Offaly bring Louth back down to earth
LESS than a week on from the heights of a derby win in Navan, Louth were dragged right back down to earth by Offaly in Drogheda on Saturday.
A six point defeat certainly doesn’t count as a hammering, but this was a game Louth never looked like winning.
It was evident on the eye that the men in red had possibly been through a hard week of training.
Manager Wayne Kierans alluded to the fact after the game. Pre season training can sap the legs of energy for a number of days. Like a car that struggled to start, Louth stuttered and chugged along in discomfort all afternoon.
The stodgy Drogheda pitch didn’t help with the fatigue endured during the week either. The surface combined with Louth’s playing style is becoming a significant talking point after every loss and a growing concern ahead of the league, with the Reds due to play there four times in the spring.
As the old saying goes, ‘they had to play on the same pitch as well’. But it didn’t prevent John Maughan’s side from bursting into a 4-1 lead.
Jason Dempsey, a recent call up from Bracknagh, the team that Mattock Rangers defeated in their first round of their successful Leinster run, opened the scoring with a fine point.
Offaly took advantage of Louth’s lack of zip in the early stages by pointing from long range or driving down the middle. Louth had plenty of men back, however, a failure to push out on the shooter showed a lack of intensity on their part.
Rhode pair Anton Sullivan and Ruairi McNamee found the target and wingback Eoin Carroll fired over the first of his three points. Declan Byrne with the wind at this back, brought the Offaly lead to one point with some superb ball striking from play and from frees.
When Tommy Durnin hobbled off the field a little after the quarter hour mark, the league became the priority and a stark realisation that this is merely a winter competition shot into focus for Louth management and supporters.
Ciaran Downey came in and made an impression straight away. The three-in-a-row Newtown Blues star added some badly needed energy to proceedings and duly landed a monster score on the run before Byrne made it six points a piece at the turn.
Byrne scored all but one of Louth’s scores in the opening half. Liam Jackson shone at half back, the Ardee youngster ran and worked the flanked all afternoon and soon Louth were in the lead for the first time in the game when Downey clipped an effort over the bar.
The lead was short lived however. Offaly upped the ante from that point onwards. Carroll added to his tally with the returning Michael Brazil pointing, the visitors scored 1-6 to no reply. A match winning sequence.
Anton Sullivan punished a miscued short kick out from Craig Lynch.
His first start and unsettled defence meant lines were blurred but Sullivan clinically fired to the net. The much hyped Cian Johnson then got free from Niall Sharkey for the first time to land a quick brace.
Impressive Eoin Carroll finished the spree with a gorgeous point from distance to make it 1-12 to 7. Game over. Shell shocked Louth finally got back down the field to find the net.
Sam Mulroy rounded the goalkeeper with a mazy run along the end line.
The Mairtin’s man added two more points along with Downey’s third in between very lively Offaly substitute Cian Farrell. The Edenderry attacker scored three fine points in a impressive cameo. The game petered out with Offaly manager Maughan using every single panel member listed in the programme.
Louth welcome Offaly back to Drogheda early next year. With a firm idea of what they will bring and two points on offer, the settings will be the same, but the circumstances will be entirely different. LOUTH: Craig Lynch; Niall Sharkey, Dan Corcoran, Andrew Mooney; Liam Jackson, Dermot Campbell, Oisin Murray; Tommy Durnin, Conor Early; Matt Corcoran, Paul Matthews, Conall McKeever; John Gallagher, Sam Mulroy 1-2 (2f), D Byrne 0-5 (3f). Subs: Ciaran Downey 0-3 for Durnin (16), Gerry Garland for McKeever (ht), John Clutterbuck for Matthews (48), Luke Haggans for Lynch(48), Sean Murray for D Byrne (53), Jack Murphy for Gallagher (53), Fergal Donohoe for Mooney (66).
OFFALY: Paddy Dunican; Declan Hogan, Eoin Rigney, Brian Darby; Eoin Carroll 0-3, David Dempsey, Niall Darby; Cathal Mangan, Conor McNamee; Jordan Hayes 0-1, Anton Sullivan 1-1, J Dempsey 0-1; C Johnson 0-2(1f), Dan Molloy, Ruairi McNamee 0-3 (1f). Subs: Shane Horan for J Dempsey (ht) Michael Brazil 0-1 for Molloy (ht), Cian Farrell 0-3 for C McNamee (48), Aaaron Leavy for Hayes (51), Colm Doyle for B Darby (64), Shane Nally for Rigney (66), Mark Abbott for R McNamee (68), PJ Daly for Carroll (70), Ian Duffy for Dunican (70), Bobby Mitchell for N Darby (70+2).
REFEREE: Keith O’Brien (Westmeath)