Louth fall just short in All-Ireland SFC thriller against Down

Louth’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship campaign suffered a blow in Newry this evening as they lost to Down by a single point in an exciting Group Three, Round Two tie.

It finished 0-25 to 0-24 in favour of the hosts at Páirc Esler, but the Wee County can take huge pride in a second-half comeback.

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Trailing by ten points at one stage, Leinster champions Louth rallied with several two-pointers in the second half to almost snatch it at the death. Down used the wind to their full advantage in the first half and raced out of the traps.

After just 15 seconds, Odhran Murdock had their first two-pointer on the board. By the 12th minute, they had already racked up 0-9 to Louth’s single point.

Louth struggled to find their feet early on, but captain Sam Mulroy’s frees and some tidy scores from Conall McKeever, Ryan Burns and Conor Grimes kept them in it.

Burns was particularly lively, kicking three points before the break to cut Down’s lead to nine at halftime.

Half time: Down 0-16 Louth 0-7.

With the wind at their backs in the second half, Louth came alive. Mulroy led the charge, finishing with a remarkable 0-12, including four two-pointers.

Craig Lennon, Tommy Durnin and Ciarán Downey chipped in with vital scores as the Reds turned the screw. Louth fired over three consecutive two-pointers to bring the game within a single score.

They got as close as one point multiple times in the final minutes. Downey made it 0-25 to 0-24, and Ryan Burns looked to have snatched the equaliser only for the umpire to wave it wide.

Down, to their credit, held on by their fingertips as Tommy Durnin's shot was blocked by Adam Crimmins after the hooter had sounded.

Ger Brennan's men will be disappointed not to come away with at least a draw after such a spirited fightback. They’ll now turn their attention to a must-win clash against Clare in two weeks’ time.

Full time: Down 0-25 Louth 0-24

Down: Ronan Burns, Patrick McCarthy, Peter Fegan, Ceilum Doherty (0-1), Ryan Magill (0-1), Pierce Laverty, Miceal Rooney (0-1), Adam Crimmins (0-2), Ryan McEvoy, Danny Magill (0-6), Odhran Murdock (0-5, 2tp, 1f), Finn McElroy, James Guinness, Pat Havern (0-6, 1tp, 1f), John McGeough (0-1).

Subs: Caolan Mooney (0-1) on for James Guinness, Shay Millar (0-1) on for Ryan McEvoy, Eugene Branagan on for Finn McElroy, Finn Murdock on for Ryan Magill, Conor McCrickard on for John McGeough.

Louth: Niall McDonnell; Daire Nally, Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny; Conal McKeever (0-1), Peter Lynch, Craig Lennon (0-3, 1tp); Tommy Durnin (0-2, 1tp), Ciarán Byrne; Bevan Duffy, Ciarán Downey (0-2), Conor Grimes (0-1); Ciarán Keenan, Sam Mulroy (c) 0-12 (3f, 2tp, 2tpf), Ryan Burns (0-3).

Subs: Dara McDonnell on for Bevan Duffy, Anthony Williams on for Peter Lynch, Kieran McArdle on for Conor Grimes, Paul Matthews on for Ciarán Byrne, Dylan McKeown on for Ciarán Keenan.

Referee: David Gough (Meath).