PAUL MANNION limped off as Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes were dumped out by Thomas Davis.
The Tallaght side, who only last year were playing what is effectively the B Championship, beat Crokes in this semi-final to make the county SFC final in the capital for the first time since 1991.
The sides were level at 0-6 apiece at half-time.
But the underdogs poached a goal just 12 seconds into the second half and never looked back to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the Dublin championship for years.
Davis were not even operating in the top grade 12 months ago — instead playing and winning the Dublin Senior Football 2 Championship — essentially the second tier.
But the Kiltipper Road club — who won three titles in a row between 1989-91 — are back in the big time again after a fully-deserved win over Crokes last night.
It was one of those nights for the Stillorgan outfit when everything that could go wrong, did.
Sky Blues superstar Mannion (above) went off injured after only 12 minutes and just before half-time Craig Dias followed.
The loss of two of their best players was a blow and Davis seized on it just seconds after the restart when a high ball in by Ryan Deegan was fumbled by Crokes goalkeeper David Nestor, with Ciarán Farrelly capitalising to poke home a goal, 1-6 to 0-6.
Then in the 40th minute the Crokes defence parted and Brendan Kirby was as surprised as anybody to find himself with a point—blank shot on goal, which he buried, 2-7 to 0-8.
Crokes did pull a goal back through Pat Burke in the 43rd minute but they never looked like getting level in the closing stages — with Davis actually finishing the game looking stronger and more composed.
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THOMAS DAVIS: R Crilly; B Kirby, A Fallon, S Kennedy; C Murphy 0-1, P Quinn, A Shorten; R Deegan 0-2, B Kirby 1-0; O Kelly 0-1, E Kirby 0-5, 4f, E Lambert; D Keogh, C Farrelly 1-1, S McGrath 0-1. Subs: E O’Toole for Kelly 37 mins; S Reilly 0-1 for McGrath 53; M Nolan for Farrelly 65.
KILMACUD CROKES: D Nestor; A McGowan 0-1, R O’Carroll, R McGowan; C O’Connor, C O’Shea, C Russell; C Dias 0-1, B Shovlin; S Horan 0-2, 1f, S Cunningham, C Pearson 0-1; P Mannion, D Mullin 0-1, P Burke 1-4, 0-3f. Subs: T Fox for Mannion 12 mins; N O’Leary for Dias 34; A Jones for Cunningham 44; H Kenny for O’Connor 44; D Jones for Pearson 48; S Williams for Mullin 53.
REFEREE: R Malone (St Mary’s, Saggart).