Inside Track: The pot is beginning to boil and the Reds are in the mix

It’s getting very interesting in Division Two of the National League, and Louth are right there in the mix. With four rounds played and three to go, there is no unbeaten team among the eight.

Louth sit in joint-second on four points, two off the leaders, Roscommon, Monaghan and Meath. Two of those teams, Monaghan and Meath, have still to be taken on, and what that means is, if Ger Brennan’s side can take full points from both, promotion will be a real possibility.

A step up to the top bracket was in the mind of only the optimistic going into Sunday’s game with Down. Defeat would have left the outlook gloomy, just two points from four outings. There were times in the opening half when finishing second was a runner.

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That it didn’t end that way is a credit to the players and management. Turning in the kind of battling display we have come to expect from them, Louth turned a six-point deficit into a one-point win, 2-17 to 0-22, contributing generously to what was a rollicking good game.

And to think Louth went to war without three players who’d have been earmarked as regulars before the competition began, Craig Lennon, Conall McKeever and Ciarán Downey.

That said, no-one in the panel can be regarded as a stand-in. All in the panel of 30-plus can be called upon at any time, and for the manner in which they’ve handled preparations, the management can take great credit.

Leaders, however, are still required, and on Sunday, those who’ve been wearing that badge for some time, once again answered the call.

Ten points from Sam Mulroy, from play, frees and two-pointers? High fielding from Tommy Durnin in an area that has regained its status with the introduction of the new rules? Tenacious defending and strong running from Donal McKenny?

Big contributions from Ryan Burns, Andy McDonnell and Conor Grimes? Yes, all of their experience was required in a game that went right to the line.

But it wasn’t by any means a six-man band. Others had a tune to play and none did it better than Niall McDonnell. A greenhorn compared to the above, the St Fechin’s clubman came in for severe criticism for his performance in the Cavan game.

Manager Brennan kept his faith in his first-choice goalkeeper, and was repaid in spades. Under more focus than any other player starting out on Sunday, the young man would have had his confidence restored in full by his showing in this game.

He made one particularly good save, was ultra safe in his handling, and, above all, rarely got it wrong with his kick-outs. As he was accustomed to in his firsat year in the county jersey, he finished with a clean sheet.

Others would have come out of the game with satisfaction. Asked to lead the attack, young Kieran McArdle got the touch to a crucial second half score, and given his first start in a while, Ciarán Byrne did enough to suggest he could be Tommy Durnin’s midfield partner on a regular basis.

There was a big crowd at Drogheda – expect to see many more at the same venue this weekend. The Farney are flying, determined to make a quick return to where they were for so long prior to this season.

It should be a great game, and if the result goes to the home team, there might, just might, be a special train heading for Cork on the St Patrick’s Day weekend, a fortnight later.