MEATH AIM TO ESCAPE DROP - HELPED BY VICTORY OVER LOUTH THIS SUNDAYY
Clare 3-12 Louth 1-11
SPRING finally turned up at a sun-kissed Cusack Park on Sunday afternoon, but Louth’s winter of discontent is showing no sign of a let up.
Making a good start was one of the main objectives heading to Ennis, but a Louth player hadn’t even touched the ball before Jamie Malone latched onto a quick free by Gary Brennan and gave Craig Lynch no chance with a fierce strike to the roof of the net.
Sod’s law. Thereafter, Louth found themselves in the all too familiar position of chasing the game, but after looking like they might make a fist of it, further goals from Keelan Sexton on the halfhour and Kieran Malone in the final minute of the first-half put the issue beyond all doubt by half-time.
And Louth’s response to the first goal made that late collapse all the more frustrating for Pete McGrath and his players.
They matched the home side for the majority of the first-half, starting with a well-worked Declan Byrne point a minute after the Clare goal.
Clare came again with points from Cathal O’Connor and Eoin Cleary, but A Ryan Burns free followed by a Conor Grimes point from play made it 1-2 to 0-3.
That early goal seemed destined to separate the sides as Andy McDonnell responded to a couple of Cleary frees to leave Louth trailing by 1-4 to 0-4, but another item on Louth’s to-do list fell by the wayside in the run-in to half-time.
Pete McGrath has preached often about letting opponents get a run on his team and that’s exactly what Clare did in the third quarter, plundering 2-3 and
conceding just two points at the other end.
Kieran Malone and Cleary, from a free extended their lead to five points, but Louth coughed up another cheap goal on 30 minutes when Clare capitalised on a poor kick-out by Craig Lynch and worked the ball swiftly forward for Keelan Sexton to slap home at the far post.
Louth had genuine claims that Sexton actually caught the ball and threw it to the net but Derek O’Mahoney didn’t want to know and a game that had already been slipping away from the visitors was now disappearing fast over the horizon.
Louth tried to steady the ship again and were rewarded with points from substitute Ross Nally and Bevan Duffy, but if the outcome was in any doubt at that stage, a third Clare goal, dispatched by Kieran Malone, made it 3-7 to 0-6 at the break.
The game might have been beyond Louth as the second-half got underway, but after drawing a blank in the goal column for five consecutive games, it was still a relief to see Tommy Durnin force an improvised finish past Eamonn Tubridy after two minutes.
Andy McDonnell was at the centre of most of Louth’s attacking play in the second period and when his ball forward was fumbled by William Woods, Durnin picked up the break and somehow managed to squeeze the ball into the bottom corner under considerable pressure.
It was never going to a trigger a full-blown comeback, but the goal did seem to inject a fresh impetus into Louth’s display and with the sides kicking five points apiece thereafter, they could at least say they edged the second-half scoring.
McDonnell, Byrne and Durnin were on target for Louth before sub Tadhg McEnaney helped himself to a couple of late points.
But Clare always looked comfortable, responding when they needed to, and Louth had Craig Lynch to thank for a couple of superb saves midway through the half.
Similar to the defeat in Cork there were small crumbs of comfort for the Reds in that second period, but they will need a vastly improved display to avoid seven straight defeats when Meath come calling this weekend.
The Royals still need a point to be absolutely sure of avoiding relegation, but while it looked for a time like Andy McEntee’s side might be in a spot of bother, it would now seem that Pete McGrath’s native Down will be joining Louth in Division 3 next term.