Inside Track: Reel’s confidence matched by a win

Only slightly taken aback by his side’s defeat by Meath in the 2024 Leinster final, under-20 boss, Fergal Reel, immediately set his sights on this year’s campaign on that Monday night at Dublin’s Parnell Park.

He would be losing some of his key players, but was confident that those who’d be carrying on would play a key role in the introduction of the newcomers. His sideline team would be kept intact.

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The blending work early on. Louth went through the league process with some ease, but it began to get serious with Dublin coming to Darver for a provincial semi-final.

Almost hidden by the narrative surrounding the dreadful weather conditions in which the game was played was a battling Louth performance. Dublin underage teams are never easily beating, and in this outing, they had pressure on from start to the finish.

A late goal might have done it for the visitors, or at least force the game to extra-time, but Louth were in no mood to relent.

The defending was heroic, a match for what had gone on throughout the pitch over the previous 70 minutes. Three points, 0-14 to 0-11, divided the sides.

The final was another match in which Boyneside rivals came together. Louth’s fear was that Éamonn Armstrong, who had dominated the previous year’s final, would again weave his magic, and that would be hard to control.

It was more than Armstrong’s marker who stood up that evening at Newbridge. Louth had charge throughout, with the high-fielding Seán Callaghan and James Maguire brilliant at midfield, and Tony McDonnell more than useful around goals.

Louth teams’ previous three attempts to reach the All-Ireland final had failed in the penultimate round, Fermanagh (1970), Kerry (1978) and Galway (1981) the spoilsports.

Mayo stood in front of Fergal Reel’s team, with Longford’s Pearse Park the venue chosen for the mid-week tie. The red-and-greens came from the West with a big reputation – a vaunted Galway team had fallen to them at provincial level.

This was Louth’s tightest game, but again their never-say-die attitude brought them through. There was just one point between them at the finish.

The most honour-laden county at under-20 level, Tyrone, were in the other corner for the final at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds.

A nice touch by the Silverbridge club had their grounds festooned in red and white. This rarely-seen gesture by an Armagh club was a nod to their former player, Fergal Reel.

Mistakes and a failure to take all of their chances done it for Louth. Everything needed to be right against a team of Tyrone’s calibre, but sadly, it wasn’t. It ended 5-16 to 0-17.

A number of the winning team have since been less than bit-players with the county seniors. Some of the Louth squad should follow suit next year.