nudged Dublin into third position in the table.

The loss to Offaly in particular is high on O Ceallachdin’s mind now - and not just because tomorrow is the 12-month anniversary.

That game was also at Croke Park and slipping up to the Faithful - Dublin led by four points with 56 minutes on the clock and were still two ahead in the 74th minute - effectively cost them a place in 1A this term.

“T think it’s really relevant, really relevant,” said Dubs boss O Ceallachdin of that game against Offaly. “Tt's the same fixture in a lot of ways, it's Croke Park, it's a doubleheader with the footballers again. We took our learnings out of that game performance-wise a good while ago and we fed them into the group so we wouldn't be looking back on it from that point of view.