Minor Footballers overcome Louth Challenge

Pic courtesy Niall O'Connell

DUBLIN 1-15 LOUTH 1-10

Dublin finished on the front foot before eventually seeing off a determined Louth by five points in their entertaining Leinster Minor Football Championship Group 2 Round 1 encounter at Parnell Park on Wednesday evening.

The hosts looked well placed at half-time as they enjoyed a six-point advantage but there had been promising signs for the visitors throughout the first-half and it was of scant surprise that they fought their way back after the break.

Louth managed to trim their deficit to a solitary point by the 47^th minute but crucially, they never managed to draw level, allowing the Dubs sufficient breathing space to regroup and finish the game on a positive note.

Dublin could not have asked for a brighter start and after a period of patient ball retention, Noah Byrne sliced through the away defence before firing home despite the best attempts of Cian O’Donoghue.

Dublin added to their lead through a point from full-forward Harry Curley before Louth opened their own account through a free from their captain Adam Gillespie.

Gillespie was a constant thorn in the home defence, and he added two further points by the end of the first quarter, cancelling out a brace of points from the lively Lenny Cahill at the opposite end.

Dublin were unfortunate not to add a second goal in the 18^th minute as Paddy Curry showed great pace and awareness down the left flank but his rising shot cannoned to safety off the crossbar.

Alex Carolan and Curley added to Dublin’s tally as the half progressed with Gillespie adding a further two points for Louth before Dublin regained the initiative to finish the half on a high.

Joshua Young joined the attack to telling effect in the 28^th minute while Cahill and Patrick Coleman tagged on points soon after to leave their side with a healthy 1-9 to 0-6 interval lead.

An excellent Luke O’Boyle point within two minutes of the restart added to that margin with almost inevitably, Gillespie replying in kind for Louth by the 35^th minute.

Dublin restored their seven-point lead as Senan Ryan kicked a cracking point in the 40^th minute but it preceded a scoreless period of fourteen minutes as Louth assumed control of affairs.

A Gillespie brace and another point from Cormac McKeown was just reward for their efforts and the game was delicately poised at the start of the final quarter as Shane Lennon burst through before placing a precise finish across Cillian Murray on the Dublin goal.

That levelling score proved elusive however, as Cahill kicked a 54^th minute free to double his team’s lead and the Castleknock corner-forward added another score from play entering added time to leave three points between the teams.

Gaps were appearing in the away defence at this stage as Dublin took advantage through points from Curley and Cahill in the dying moments to complete a satisfactory conclusion to an entertaining affair.

Scorers – Dublin: L Cahill 0-7 (3f), N Byrne 1-0, H Curley 0-3, J Young, S Ryan, P Coleman, L O’Boyle, A Carolan 0-1 each. Louth: A Gillespie 0-8 (5f), S Lennon 1-0, C McKeown, D Shevlin 0-1 each.

Dublin: C Murray; S Keogh, C Emmett, J O’Sullivan; J Young, E Costello, R Mitchell; S Ryan, A Carolan; P Coleman, L O’Boyle, N Byrne; L Cahill, H Curley, P Curry. Subs: C McAweeney for Coleman (52), A Rock for Young (56), A O’Reilly for Ryan (60), B Kennedy for Byrne (63), C Johnston for Curry (64).

Louth: C O’Donoghue; C Farrell, C McGinty, K Martin; C McKeown, P Tinnelly, J Taaffe; C McGinty, M Reid; A Gillespie, S Lennon, P Grimes Murphy; L Brannigan, D Shevlin, S Flynn. Subs: P McHugh for Brannigan (half-time), J Healy for McHugh (56), R Matthews for Shevlin (60), L Buckley for Reid (60).

Referee: Kieran Olwell (Meath).