Louth hurlers remain unbeaten after draw with Leitrim

The Louth hurlers dropped their first point of this year's National Hurling League Div4 campaign when they had to be content with only a draw against Leitrim, themselves previously unbeaten, in difficult conditions at Darver on Sunday afternoon.

This game was switched to the COE after the pitch in Dowdallshill was deemed unplayable on Saturday. 

As the low scoreline would suggest, both teams struggled with the underfoot conditions and the strong breeze which both sets of players failed to utilise when it was in their favour.

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Connacht County amassed eight wides in the first half, playing with the elements, and the Louth management would have been pleased to be just three points in arrears at halftime. 

Louth themselves registered eight wides in the second half but they will certainly count themselves lucky to grab a share of the spoils as a resilient Leitrim team made life very difficult for them throughout that second half. 

Any late arrivals to the COE will certainly have missed the game's only goal as Leitrim full forward James McNabola soloed through the home defence before dispatching the sliotar to the bottom left-hand corner of Conor Clancy's net after just 30 seconds.  

A 20-metre free awarded for a foul on Sean Flynn saw Darren Geoghegan open the host's account on 2 minutes. 
Adam Plunkett added a good point from play from distance a minute later before the visitors struck the post with a Dhani Keane effort.

A foul by Stephen Kettle saw midfielder Joe Murray extend Leitrim's lead from the resultant free. 

A brace of Geoghegan frees tied up matters on 12 minutes, 0-4 to 1-2, with Conor Murphy firing Louth in front with a good from 45 metres out a minute later. 

Playing with the advantage of the difficult breeze the visitors then accounted for three successive wides before Murray struck over a 20 metre free from left of the post on 18 minutes. 

Adam Plunkett fired over his second point of the half before his Knockbridge colleague Ben Goss Kieran had his name taken by the referee for a wild pull.

Murray fired over the resultant 60 metre free and a minute later his midfield partner Philip Burgess, who plays his club hurling with Dublin outfit Crumlin, struck over a lead point on 30 minutes, 1-4 to 0-6.

Leitrim upped their game in the closing minutes of the half and points from Stephen Goldrick and two frees from Murray had them now in front by four. 

The home side brought an end to their concession of five unanswered points with one of their own when Conor Murphy set up Peter Fortune to score from the left of the post. 

Centre half Sean O'Riordan pointed from the right wing for Leitrim before a foul on  Murphy saw Darren Geoghegan fire over his fourth point of the half to leave his side trailing by 1-8 to 0-8 at the break. 

With only a deficit of three points to make up Louth were fancied to come through this encounter aided by the breeze in the second half.

Trevor Hilliard's side produced their best hurling in the second half of their last three matches but sadly on this occasion, they failed to raise their game to that level again.

The half opened brightly as they accounted for two early points from play from the hard-working Sean Flynn and Geoghegan. 

The latter tied up matters on 47 minutes from a long-range free awarded for a foul on Mark Gahan, 0-11 to 1-8.

Joe Murray and Darren Geoghegan exchanged the next two scores from frees to leave the sides all square with a quarter-hour remaining. Louth were unable to get any grip at midfield therefore limiting the chances up in the forward line.

Leitrim almost got through for a second goal on 60 minutes as the Louth defence cleared the danger at the expense of a 65-metre free which Philip Burgess fired over to give the visitors the lead again.

Conor Murphy almost got in behind the visitor's defence before being unceremoniously brought down 20 metres from goal.

Darren Geoghegan fired over to tie up matters again on 67 minutes to the relief of the home supporters. 

Sean Flynn was off target with a late effort before Murphy and substitute James Costello almost combined to set up a goal-scoring opportunity but the move was broken up by the hard-working Leitrim defence. 

The home side almost won it in injury time when centre half-back Leon Fox took the responsibility with a free from inside his own 45-metre line. 

With the wind in his back, his well-struck effort dropped agonisingly wide to the right of the post, with both sides content to settle for the draw.

Louth will make the trip up to the Abbotstown Gaa Centre of Excellence this Saturday afternoon March 1 to take on the exiles of Lancashire at 2pm in round 5 of this Div4 campaign. 

LOUTH: Conor Clancy; Andrew Smyth, Conor Quigley, Stephen Kettle; John Casey, Leon Fox, Sean Magill; Ben Goss Kieran, Adam Plunkett (0-2); Mark Gahan, Conor Murphy (0-1), Darren Geoghegan (0-8, 7 frees); Peter Fortune (0-1), Sean Flynn (0-1), Thomas McCreesh.

Subs - Aaron McGuinness Smith for S Magill (50), Sean Hodgins for M Gahan (57), James Costello for T McCreesh (63)

LEITRIM: Clement Cunniffe; Mark McHugh, Conor Hackett, Niall Crowe; Tommy Taylor, Martin Feeney, Adam Gavigan, Philip Burgess (0-2, 1 free), Joe Murray (0-6 frees); Dhani Keane, Sean O Riordan (0-1), Stephen Goldrick (0-1); Gavin O Brien, James McNabola (1-0), Paul Lenehan.

Subs - Micheal O Brien for T Taylor (41), Dean Earley for D Keane (57), Senan Keane for S O Riordan (70).

BOOKED: Louth - Ben Goss Kieran (29), Sean Magill (45), Conor Murphy (70); LEITRIM - None.

REFEREE: Conor Doyle (Tipperary).