Inside Track: Retaining Division Two status is crucial to Louth

This is Louth’s fourth league Division Two campaign and the second in which there’s been a winning start. Last season, Westmeath were overcome in the opening round, but this Mullingar win wasn’t the precursor of promotion, or anything like it.

There were just two further wins, Down touched off at Drogheda, and then in the final round, the best performance of the seven, a defeat of Meath in Inniskeen.

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Meath were denied promotion to Division One as a result, and Louth had enough points on the scoreboard to just see off Down in the race to stave off relegation. Defeats were at the hands of Monaghan, Cavan, Roscommon and Cork.

Overall, a mediocre campaign with only a slight hint of what was to follow. All else in 2025 was put in the shadow by a first Leinster triumph in almost 70 years, a few months later.

A controversial defeat to Clare at Ennis got the 2023 league underway. The award of a last-minute free was hotly disputed – by taking a point from it, Clare got the narrowest of victories.

After that, however, Louth gained momentum, and with just one game remaining, were in with a shout of qualifying for the top division for the first time since 2007. It was a tough ask. Dublin were in the other corner, and the game was played in their back garden. They won.

The sides came together again at Croke Park in that year’s Leinster final, and this was another success for the home team.

Louth were set a difficult task in their first game in the 2024 league – an away game with Armagh. It was new manager, Ger Brennan’s first game of real importance. He could only have been pleased with the performance, even though it ended in defeat.

A gale-force wind was blowing into Sam Mulroy’s face as he stepped up to take a last-kick 45. The points would be shared if it went over. No luck, the ball dropped just short.

An encouraging start, but again, there were a lot of bumps on the road, and only a few of them were surmounted.

To make sure of staying up, Louth had to beat Kildare in a final round match played at Carlow’s Dr Cullen Park. The win was easily achieved.

After that came another championship that yielded more wins than defeats. There was a renewal of rivalry with multiple champions Dublin in the final, and if they’d won the previous year’s meeting with ease, Dessie Farrell’s team were, in words you don’t see too often nowadays, put to the point of their collar.

Craig Lennon did that day what he’s been doing quite often since – finding the back of the net. His late score had none other than Stephen Cluxton bending to retrieve the ball – for the second time in the game. Four points separated the sides.

There’s a lot to come before over the next few weeks, and if retaining Division Two status, Louth will be in the right frame of mind going out to defend their Leinster title.