Louth Ladies boss Dermot Agnew hoping that his side do not freeze in Croke Park
The Wee County is Croker bound once again as Louth booked their spot in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Junior Championship Football final with a stunning 3-10 to 2-10 win over Derry.
Louth will be looking to lift the title for the first time in 12 years, but to do so, they will have to overcome Limerick at Croke Park on September 26.
Speaking after his side's win, manager Dermot Agnew said that his side "are due their reward" after ten-and-a-half months of hard work.
The Louth manager, in his second term with the squad, was the man responsible for leading the team to their last success in '98, when Louth beat Roscommon. Now, Agnew is looking towards a second title.
Last year, Limerick beat Louth in the semi-final of the All-Ireland with a cushion of 11 points. However, Agnew expects a different match this time round.
"It's a good achievement", he said. "But we have one more hurdle to cross. We have our work cut out for us in the final, but Limerick as a team do not scare us.
"On the day, I hope we can show them the good football we are capable of playing but I am confident that we will do ourselves proud. We will not be a walkover for them, that's for sure."
It's been a remarkable year for the team as they had to rebuild from scratch after losing 14 players from last year's panel.
"Some retired, some moved on and we had to rebuild on the foundations that were left, but the commitment of the ladies this year has been second to none."
In order to advance to the semi-finals, Louth had to beat Wicklow, a feat that did not seem possible as Wicklow were leading by ten points with as many minutes remaining on the clock. But against all the odds, Louth pulled off an impossible comeback to book their semi-final spot.
Keen to get off to a better start in the crunch clash against Derry, Agnew's charges flew out of the traps.
"We got a dream start as Kate Flood had the ball in the net after 30 seconds and had a good lead at half-time. With ten minutes to go, Derry came back into it. They got a penalty in the last minute but they were six points down. I knew even if they scored the penalty that time was up.
"They threw everything at us in the last ten minutes as they knew that their chances of a trip to Croker were fading, but we did well."
The final is the first of a triple header that day in Croke Park and Agnew, along with members from the Ladies County Board, are hoping that Wee County fans come along to cheer the ladies on.
"We would like to see a big crowd. If neighbours, friends, relatives and club members travel, it will mean a lot to the team."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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