SINCE returning from intercounty duty with a troublesome knee, Brian White has been wrapped in cotton wool by DJ Kane, but the Louth star ripped the bandages off in sensational style on Saturday night to send Cooley Kickhams into the last four of the Avonmore SFC.

Held in reserve for last week's meaningless sparring contest with neighbours, St Patrick's, White marked his return with a superb display and a personal tally of 1-8, as Dundalk Gaels succumbed rather easily to last year's runners-up in Castletown.

In a game that was fixed to finish in natural light, officials were glad of the Clan na Gael Park floodlights on a dull, wet night, but in truth, Gaels' hopes of causing an upset faded in the opening 20 minutes when they fell 1-5 to 0-2 behind.

Dermot Culligan's men were always playing catch-up thereafter, and while a fortuitious first-half goal and mini second-half revival kept them in touch, White and his Cooley teammates always seemed to be able to turn up the heat when it counted and, in the end, their seven-point victory was a fair reflection.

Successive Cooley managers have been at odds as to White's best - or most beneficial - position, but Kane seems content to let others do the midfield donkey work, while his talisman applies a a touch of class at full forward.

Of course, the niggling knee problem may be playing a big part in that thinking, but injured or not, White's county colleague, Jamie Faulkner, just had no answer for the big number 14.

Patrick Sheelan and Sean McDonald may have started the ball rolling with a point apiece inside three minutes, but after knocking over Cooley's third score in the fifth minute, White went on to bag all but two of his side's final tally

His second point of the night was a free to open a fournil lead and while Gaels seemed more than capable of competing between the two forties, they just didn't possess the same kind of firepower as the men in green and gold.

In fact it took them over 15 minutes to open their account with an Eanna McArdle point, but with that monkey off their back David McComish added another soon afterwards.

However, Cooley looked dangerous every time they crossed halfway and Sean McDonald scored his second of the night before teeing up White for Cooley's goal.

Fellow corner-forward, Shane Marks, fed McDonald on the edge of the penalty area to the left of goal and he unselfishly picked out White, who was completely unmarked and made no mistake with a cool finish.

At 1-5 to 0-2 and looking extremely dangerous, Cooley threatened to run riot, but a slack goal at the other end kept Gaels' hopes alive. Errol Boyle's low shot shouldn't have troubled the Cooley defence, but a defender let it slip through his hands, and legs, and the lurking Stephen Coleman gratefully poked the ball past Seamus Quigley.

Another Gaels point might have lifted spirits and put Cooley on alert, but Eanna McArdle shot wide from a free two minutes later and it was Cooley who finished the half on the up as John Kane and Shane Marks combined to feed White for another fine effort - 1-6 to 1-2.

The early stages of the second period were typical of the match as a whole as Derek Crilly closed the gap back to three points, only for White to hit back with a point from play and then a free he won for himself. Cooley seemed to slip into cruise control at that point, but they were jolted to life when Ciaran Culligan broke through and fo rced Seamus Qu i g l e y into a superb f i n g e rtip save at his r ighth a n d upright.

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Perhaps buoyed by that chink of light Gaels got the deficit back down to three points again with a free and a well-worked point from Crilly, but that was about as close as Cooley were willing to let them get and it also turned out to be Gaels' last score.

White took over again with a forty-five, a free and another superb strike from way out on the left wing.

There was still 10 minutes left at that stage, but Gaels were all out of ideas and Aoghan McGuinness capped a decent personal display with a well-taken point. COOLEY KICKHAMS: Seamus Quigley; Frank Murphy, Conor McGuinness, PJ McGivern; John Kane, Alan Page, Cormac Watters; Sean O'Neill, Richie Brennan; Ciaran Sheelan, Patrick Sheelan 0-1, Aoghan McGuinness 0-1; Sean McDonald 0-2, Brian White 1-8 (0-3f, 0-1 '45'), Shane Marks. Subs: Gavin Long for C Sheelan (44), David Hughes for S Marks (47). DUNDALK GAELS: Stephen Faulkner; Ray Rooney, Jamie Faulkner, Eamon Kenny; David Moley, David Maloney, Darragh O'Callaghan; Derek Crilly 0-3 (0-1f), David McComish 0-1; Ciaran Culligan, Stephen Coleman 1-0, Errol Boyle; Eanna McArdle 0-1, Sean Fee, Conal McArdle. Subs: Sean McCann for C McArdle (ht). REFEREE: Patsy Connolly.

- John SAVAGE at Clan Na Gael Park