Longford comeback floors Louth
A RESURGENT Longford dashed Louth’s hopes of a Leinster Shield final date with Dublin, as the hosts squandered a nine-point lead in Ardee on Saturday.
The young Reds have lived life on the edge all summer, playing their part in some thrilling contests, and this clash was no different as the sides traded blows like heavyweight boxers throughout a hectic hour of football.
Round one definitely went Louth’s way, as they opened a 2-3 to no score lead after 17 minutes.
At that stage the home side appeared to be coasting, with full forward Conall McCaul inflicting most of the damage.
The big Joe’s man netted Louth’s first goal after just eight minutes cutting in from the left and blasting a fierce strike past Patrick Murray.
Cathal Fleming had opened the scoring with a point in the fifth minute and he plundered the Reds’ second goal on the quarter-hour mark, bravely forcing his way in front of the Longford ‘keeper and a defender to finish off a flowing move.
When McCaul found himself in acres of space and duly made it 2-3 to 0-0 a minute later, it was difficult to see any way back for Longford.
Crucially though, Louth could only muster four points over the next 30 minutes and that gave Longford the chink of light they needed.
They started by tearing a huge chunk out of Louth’s lead but hitting back with six points in 10 minutes, with no reply.
Louth eventually stemmed the tide with a couple of points from Craig Lennon and McCaul in first-half injury-time, making it 2-5 to 0-6 at the break.
But rather than crush the Longford rebellion those two late scores did little to upset Longford’s rhythm.
In particular, Louth had no answer to the dynamic duo of Eoghan McCormack and Keelin McGann who kicked 1-8 between them in the second period.
McGann fired over two quick points after the interval and an opportunist goal from McCormack reduced Louth’s lead to a single point in the 39th minute, 2-7 to 1-8.
Longford were now dominant and they briefly took the lead for
the first time through points from Cian Dooner and Reece Reilly.
But McCaul was still a huge threat too, and after being thwarted in a one-on-one with Murray first time around, he made no mistake moments later, latching onto a Ryan Walsh delivery and firing low past the ‘keeper.
But it was only a brief respite from the Longford bombardment and five points without reply in the final quarter from McCormack. Reece Leonard, McGann with a brace, and McCormack again in the final minute of normal-time, appeared to seal the deal for Longford.
But despite moving back to midfield for the closing minutes, that man McCaul had one final ace up his sleeve. punching home a high, hopeful ball into the square in the second minute of injury-time to level the match at 4-7 to 1-16.
Louth had two chances to regain their lead Michael Begley’s efforst drifted wide of the far post and Daire Nally dropped one short into the ‘keeper’s hands.
Not for the first time in this thrilling contest, Longford refused to accept their fate, which in this case would have been extra-time.
Instead they patiently worked the ball from defence to attack and the brilliant McGann finished off a mazy run with the winning score.
LONGFORD: Patrick Murray; Mark O’Neill, Dario Ciglianio, Cian Nolan; Darren Moffett, James Moran, Peter Dempsey; Jonathan Borland, Adam Quinn; Euan Finneran 0-1, Eoghan McCormack 1-4, Keelin McGann 0-6; Reece Reilly 0-2 (1f), Darragh O’Connell, Cian Dooner 0-3 (2f). Subs: Cian Belton for P Dempsey (46), Reece Leonard 0-1 for R Reilly (50), Cian O Nuallain for A Quinn (55).
LOUTH: James McGillick; Finbarr Lynch, Paul McEvoy, Bobby Butterly; Cathal Fleming 1-1, Ruairi Hanlon, Craig Shevlin; Tom Jackson, Joe Mee; Daire Nally 0-1, Ryan Walsh, Gabriel Bell; Craig Lennon 0-2, Conall McCaul 3-2 (1f), Sean Healy 0-1. Subs: Michael Begley for C Fleming (30 BC), Conor Quigley for G Bell (38 BC), Glen Stewart for S Healy (49), Patrick Johnson for J Mee (54).
REFEREE: Fintan Pierce (Offaly)