Louth defeat Meath in Leinster Football Minor Championship

Louth came through the wind and rain to emerge victorious in their opening round of the Leinster Minor Championship with this one point win over Meath in Skryne on Thursday night last.

Two second half goals from Meath’s Cormac Walsh had Meath set up for a home win. However, credit to this Louth team, who responded to every setback in this game by moving forward to throw back a few punches of their own.

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It was the John Mitchells’ Pauric Maguire who was the hero on the night, with a two pointer five minutes from time, which proved to be the crucial score, as Louth hung on for a win by the slenderest of margins.

In a game made difficult by the greasy and slippery conditions underfoot, it was always going to what has been recently described as ‘piggery’ with both sides fighting tooth and nail for the breaking ball in that middle sector.

The first half saw Trevor Giles’ Meath side come out on top in the early exchanges on the kickout front, winning 16 out of 24 kickouts contested in that first half, with captain Harry McGuirk leading the charge from centre half.

It was McGurik who got his hands to one such kickout before soloing down the field to slot over an equaliser for Meath early on, after Louth’s Rian McDonnell fired over an advanced mark straight from the throw.

Despite being edged out on kickouts, it was Louth who led the early exchanges on the scoreboard, and Eamon McEneaney’s side grabbed the next score in the 5^th minute through St Mochtas’ Conor Marron, a following a neat move through the hands involving Joe Lynch and Calvin Winters.

Harry McGuirk set up the lively Cormac Walsh’s second equaliser just before the 10^th minute. Even though they were dominant on kickouts, Meath’s profligacy in front of the posts meant they were unable to turn this supremacy into scores, finishing with 14 wides over the hour.

Moments after equalising, Meath almost bagged the opening goal, when a turnover in Louth’s defence saw forward Milo Stafford bare down on goal, but his shot was kept out thanks to a heroic block by Louth defender Ollie Walsh, who threw himself at the ball, which deflected wide for a 45.

Walsh’s block was not too dissimilar from the intervention by another Naomh Mairtin clubman, Sam Mulroy, who made a crucial intervention in the Louth senior’s NFL win over Kildare last weekend.

Louth regained the lead through a close range free from Connell Kelly, who were ahead by 0-3 to 0-2 by the end of the first quarter.

Both sides’ wastefulness in front of the posts, meant that it remained nip and tuck on the scoreboard, with Meath and Ardee Community School player Thomas Dillon equalising from play on 19 minutes, after a collecting Meath kickout.

Dillon’s Ardee SC colleague Pauric Maguire then found the range with his first two pointer of the night to give Louth a two point lead with 6 minutes left, in a move involving Calvin Winters and Connell Kelly.

Meath responded with a free from outside the scoring arc by Cormac Walsh to leave the sides level for the fourth time in this low scoring first half.

However, it was Louth who retired for the half time break with the lead, thanks to back to back scores from St Fechins’ pair Cillian Duff and Brian O’Neill.

Duff’s score came about following a move through the hands involving Tadgh McDonnell and Rian McDonnell, while Conor Marron teed up O’Neill for a score via his left foot, which gave Louth that 0-7 to 0-5 lead at the break.

Second Half:

Straight from the restart, Louth were asked a major question, when Meath’s Milo Stafford cut through the Wee County defence to tee up Cormac Walsh, whose shot dribbled over the goal line to give the home side the lead, with conditions playing their part in that major.

Louth keeper, Aaron O’Donoghue did keep Louth in the game with a splendid save from Meath’s Conn Brennan thanks to delightful Cormac Walsh pass.

However, once again Louth responded to the setback of Walsh’s goal, by equalising on 36 minutes through Joe Lynch of the Geraldines.

Louth were starting to turn the screw on Meath on kickouts, with the introduction of St Oliver Plunketts’ Mark Smith crucial to this.

Following a hard run through the middle, Smith steadied himself to kick Louth back in front, before Connell Kelly (f) following a breach, and Cillian Duff from play left the Reds 0-11 to 1-5 to the good after the third quarter.

But in a game where the momentum was ever changing, Meath got their hands to a Louth kickout, which saw Cormac Walsh collect a long ball over the top from Niall Rogan, before he slotted calmly to the Louth net to leave the sides level with 12 minutes remaining.

Moments later, Milo Stafford converted a free to give his side the lead, which was cancelled out by a Pauric Maguire free for Louth.

The winner of this game was anybody’s guess at this stage, with Meath regaining the lead when Alex Keane sett up Daire Loughran, who cut inside to kick over via the post, to leave Louth a point in arrears at 2-7 to 0-12 with six minutes left.

But Louth had one more punch left in them, and it was Pauric Maguire who delivered it. The Mitchells who had a similar effort blocked down moments prior, took a Finn McEneaney pass on the loop before kicking over another two pointer to give Louth lead again.

Cillian Duff almost sealed victory, when his effort for goal fizzed just wide, while Meath wastefully kicked a brace of two pointer efforts wide, as Louth held on to get their Leinster campaign off on a winning note.

Louth: Aaron O’Donoghue; Matthew Kieran, Jack Ruane, Ollie Walsh; Finn McEneaney, Calvin Winters, Conor Marron (0-1); Tadgh McDonnell, Ronan Duggan; Pauric Maguire (0-5) (2 tps) (1f), Brian O’Neill (0-1), Joe Lynch; Rian McDonnell (0-1) (1 mark), Cillian Duff (0-2), Connell Kelly (0-2) (2f).

Subs: Mark Smith (0-1) for Duggan (HT), Cillian McDonnell for Rian McDonnell (52), Anthony Traynor for McEneaney (57), Tadgh Rooney for Duff (60).

Meath: Cormac Fitzsimons; Ben Browne, Tomas Clarke, Niall Rogan; Liam O’Donoghue, Harry McGuirk (0-1), Naill Smyth; Alex Keane, Tomas Proudfoot; Cormac McKenna, Thomas Dillon (0-1), Conn Brennan; Cormac Walsh (2-3) (2f), Milo Stafford (0-1) (1f), Daire Loughran (0-1).

Subs: Jake Loughran for Keane (45), Harry Keating for McGuirk (59), Caolan Comey for Dillon (60).

Referee: Seamus Farrelly (Co Dublin).