Louth march into third straight Leinster SFC final after win over Kildare
Louth 1-18 Kildare 0-18
Louth senior footballers' are heading back to the Leinster SFC final for the third year in a row after a thrilling win over Kildare at Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore, this afternoon.
Despite a shaky start, during which Kildare raced into a five-point lead, Louth showed real character to claw their way back into the game, taking full advantage of the breeze in the first half.
The return of captain Sam Mulroy made a huge difference, and he led by example, hitting some vital scores at key moments.
It was the Lilywhites who got off to the quicker start, with Alex Beirne and Darragh Kirwan on target as they opened up an early 0-6 to 0-1 lead.
Louth struggled for the opening ten minutes, missing a few early chances. But once Craig Lennon and Ryan Burns found their range, the game started to turn.
Mulroy landed a superb two-point free from distance to really lift the Wee County spirits, and by the 22nd minute, the gap was down to one.
Conall McKeever’s goal just before half-time, after good work from Peter Lynch, Craig Lennon, and Kieran McArdle, put Louth firmly in control. At the break, Ger Brennan's men led 1-11 to 0-10.
The second half wasn’t without its nervy moments. Kildare kept pushing, and with Beirne and Kirwan chipping away at the lead, it was tight heading into the final stages.
However, the Reds always found an answer. All-star Lennon kept his cool with some fine points, while the likes of Burns and McArdle stepped up when needed.
Niall McDonnell pulled off two huge saves to deny Kildare a goal that could have swung the game.
With the clock ticking down, Tommy Durnin landed a monster two-pointer from distance to seal the win and send the Louth fans into celebration mode.
It finished 1-18 to 0-18, with Louth now setting their sights firmly on another crack at Leinster glory where they will play northeast rivals Meath at Croke Park in two weeks.
Louth: Niall McDonnell; Craig Lennon (0-4), Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny (0-1); Diare Nally, Peter Lynch, Conall McKeever (1-0); Tommy Durnin (0-2, 1tp), Andy McDonnell; Paul Mathews, Ciarán Downey, Conor Grimes; Kieran McArdle (0-1), Sam Mulroy (c) (0-7, 2f, 2tp)), Ryan Burns (0-3).
Subs: Dara McDonnell on for Paul Mathews (42’), Dylan McKeown on for Ryan Burns (58’), Emmet Carolan on for Dermot Campbell (58’), Liam Jackson on for Andy McDonnell (60’), Conor Branigan on for Conor Grimes (67’).
Kildare: Cian Burke; Ryan Burke (0-1), Mark Dempsey, Brian Byrne; Tommy Gill, David Hyland, James McGrath; Kevin Feely (c), Callum Bolton (0-1); Colm Dalton (0-2), Alex Beirne (0-6, 3f), Ben McCormack; Ryan Sinkey (0-1), Darragh Kirwan (0-5, 1f), Brian McLoughlin (0-1).
Subs: Cathal Hagney on for Callum Bolton (HT), Niall Kelly on for Ben McCormack (43’), Jimmy Hyland on for Ryan Sinkey (54’), Ryan Houlihan on for Tommy Gill (65’), Kevin Flynn on for James McGrath (69').
Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry).