Lethal Laois spoil Leitrim trip

What’s rare is wonderful and even a Division 4 league final offered sufficient cause for Leitrim supporters to travel to Dublin on Easter Saturday, bringing hopes of a rare piece of silverware. But they were shot down by Laois’ superior scoring power.

Laois led 1-7 to 0-6 at the interval, despite shooting seven wides to just one from Leitrim. And a second goal after Evan O’Carroll won a Leitrim kickout and fed the finisher, Eoin Lowry, put paid to Leitrim’s prospects, opening up a six-point lead in the 48th minute.

Leitrim had hit a decent streak shortly before Lowry’s goal, scoring three unanswered points from five down, but the concession of a second goal was devastating. Barry McNulty had a half goal chance in the 57 th minute but found himself crowded out and the Laois victory was put beyond doubt when the impressive Lowry hit a delightful kick pass to Paul Kingston, who scored a third goal in the 62nd minute.

The Connacht side had a score after 13 seconds from the lively Riordan O’Rourke, who soon doubled his tally, while his cousin Ryan O’Rourke kicked two beautiful scores in the first half and Mark Plunkett had another tidy finish with the breeze.

But Laois were more dexterous in attack with the main threat being O’Carroll, who scored four firsthalf points, and finished with six and the man-of-the-match award.

Laois made no mistake in the 18th minute after the teams were level three times in the opening quarter. A loss of concentration allowed O’Carroll to pick out Shaun Fitzpatrick unmarked and he laid the ball across the Leitrim goal where the busy corner-back Ben Dempsey flicked into the net.

The last score of the half went to O’Carroll, converting the free he’d earned in injury-time. Leitrim ’keeper O’Donnell was his side’s top scorer with three points.

Leitrim can still look forward to life in Division 3 next year and must move on with Sligo visiting Carrick-on-Shannon in the Connacht football championship next Sunday.

Scorers — Laois: E O’Carroll 0-6 (3f); P Kingston, E Lowry 1-2 each; B Dempsey 1-0; M Barry 0-2; R Murphy, K Lillis (m) 0-1 each.

Leitrim: N O’Donnell 0-3 (1f, 1 45); Ryan O’Rourke, Riordan O’Rourke 0-2 each; M Plunkett, B McNulty 0-1 each.

Laois: K Roche; B Dempsey, S Lacey, J Kelly; E Buggie, M Timmons, B Byrne; K Lillis, D Larkin; K Swayne, E Lowry, S Fitzpatrick; M Barry, E O’Carroll, P Kingston. Subs: S Fingleton for Byrne (52), C Heffernan for Lillis (62), R Murphy for Kingston (63), N Dunne for Fitzpatrick (64), M Dempsey for Swayne (66).

Leitrim: N O’Donnell; C Reynolds, M Diffley, A Flynn; D Wrynn, D Casey, J Foley; J Gilheany, P Dolan; M Plunkett, D Rooney, B McNulty; T Prior, Ryan O’Rourke, Riordan O’Rourke.

Subs: E Sweeney for Reynolds (20), P Keaney for Prior (42), S Quinn for Riordan O’Rourke (51), A Reynolds for Casey (inj 61), J Rooney for Flynn (67).

Referee: T Murphy (Galway).