Heartbreak for Louth U20s

It was so close but yet so far for Louth as they suffered a crushing defeat against neighbours Meath in the EirGrid Leinster U20 Football Championship final on Monday evening at Parnell Park.

Meath outclassed the Wee County despite their best efforts to land a Leinster title for the first time in over 40 years at this grade.

Man of the Match, Jamie Murphy and the commanding Eamonn Armstong were instrumental in the Royals win.

Louth showed flashes of promise through Tadhg McDonnell, Pearse Grimes-Murphy, and Kieran McArdle but they struggled to maintain momentum against Meath's dominant midfield.

Meath cemented their advantage through Armstrong’s opening goal on 23 minutes when he finished off a powerful run by putting the ball under Cian O’Donoghue and into the Louth net.

Fergal Reel’s side attempted to claw their way back into the tie with a couple of frees from James Maguire but it was Armstrong’s goal that was the difference at half time with Meath taking a three-point lead into the break. 0-6 to 1-6.

Grimes-Murphy registered the first score of the second half to give Louth a brief glimpse of hope but they received a sucker punch when Murphy fired to the net to leave the scoreboard 0-7 to 2-6.

Louth were unlucky in their reply when Grimes-Murphy's effort struck the bar and went over. Meath continued to defend their lead and control the game as their defence proved insurmountable.

The Royal County dictated the tempo until referee Dan Styles blew the full-time whistle for Meath to be crowned Leinster champions for the first time at this grade in over twenty years. Final score Louth 0-12 Meath 3-13.

Speaking after the game, Louth boss Reel had no complaints “The best team won” he said. “I spoke to their manager straight after it, shook his hand and said the best team won. You can’t argue with that.

“It’s probably a learning process for our lads and it will stand them in good stead down the road hopefully. We did marking during the week.

“A six-day turnaround is difficult, especially on a high last week against Dublin, it is hard to reinvent that six days later.

“We were in the game for long periods. I felt the second goal killed us but I’m not going to be using any excuses – the best team won at the end of the day.”

In hindsight, the manager understood that a more defensive approach may have reduced the deficit and potentially proved a different outcome but said the character of his team is to attack.

“We could have sat off and maybe lost the game by four or five points and a token but no, that’s the makeup of these lads.

“We went after it, we kept going after it, and then we gave away a third goal which was probably unfair in the group.” Reel said.

“There were incidents in the game where Pearce hit the crossbar, and Seán has one that just goes over his head at the throw-in.

“So, there are small things in it that maybe if they had turned for you and you needed all those things, but they didn’t and as I said we are where we are for now.”

When describing the feeling of dejection in the dressing room Reel praised his young side for their tremendous effort.

He said: “I have just spoken to the players, and they are heartbroken in there. They are an amazing group of lads, and I said that last week when we won and say it tonight when we were beaten.

“They are an amazing group of lads and there is nothing that I asked of them that they didn’t give me. The management team was the same, anything I asked I got.

“The support that I got from the county board has been brilliant. It has been a great experience for me to have worked with that group of lads.”

The manager recognizes the talent within the group and has no doubt some will progress to represent the county at senior level.

He believes learning from the defeat in the final will stand to them and they develop in their careers.

“As they move on to senior level a lot of them, I hope they take something out of it from what we have done this year with them.

“It’s a two-pronged thing you want to go on and win the competition, but you also must try and steer these lads into a position where they are fit to compete at senior level.

“And to have the experience and the know-how of playing against the Dublin’s and the Meath's at a highly competitive level to bring it on to the senior squad in the future.”

He finished by appreciating how good his opponents were and in particular the display of wingback Armstrong who had a superb game.

“They (Meath) are a big strong team. They probably targeted our middle area and they have done well then, they have Eamonn Armstrong who is an exceptional athlete.

“They have a lot of good players. They won the All-Ireland three years back and they won't be far away again. It wasn’t a ten-point game.

"I think we were a lot closer to them than that during the game. As I said we could have sat off them and seen it that way but that’s not the makeup of this group.”

Louth: Cian O’Donoghue; Fionn Tipping, Cameron Maher, Cormac McKeown; Tadhg McDonnell, Aaron McGlew, Keelin Martin; Dara McDonnell, Seán Callaghan; James Maguire (0-3, 2f), Liam Flynn, Darragh Dorian; Pearse Grimes-Murphy (0-4), Seán Reynolds, Kieran McArdle (0-5, 3f).

Substitutes: Ronan Deery for Tipping (18), James Rogers for Dorian (46), Conor McGinty for Flynn (50), Fionn Cumiskey for Callaghan (53), Shane Halpenny for Maguire (59), Tadhg Kellett for Martin (60).

Meath: Oisín McDermott; Conor Ennis, Seán O’Hare, John O’Regan; Eamonn Armstrong (1-2), Liam Kelly (0-2), Killian Smyth; Jack Kinlough (0-1), Charlie O’Connor; Rían McConnell, Rían Stafford 0-1, Shaun Leonard; Hughie Corcoran (0-2, 1f), Conor Duke, Jamie Murphy (1-5, 0-2f).

Substitutes: Conor McWeeney for Stafford (34), Tadhg Martin (1-0) for Leonard (47), John Harkin for Corcoran (57), Seímí Byrne for O’Hare (60), John Mannion for Smyth (60).

Referee: Dan Stynes (Dublin).