JOHN SAVAGE
THEY trailed by eight points midway through the second-half, but Naomh Mairtin came within a whisker of keeping their Joe Ward dreams alive and wrecking Dundalk Gaels’ quest for a first county final appearance for 25 years.
After a number of semi-final near misses, the Gaels edged over the finish line with barely a drop of diesel in the tank at The Grove, but their muted celebrations and the classy gesture of a guard of honour for their opponents as they left the field, put everything back into context after a frantic, nerve-wracking finale.
On a poignant and difficult day for the Naomh Mairtin club, and the GAA community as a whole, the Jocks may have come up short, but their disappointment