League title an added bonus for Kelly’s Reds

WHILE promotion to Division 3 cleared the storm clouds that swarmed menacingly over Louth football for two long years, Colin Kelly’s rookies added a sweet silver-lining to their season at Croke Park in the Division 4 League final against Antrim.

Two late goals from Jim McEneaney and Conor Grimes might have given the impression of a smash-and-grab, but Louth completely dominated the second-half of an entertaining contest at HQ and, while they laboured to exert their superiority at times, they were well worth a four-point victory in the end.

Both managers gave the fringes of their respective squads a workout in the final league game two weeks earlier as neither side was giving much away ahead of the Croke Park decider.

On the same day the footballers were lifting the league title in Croke Park Dee McCarthy’s hurlers overcame 14-man Sligo in their opening Lory Meagher Cup assignment, recording their fourth win in five games.

Wayne Kierans’ minors got their Leinster Championship campaign under way with a win over Carlow in Netwatch Cullen Park. They survived a late scare as the hosts cut a 10-point deficit in half.

Louth ladies struck eight goals for the second time in the same season as they finished their League campaign with a win over Carlow at St. Nicholas GFC.

They missed out on the play-offs having finished joint fourth with Antrim, but lost out on the head-to-head rule.

Against the odds Meath secured their NFL Division 2 status on points difference thanks to a final-round 0-18 to 1-9 win over doomed Laois, with Mickey Newman and Graham Reilly leading the way.

The club championships got under way and 14-man Seneschalstown dug deep for their win over Rathkenny, but Graham Geraghty’s Duleek/Bellewstown shipped a 17-point defeat to St Peter’s and St Patrick’s went down to Donaghmore/ Ashbourne. St Colmcille’s had 18 points to spare in a five-star show against Syddan in their opening IFC tie.