Louth ace first test under new manager
BORD NA MONA KEHOE SHIELD
THREE wins from three starts and a welcome piece of silverware for the sideboard...not a bad start for new Louth boss Paul McCormack.
The Reds repeated their group stage win over DCU St Pat’s at a cold and windy Darver on Sunday afternoon to claim the Kehoe Shield title.
It may not feature prominently in the history books in years to come, but it’s precisely the start the Armagh native would have been looking for and provides a solid platform on which to build for the National League and Nicky Rackard Cup.
His team were full value for the victory, despite playing a large chunk of the second-half with 14 men.
That aspect of the display, along with the fact that they survived a concerted DCU comeback will please McCormack most on a day when rookie corner forward Darren Geoghegan helped himself to nine points.
The Naomh Moninne youngster has starred on underage teams all the way through the ranks and even after just three games with the big boys he looks set to continue that eye-catching progression with the senior squad.
Louth started with the hefty breeze at their backs and they did make it count, opening up a 1-11 to 0-5 interval cushion.
Pat’s opened the scoring through Murtha Doyle, but Geoghegan signalled his intent, firing over three quickfire point, two frees sandwiching a sweet strike from play.
Jamie McDonnell added another and when Seaghan Conneally kicked to an empty net after a mix-up in the DCU defence, Louth were firmly in control.
David Kettle joined in the scoring with a brace to extend Louth’s lead to eight points, but DCU’s Jamie Byrne started a one-man mission to drag the students back into the game with four points on the spin, cutting their deficit in half.
But mindful of the need to build up a solid half-time lead, Louth kicked on again and it was Geoghegan who provided the edge up front, matching Byrne’s feat of four points in a row.
Cathal Minogue closed out the first-half scoring with an injury-time point and leaving nine between the sides as they headed toward the warm embrace of the Darver clubhouse.
Geoghegan picked up where he left off straight after the break, but the inevitable DCU rally duly arrived thereafter and losing Darren O’Hanrahan to a straight red card didn’t help Louth’s cause.
The visitors rattled off eight points in a row without reply, but it did take them 22 minutes to do so.
Jamie Byrne was again their go-to-guy, but Billy Murphy, Tiarnan Lane and Cian O’Flaherty chipped in too, cutting the gap to two, 1-15 to 0-13.
McCormack showed that he can think on his feet by dropping Conneally back into midfield and generally getting more bodies around the middle to third to counteract the loss of O’Hanrahan and it slowly paid dividends as Louth began to regain a foothold.
James Costello brought a long scoreless spell to an end and while Jamie Byrne responded straight away, it was Louth 14-man who got the bit between their teeth and kicked for home.
A Geoghegan brace gave them a bit of breathing space and James Costello’s second point of the day made it 1-16 to 0-14 and seemed to quell DCU’s resistance.
In the dying minutes David Kettle, with his third of the match, and Conor Deane made absolutely certain with a point apiece.
Louth enjoyed the presentation, but the celebrations were restrained too, knowing full well of the step up that will be required when they face Roscommon in the Allianz League opener on Pictures: Ken Finegan Sunday week.
But every journey starts with a few small steps.
LOUTH: Stephen Kettle; Gerard Smyth, Andrew McCrave; James Costelloe 0-2, Darren O’Hanrahan; Jamie McDonnell 0-1, David Kettle 0-3, Cathal Minogue 0-1; Pádraig Cunningham, Seaghan Connelly 1-0, Darren Geoghegan 0-9 (6f, 1 65’). Subs: Conor Deane 0-1 for J McDonnell (26), Darren Stephenson for P Cunningham (30), Feidhlim Joyce for G Smyth (60), Ricky McKeon for P Challoner (70).
DCU/ST. PAT’S: Diarmuid Byrne; Eoghan Mulligan, Cathal Caverley, Joe Redmond; Jack Doyle 0-1, Dean Whelan, Nick Doyle; Tiernan Lane 0-1, Liam Pender; David McCormack, Jamie Byrne 0-9 (4f), Bill Murphy 0-1f; Cian O’Flaherty 0-1, Murtha Doyle 0-1, Diarmuid Fenlon.
REFEREE: Barry Nea (Westmeath)