Lacklustre Louth pull through in the end
IT was far from the Garden stroll the analysts had forecast, but Championship football is a results business.
Louth’s stock dipped alarmingly at times as an unfancied Wicklow side threatened an upset at Parnell Park, but a few experienced traders ensured the market stabilised before closing bell.
Jim McEneaney and Declan Byrne were summoned when things got hairy in the second-half and they kicked two points apiece, while fellow substitute Ger McSorley also chipped in.
Five of the Reds’ last six scores came from the bench and it was only then that Johnny Magee’s gritty Wicklow outfit were forced to cut their losses.
Booking a quarter-final Royal Rumble was always the one and only priority, and in that sense it was job done, but it wasn’t pretty and Colin Kelly has issues to address ahead of the return trip to Parnell Park on Sunday week.
Chief among them is Louth’s half back line and midfield setup, which was a long way off the well-oiled engine room that drove the Reds to National League promotion.
There were mitigating factors, as sweeper Derek Maguire left for the States and dynamic midfielder Andy McDonnell went under the knife, while the loss of centre-half Liam Dullaghan midway through the league and then Declan Byrne in the days before throw-in has only compounded those heavy losses.
Anthony Williams’ departure after 12 minutes following one of the most clear-cut black card decisions any referee will face this summer, was another hammer blow and it left that important middle third sector virtually unrecognisable.
Having started at full forward, where he netted an early goal, Eoin O’Connor had to be hauled back into midfield midway through the first-half, and that switch was just as important as the introduction of McEneaney and Byrne later on.
The Pat’s man enjoyed one of his best days in a county jersey, certainly his most impressive Championship outing, and he was ably assisted by the equally brilliant Tommy Durnin and Bevan Duffy.
Between them that trio kept Louth’s head above water for long periods in a contest that could so easily have veered into ‘shock’ territory.
Louth’s bright start may have been another factor in the lacklustre display that ensued. Hot favourites before the game, racing into a 1-2 to 0-1 lead inside 10 minutes may have allowed complacency to creep in, if it wasn’t there beforehand.
The opening two points were typical Louth under Kelly, as slick and decisive moves were polished off by Ruairi Moore and Ryan Burns.
The goal was another free-flowing move, which concluded with débutante Darren Marks feeding Williams, who unselfishly squared to O’Connor to palm home a simple finish.
The anticipated avalanche didn’t arrive, and instead Wicklow had the lead less than six minutes later.
Mark Kenny’s 16th minute goal came directly from a poorly executed Louth kick-out and their fifth point could easily have been another goal, but Craig Lynch redeemed himself to tip over a fierce Darren Hayden strike.
But that still put Wicklow 1-5 to 1-3 up and they were good value for it, holding sway at midfield and looking relatively dangerous in attack.
In hindsight Louth were able to trigger the turbo at key moments in the game and the first of those came in the third quarter when they out-scored Wicklow by eight points to two.
Durnin and Duffy were immense during this period, persistently driving from deep to soften Wicklow’s cough.
The unerring Ryan Burns kicked two frees which were sandwiched by points from Paraic Smith and O’Connor and while Wicklow restored parity momentarily, another four-point burst from Rath, Smith, O’Connor and Burns saw Louth retire with a 1-11 to 1-7 cushion.
Again the expectation at the interval was that Louth would now kick on, but they only scored one point in the third quarter from a Ryan Burns free.
That left the door ajar for Wicklow and they barged right in.
Louth kicked five wides during a spell that saw Wicklow kick five points, so by the 50tj minute it was all-square again, 1-12 apiece.
McEneaney and Byrne were now in the battlefield, but there was a brief period after Wicklow had drawn level that they looked to have the momentum and confidence to kick for home.
But Burns effortlessly stroked over a ‘45’ before McEneaney and Byrne made it 1-15 to 1-12, giving the Reds some badly needed breathing space.
Wicklow weren’t quite ready to hoist the white flag amd they closed the gap back to the minimum with scores from sub John McGrath and a huge 55m free from ‘keeper Robert Lambert.
But that was where the Garden County’s challenge ended.
Both of McEneaney’s points were powered by his left boot and the second was both majestic and inspiring.
The Geraldines man then set up McSorley for a score with a quick free kick and as injury-time arrived, Byrne fired over the all-important insurance score, ensuring Wicklow would need two scores to win.
They had nothing left in the tank, but Bevan Duffy certainly did, firing over a score his performance so richly deserved.
Wicklow will feel a little harddone-by to lose by five in the end, but Colin Kelly won’t be fooled by the scoreline as he plots a shock against old foes Meath on Sunday week.
Andy McDonnell’s return can’t come soon enough for the Louth chief, but Byrne should return to the starting line-up and he may also look for a way to accommodate McEneaney from the start too.
A win over the Royals would see Louth’s stock rise even further, but there’s work to do in the meantime for Kelly and his team.
LOUTH: Craig Lynch; Padraig Rath 0–1, Patrick Reilly, Kevin Carr; Conal McKeever 0–1, John Bingham, Anthony Williams; Darren Marks, Tommy Durnin; James Stewart, Paraic Smith 0–2, Bevan Duffy 0–1; Ruairi Moore 0–1, Eoin O’Connor 1–2, Ryan Burns 0–6 (4f, 1 ‘45’). Subs: Darren McMahon for A Williams (11 BC); Jim McEneaney 0–2 for C McKeever (47), Declan Byrne 0–2 for R Moore (51), Sam Mulroy for R Burns (55), Ger McSorley 0–1 for P Smith (59), Kurt Murphy for D Marks (70+).
WICKLOW: Robert Lambert 0–1f; Ciaran Hyland, Stephen Kelly, Brendan Kennedy; Darren Hayden 0–1, Paul McLoughlin, John Crowe; David Boothman 0–1, Niall Gaffney; Darragh Fitzgerald, Dean Healy 0–1, Conor French 0–1; Mark Kenny 1–1, Sean Furlong 0–4 (3f), Paul Cunningham 0-3 (1f). Subs: Anthony McLoughlin for D Boothman (60); John McGrath 0–1 for P Cunningham, (60), Peadar Traynor for P McLoughlin (63), Rory Finn for M Kenny, (70). REFEREE: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).