Louth defeat Mayo in thriller to reach historic All-Ireland U20 final

Louth U20 footballers have booked their place in the GAA Football All-Ireland U20 Championship final for the first time in their history.

The Wee County dug deep to edge past Mayo by one point in a thrilling semi-final that had everything: goals, drama, and a finish that left hearts racing in scorching heat at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, Longford.

Adam Gillespie was the man of the moment as he punched over the winning score with less than 30 seconds left to seal a famous win for Louth and set up a final clash with Tyrone.

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Fergal Reel's side burst out of the traps early on, and just three minutes in, Shane Lennon hit the net after a slick move involving Tadhg McDonnell.

Points from Tony McDonnell and Lennon followed, and Louth were in control. But the Westerners didn’t go away.

They chipped away at the lead, and by the 22nd minute, they had drawn level, helped by some sharp shooting from Tom Lydon and Niall Hurley.

That’s when Man of the Match, Pearse Grimes-Murphy, stepped up. The St Joseph’s speedster raced through the defence and slammed home Louth’s second goal after being set up by clubmate Cormac McKeown. It was a crucial moment, and it steadied Louth before half-time.

Half time: Louth 2-5 Mayo 0-8

The second half was a tense affair. Mayo eventually got their noses in front for the first time after two two-pointers from Colm Lynch. But Louth refused to panic.

Grimes-Murphy responded with a two-pointer of his own. Then, goalkeeper Tiernan Markey stepped up to land a long-range two-point free to nudge Louth ahead again.

Still, Mayo hit back. With the game level deep into stoppage time, it seemed destined for extra time. But up stepped Gillespie to fist over the decisive score, and send Louth into an All-Ireland final for the first time at this level.

Full time: Louth 2-12 Mayo 0-17

Louth: Tiernan Markey (0-2, 1 2p); Micheal Reid, Cormac McKeown, Padraic Tinnelly; Tadhg McDonnell (0-1), Keelin Martin, Conor McGinty; Seán Callaghan (c), James Maguire (0-1); Shane Lennon (1-2), Conor MacCriosta, Pearse Grimes-Murphy (1-3, 1 2p); Adam Gillespie (0-2), Tony McDonnell (0-1), Darragh Dorian. 

Subs: DD Reilly on for Conor MacCroista (47’), Dylan Shevlin on for Darragh Dorian (52’). 

Mayo: David Dolan; Rio Mortimer, Paul Gilmore (0-1), Yousif Coghill; Hugh O’Loughlin (0-1), John MacMonagle (c), Colm McHale; Diarmuid Duffy, Seamus Howard; Oisin Cronin, Cathal Keavney, Colm Lynch (0-4, 2 2p), Darragh Beirne (0-4, 0-1f, 1 2p), Niall Hurley (0-2), Tom Lydon (0-5, 1f). 

Subs: Luke Feeny on for Oisin Cronin (38’), Daire Neary on for Cathal Keavney (41’), Josh Carey on for Niall Hurley (53’). 

Referee: Conor Dourneen (Cavan).