Louth Minors have the form to bury the Royal's threat

While all the attention might currently be on the Louth Senior team after their heroics in Navan, and thoughts of supporters have already turned to their huge Leinster semi-final clash with Offaly this Sunday in Croke Park, it may be worth casting an eye before then on DEFY Pairc Mhuire.

This Wednesday evening sees the Ardee venue hosting the Wee County’s final game in the round robin stage of the Leinster Minor championship, with local rivals Meath the opposition (Throw in 6:30PM).

It is a game with plenty riding on it, as the winner will claim the second spot behind Dublin in the group and in theory set themselves up for a slightly easier route to the provincial final. Ahead of this huge contest, let’s have a quick look at both side’s results to get a view of where they stand. 

Louth vs Dublin

In Round 1, the Boys in Red made the short trip to the capital to face Dublin in Parnell Park, a talented side that went into this campaign as one of the favourites to go deep.

The Wee County never led in this contest and were often left struggling to get out of their own half. But they remained resilient, always backing themselves to stage a comeback.

Once finding their feet, Adam Gillespie was their star attraction. He notched eight of their scores on the night and coupled with a goal from Shane Lennon on 47 minutes they turned what was once a seven-point deficit into a gap of just one, 1-11 to 1-10.

However, from here the scores dried up and despite only being two behind as we entered into added time, it was the men in blue who instead increased their lead late on to record a well-earned five-point victory.

Lenny Cahill was the man doing the damage, grabbing the tie’s last four points, all from play to make sure the valuable two points on offer stayed on home soil. The final score being 1-15 to 1-10. 

Meath vs Dublin

The Royals were also on the road in their provincial opener, Kinnegad the setting for their duel with Westmeath. 

Ben Corkery proved to be the difference maker on the night, bagging two vital goals in the first and final quarters as Meath dug deep to record a 2-10 to 0-10 victory. This second was of particular significance, given they led by just by just two at the time.

Overall, they set up quite conservatively, keeping the ball as much as they could and trying their best not to make mistakes. This approach is maybe why they never fully got free of the Westmeath challenge.

Louth vs Westmeath

That defeat for the Lake County, coupled with Louth’s loss to Dublin, meant there was plenty at stake when the side met in Ardee two weeks ago. To have any hopes of finishing second, or even third, a win was the only option.

The quick starts to both halves, a controlled finale and their ruthless goals displayed the great focus this side posesses. And the young minds have embraced the pressure placed on them so far.

Top scorer in the Leinster championship so far, Adam Gillespie stood up again and enjoyed home soil with a sparkling performance. His early deflected goal in the 8th minute was the injection David Reid and Johnny Clerkin’s side needed to settle and take on the challenge head on.

Lorcan Buckley and Robbie Matthews were introduced to the starting 15 and didn’t disappoint, while Conor Ginty also impressed around the middle third.

The changes also saw Seán Flynn switched out to the wing from full forward and that particular move had the desired effect instantly. They coasted to a 2-13 to 0-7 win, the result rarely looking in doubt due to Louth’s vastly superior shooting on the night.

Louth vs Dublin

Looking back to Meath, how did they fair when taking on the challenge of the Dubs? They at least had home comforts on their side, but in reality that was of little help to them.

Despite conceding an early goal, the Royals led at the break, 1-1 to 0-5. But this was while playing with the help of a significant breeze, one which the home team needed to utilise much better to have any hopes of succeeding in Navan.

Meath are an extremely well-conditioned outfit and by all accounts they threw everything at the visitors. Another early goal helped the Dubs on their way to victory, 2-9 to 0-11,  too many Meath turnovers meaning they rarely threatened a comeback.

But they did produce moments of magic and finished the tie with seven different scorers, with just three of their final total coming form placed balls. 

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Conclusion

So what can we expect from tonight’s contest? Both teams enter it with the cushion of a preliminary quarter final already being secured, due to their win’s over Westmeath. But both will be eager to skip this hurdle.

It can be argued that Louth maybe shades it on current form. They seemed to brush aside Westmeath with more ease and put it up to the Dubs despite a very poor start.

However, Louth always needs to be wary of Meath, no matter the level of football. After the Senior’s demotion to the Tailteann Cup, this is the Minor’s chance to lift the spirit of their county.

Louth struggled to get out of their own half for long periods against Dublin. Should Meath’s conservative tactics lead to a similar scenario, the Royals will have the firepower to take the win.

While Louth do have Leinster’s top scorer in Adam Gillespie, others stepped up to the plate in Ardee. Should he have that support again then the Wee County may just edge this contest.

But regardless, it is good to know they will be playing a further part in the competition, regardless of the final result.