Louth set for Leinster semi-final challenge against Dublin
The Wee County continue their Leinster SFC campaign when they take on the Dubs at Portlaoise
Defending champions Louth continue their Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship campaign today when they take on Dublin in the semi-final clash at Portlaoise this evening.
Speaking ahead of the game, manager Gavin Devlin, told the Dundalk Democrat: “It's time of the season now, you see the turn of the weather and it's time of the season, you want to be playing football.
“When you start out your journey at the start of the year, these are the types of games that really whet your appetite, and you really look forward down the line and hope that things go the right way.
“These are the games you're going to be participating in. Everything's healthy, the boys are really looking forward to Saturday night in Portlaoise, and I'm sure the Dubs are looking forward to it as well.”
The Wee County saw off Wexford with minimum fuss in the quarter-final
“People would have predicted that Meath would have been in the other semi-final, and they're not; they fell short of that," Devlin said.
“People, pundits, and papers can make predictions, but you've got to get there. We had total focus on Wexford prior to this and due respect for Wexford as well. We had to go into great detail to beat them, and we did.
“We took every game, as we alluded to earlier, in the National League, every game on its own merits, one game at a time. Now it's the Dubs in the semi-final, and what a spectacle and colour that will be.
“Expect a fantastic following from both sides. Tickets could be hard to get for this game. For the public as well, it's championship football and these are the fixtures that everyone's looking forward to.”
The gap
Louth continue to progress, but teams such as Dublin remain the benchmark
“We feel that we're constantly trying to chase the teams in front of us and trying to close the gaps. They're not easy because no one stands still. Every team in the country is trying to move forward, and it's not easy closing those gaps.
“Dublin are still playing serious fast football at the moment. In the National League, they were very unlucky in several games. In many games, for me, they were probably the better team, but they came out just narrowly on the wrong side of the result.
“Unfortunately, a bit like Tyrone last year, they got relegated, and we feel very lucky about that.
“From transitional moments and in the kick-outs, they've still got that style about them and that zip and that cut. A pile of household names are still available to them.
Devlin is clear on how big the challenge is going to be.
“A lot of young ones, my sons, grew up watching and have all over the gym these faces. It's fantastic to go and put yourselves up against the Dubs.
“It's a fixture that I love playing, and I love going out and going up against the very best. So look, that's the excitement around Louth at the moment.”
History
Louth have not beaten Dublin in the championship since 1973, but the Tyrone native says that record will carry no relevance on Saturday.
“I don't think Pádraic Tinnelly or Tadhg McDonnell or any of them guys look at anything to do with all those years that they haven't won a football match against the Dubs. It's history.
“It's not a nice stat for the people of Louth. For a lot of those years, Dublin were beating a lot of teams up and down the country. They're a serious team at the top level.
“We take every game on its own merits. That's for other people to talk about. We just have a 70-minute game that we want to go in and be the best version of ourselves and go out and put in a really, really strong performance.
“The top teams, the top individuals, the top players find a way in the big days. We've been growing nicely in the background here and doing things that we feel is right. We're really, really looking forward to Saturday to go out and close that gap.”