Louth pull off fairytale comeback in Croker

LOUTH struck late and mercilessly to claim a stunning triumph at Croke Park, a victory that will live long in proud memories.

The Lory Meagher Cup was snatched away from the grasp of a Sligo side that led by 12 points at one stage, but which in the end just couldn’t live with the relentless ferocity and savage determination of a team of heroes from the Wee County.

A sensational finish to a drama-packed decider saw Diarmuid McCarthy’s side smash home three goals in as many minutes to turn the game on its head and spark frenzied celebrations among the men in red and their jubilant supporters.

No-one could have imagined the remarkable twist this encounter was to take when the Yeats county led by 3-6 to 0-3 late in the first half.

But Louth’s players made promises to each other during the break, summoned massive reserves of inner strength and delivered magnificently on the battlefield. This was a repeat of the 2008 Nicky Rackard Cup final, but this time it was to have a gloriously different outcome. It was the fifth time the Yeatsmen had appeared in a Croke Park final. They had made four previous appearances in the Nicky Rackard Cup final, but suffered the heartbreak of defeat on all four occasions, losing out to London in 2005, Sligo in 2008, London again in 2011 and Armagh a year later. It was an uphill battle for the Leinster men right from the outset, as Sligo eased ahead through Sean Kenny and Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch. Diarmuid McCarthy’s side was on the back foot for lengthy stretches, but sole solid defending from Brian Minogue, Roger Maher and Mike Lyons frustrated their opponents. There was much to admire in their approach work as well, but poor finishing was to prove a severe handicap, and they hit ten wides in the first half alone. Sligo were much more economical with their finishing, and after Diarmuid Murphy had struck Sligo’s opening point from a 65 metre free in the ninth minute, they fell further behind to scores from Brian O’Loughlin and Ronan Cox.

Skipper Shane Callan continued to work hard around midfield, but it wasn’t his day when it came to finishing, and the wides continued to mount, although Liam Dwan did add a point in the 18th minute

Goalkeeper James Connolly was twice called into action to deal with shots from O’Kelly-Lynch and Kevin Gilmartin, but he could no nothing to keep out O’Kelly-Lynch’s screamer in the 26th minute.

Sligo hit a further two goals before the break, Gilmartin springing past two defenders to rifle his shot top the net on the half-hour.

And less than a minute later, Kenny provided the pass for Matthew Davey to finish with power for a 12 points lead.

But Louth finished the half strongly, with Callan launching a long range score, and Murphy converting a ’65, but they had a mountain to climb at the break, trailing by 3-6 to 0-5.

To most teams, this would have represented an insurmountable obstacle, but a group of men made unbreakable promises to one another in the dressing room beneath the Hogan Stand that they would fight together to the last.

And that they did. Men with big hearts took to the field for the second half, and showed that they would willingly die for the cause.

Murphy, substitute Andrew Mackin and Dwan all steered over points to cut back the deficit, and although the men from the west were able to cancel out those scores, with Brian O’Loughlin hitting a couple of neat points, Louth were undeterred, and remained faithful to their objectives.

In a stunning 12 minute spell they hit 1-7 to give themselves control of their own destiny, and the course of the game was changed utterly.

Another sub, Seaghan Connelly, came in to make a big impact, hitting a point, with Murphy slotting four frees unerringly between the posts.

And in the 61st minute, Connelly slalomed past three defenders to fire home a brilliant goal.

The men from the Wee County were bursting with confidence and belief, and narrowed the gap to a single point in the 65th minute, but no-one could have predicted the drama that was yet to unfold.

Sligo dragged themselves up off the floor to strike defiantly, with O’Kelly-Lynch calmly finishing to the net for his second goal.

They were five points to the good with just three minutes to play, but still this Louth team refused to be beaten.

Roger Maher, Mike Lyons, Shane Callan and Andrew McCrave stood tall like giants and those around them responded magnificently.

Three goals in the space of four minutes brought them their rich rewards. First Dwan blasted a 20 metre free direct to the net, and when Mackin fired home goal number three, Louth led, remarkably for the first time in the game with 69 minutes played.

And in stoppage time, it was skipper Callan who clinched it with another brilliant strike. SCORERS: Louth - L Dwan 1-4 (1-2f), A Mackin 1-2, S Callan, S Connelly 1-1 each, D Murphy 0-7 (6f, 1 ’65); Sligo - G O’Kelly-Lynch 2-2, K Gilmartin, M Davey 1-0 each, S Kenny (1f), B O’Loughlin 0-3 each, K Raymond 0-2 (1f), R Cox 0-1

LOUTH: J Connolly, C Matthews, B Minogue, M Wallace, M Lyons, R Maher, A McCrave, D O’Hanrahan, S Callan, G Smith, N Stanley, D Kettle, D Murphy, L Dwan, P Lynch. Subs: N Cafferkey for Matthews

(27), A Mackin for Smith (h-t), S Connelly for O’Hanrahan (43)

SLIGO: N McGrath, R Redmond, J Kenny, G Feely, E Comerford, C Behan, L Reidy, R Cox, K Raymond, K Gilmartin, G O’Kelly-Lynch, B O’Loughlin, M Davey, C Brennan, S Kenny. Subs: F Cretaro for Gilmartin (61), M Gilmartin for Davey (66), A Morrison for O’Kelly-Lynch (69)

REFEREE: M Murtagh (Westmeath).