‘Long’ road ahead for Louth after tame exit
AS Louth officials begin the search for a new county manager, the obvious question now facing potential candidates is whether the job is as attractive a proposition as it was just eight short weeks ago?
At that stage Louth were heading for Croke Park for a Division 3 League final joust with Tipperary, still basking in the glow of backto-back promotions.
The three-goal defeat to Tipp was brushed off as a bad day at the office, but in hindsight it was the start of a steep decline in the Wee County’s fortunes.
Shipping six goals to Westmeath, albeit in a challenge match, was a concern. Since then the Reds have struggled to shake off Division 4 strugglers Wicklow, and suffered nine and eight-point defeats to Meath and Longford respectively, finishing with just 12 men on the pitch against the latter.
The hope is that the spring offensive simply took too much out of young minds and legs, and wasn’t merely a flash in the pan.
Kildare’s routine dispatch of Meath on Saturday provided a depressing perspective on Louth’s defeat to their neighbours two weeks ago, and they barely laid a glove on a Longford side that were scrapping for their lives until the last round of fixtures in Division 3.
While the loss of Derek Maguire has proven a huge handicap, both defensively and offensively, the Reds have struggled in pretty much every facet of the game in their summer assignments.
There can be no doubt that if their form over the last six to eight weeks continues into next season, Louth’s stay in the second tier will be brief.
Longford may have been the team at the wrong end of the Division 3 table in March and April, but it didn’t look that way on Saturday.
When the sides met in February, Louth were the better team for most of the game, but they didn’t put the midlanders away, and almost paid the price as a late rally fell just short.
But Longford looked the fitter, sharper and more skilful outfit on Saturday and they certainly didn’t have any problem putting their hosts away in a 25-minute spell either side of half-time
It was clear Louth were in trouble from as early as the 15th minute as Longford opened a 0-3 to 0-1 lead.
Michael Quinn opened the scoring and the elusive Robbie Smyth added a brace either side of a James Califf free for Louth.
The home side enjoyed a brief spell in ascendency and three points in four minutes gave them the lead for the first and only time in the match.
John Bingham popped up on the end of a good move to execute the Reds’ first point from play on 15 minutes and when Califf added a free and then a point from play, it looked like Louth might have weathered Longford’s early storm.
But David McGivney restored parity and Liam Connerton edged Longford back in front.
The sides were level again following a trademark Jim McEneaney raker from the left, but Longford turned the screw in the run-in to half-time, kicking four points without reply.
After opening his account with two points from play, Smyth demonstrated his superb deadball skills, kikcing long and shortrange frees and rounding it off with an audacious sideline kick from under the stand in injury-time.
Corner back Barry Gilleran also weighed in with a point as Longford’s late flourish saw them adjourn with a 0-9 to 0-5 lead at the interval.
It probably should have been more, but Longford put that right straight after the restart, carving out a goal chance after a minute of play, which led to Anthony Williams being penalised for handling on the ground in the square.
Liam Connerton stepped up for the spot kick and gave Craig Lynch no chance.
Ryan Burns made an immediate impact, pointing with his first touch and when Eoin O’Connor started and finished a fine move with a neat, low finish, Louth appeared to have grasped a lifeline.
But Longford snatched it away almost as swiftly, kicking four points without reply for the second time in the match to open a 1-13 to 1-6 advantage.
They lost Smyth to second yellow card moments later, but the jury was very much out on whether Louth were playing well enough to take advantage.
It soon became a moot point as after substitute Tommy Durnin and John Bingham pulled two points back, Durnin was also sent-off on a double yellow. It was an eventful 10-minute cameo from the Westerns man who was booked twice, sent-off and scored a point after being rather harshly dropped in the first place.
With the numbers evend up again, Longford put the issue beyond all doubt a minute later when Barry McKeon blasted past Lynch to make it 2-13 to 1-8.
Burns and Larry Moran and then John Keegan and Ger McSorley traded last scores, but the only drama remaining was the double dismissal of Patrick Reilly and Burns.
Reilly was in the process of being shown a second yellow when the umpires alerted Noel Mooney’s attention to the Burns’ incident.
The clealry frustrated Hunterstown man appeared to fire the ball in the direction of an umpire at the Hospital end and after a brief consultation, the Cavan whistler produced a straight red card.
It summed up an awful evening for Louth and with Kelly stepping down the following morning, it’s back to the drawing board for Wee County chiefs.
It would seem likely that more will come out in the wash regarding the resignation over the coming weeks and months.
It was no secret that Kelly’s relationship with the county board was often strained and an impasse seemed to develop in the build-up to the championship that clearly couldn’t be mended.
LOUTH: C Lynch; P Rath, J Bingham (0-2), K Murphy; J Stewart, D McMahon, A Williams; J Califf (0-3, two frees), A McDonnell; R Moore, P Smith, B Duffy; P Reilly, E O’Connor, J McEneaney (0-1). Subs: D Byrne for Stewart (28), A Reid for Murphy (37), T Durnin (0-1) for Smith (40), R Burns (0-2, one free) for Moore (40), G McSorley (0-1 free) for McEneaney (46), D Crilly for Califf (55),
LONGFORD: P Collum; D Brady, P McCormack, B Gilleran (0-1); D McElligott, M Quinn (0-1), D Reynolds (0-1); J Keegan (0-1), D McGivney (0-2 frees); D Masterson, J McGivney, D Mimnagh; R Smyth (0-7, four frees, one sidleline), L Connerton (1-1, 1-0 pen), B McKeon (1-0). Subs: A Farrell for Gilleran (62), L Moran (0-1) for J McGivney (65), C Berry for for McGivney (67), C Farrelly for McKeon (70), P McGee for D Reynolds (70+1), R Brady for D Brady (70+5).
REFEREE: N Mooney (Cavan).