Jackson’s strike swings thrilling clash Louth’s way

LIAM JACKSON was Louth’s matchwinner once again as the Wee County saw off Limerick in the Allianz NFL Division 3 final at Croke Park yesterday.

The wing forward found the net in the first meeting of the sides in UL that sparked Louth’s promotion hunt and his breathtaking goal on the counter attack swung the contest in this decider.

Louth topped the table but there was really nothing between the sides on the day apart from the goal.

Mickey Harte’s side laboured right up until the 54th-minute strike and opened up thereafter with Limerick unable to respond.

The goal came in the middle of a 1-4 run midway through the second half, Louth trailed by two points before the blitz and Billy Lee’s side could not halt the Wee County’s momentum as man-of-the-match Tommy Durnin, and fellow candidates Ciarán Byrne and Sam Mulroy clipped over points rapidly after the green flag was raised.

Limerick had looked to be edging the game up until that point.

Their influential full-forward Josh Ryan opened the game’s scoring from a free as the Munster side started that bit brighter. Adrian Enright typified Limerick’s good start with the first of two first-half points.

Louth kept in touch with points from top scorer Mulroy and Byrne but there was a lack of ruthlessness about their play and it showed in two missed goal chances from Mulroy and Durnin.

A sign of what was to come perhaps but Limerick and Hugh Bourke made Louth pay with two well taken scores as the Leinster outfit went 20 minutes without registering a score.

BOTTLED UP: Louth’s Tommy Durnin tackled by Paul Maher and Robert Childs

Limerick corner back Michael Donovan clipped over their fourth point in a row before Louth woke from the scoring lull thanks to a couple of Mulroy frees.

The Treaty men deservedly held a 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the interval.

Ryan began the second half like the first, except with two points from play instead of one. Still holding on to that one-point advantage, Louth dug deep and soaked up Limerick pressure.

John Clutterbuck found the range and Byrne, again, picked off a fine score.

With the game still up for grabs, Limerick failed to execute a simple pass, Louth corner back Dan Corcoran intercepted the ball and began the move that Jackson finished superbly to the bottom corner to decide the contest.

Shell-shocked Limerick, mustered two scores in reply from substitute Robbie Bourke as Louth cantered home in the run-in.

louth: J Califf; D McKenny, B Duffy, D Corcoran; L Grey ( E Callaghan 27), N Sharkey, C McKeever; T Durnin, J Clutterbuck (C Early 66); L Jackson, S Mulroy, C Lennon (T Jackson 25); C Byrne, C Downey, D Nally (C Grimes 59).

ScorerS: S Mulroy 0-6 (3f, 2 45), C Byrne 0-4, L Jackson 1-0, N Sharkey, D Nally, T Durnin, J Clutterbuck 0-1 each. limerick: D O’Sullivan; S O’Dea, B Fanning, M Donovan; C Sheehan, I Corbett, P Maher; D Treacy (T McCarthy 66), C Fahy (R Childs 17); A Enright, K Ryan (P De Brún 51), J Naughton; P Nash (R Bourke 49), J Ryan (J Liston 59), H Bourke.

ScorerS: J Ryan 0-3 (1f), H Bourke, A Enright, R Bourke (2f), Peter Nash 0-2 each, M Donovan 0-1. referee: B Griffen (Kerry)