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Picture Courtesy Matthew Burke
DUBLIN 0-11 LOUTH 0-14
Dublin’s hopes of reaching the provincial decider were dashed as they fell to Louth by three points in their Dalata Hotel Group Leinster Under 20 Football Championship semi-final at the Louth Centre of Excellence in Darver on Tuesday night.
On what was a filthy night for football with driving rain exacerbated by an incessant breeze, Dublin opened up an early three-point lead but the hosts clawed their way back to lead by 0-7 to 0-6 by half-time.
Crucially, the hosts pushed five points clear midway through the third quarter with the goal required to ignite a Dublin comeback failing to materialise despite some late pressure on the Louth goal.
It was the hosts that threatened initially with Pearse Grimes-Murphy cutting inside down the endline in the 4th minute but Dublin goalkeeper Aaron Lee did well to block his low effort to safety.
From the resultant counter-attack, Luke O’Boyle opened the scoring for Dublin and that lead was doubled in an instant as Joe Quigley made light of the tricky conditions when curling over a ‘45’.
A second O’Boyle point, arriving in the 7th minute, was just reward for Dublin’s early control at midfield but the hosts gradually settled into the encounter as they opened their own account through an Adam Gillespie free in the 10th minute.
A brace of Tony McDonnell frees saw Louth restore parity by the end of the first quarter and they maintained that momentum as wing-back Tadhg McDonnell kicked an excellent two-pointed score in the 16th minute.
Dublin were in need of a settling score at this juncture but it failed to materialise and it was the hosts that added the next score as Tony McDonnell converted his third free of the half in the 23rd minute.
While Quigley ended a barren period of eighteen minutes soon after, Louth immediately restored their three-point buffer through Grimes-Murphy, as the hosts crucially kept their errors to a minimum.
The half ended on a positive note for the visitors as Quigley kicked two placed balls in quick succession, leaving his side trailing by the bare minimum by half-time.
With the elements deteriorating as the evening progressed, Dublin enjoyed a fair degree of possession in the early stages of the second-half but from isolated possession, Louth pushed clear through scores by James Maguire and Tony McDonnell (free).
Another Gillespie free in the 37th minute saw Dublin facing a four-point deficit and a Darragh Dorian point reflected the control that Louth were exerting around the middle third.
While Quigley offered some cause for optimism with a superb two-pointed score in the 40thminute, all his good work was undone before the end of the third quarter as Tony McDonnell fired over a brace of frees.
A second Maguire point in the 49th minute enhanced Louth’s position but that proved their final score of the contest as Dublin rallied with their season ambitions on the line.
Unfortunately, Quigley dragged wide in the 55th minute and Paddy Kelly was superbly denied by Louth goalkeeper Tiernan Markey four minutes later as the Dubs lay siege on the home goal.
O’Boyle and Quigley (free) brought them back to within three points but they ultimately had to concede second best to Louth for the second successive year.
Scorers – Dublin: J Quigley 0-8 (3f, 2 ’45, 1 P2); L O’Boyle 0-3. Louth: Tony McDonnell 0-6 (6f); A Gillespie (2f), J Maguire, Tadhg McDonnell (P2) 0-2 each; P Grimes-Murphy, D Dorian 0-1 apiece.
Dublin: A Lee; J Brady, D Murphy, E Brady; R Mitchell, C McMorrow, J Smith; S Hickey, S Ryan; C Burke, P Kelly, P Reynolds Hand; L O’Boyle, J McCarville, J Quigley. Subs: D Clark for Ryan (39), J McCormack for McCarville (44), R Doherty for Burke (44), D Kettle for Reynolds Hand (54), S Mullarkey for Smith (54).
Louth: T Markey; P Tinnelly, K Martin, M Reid; Tadhg McDonnell, C McKeown, C McGinty; S Callaghan, J Maguire; D Dorian, S Lennon, C Mac Criosta; A Gillespie, Tony McDonnell, P Grimes-Murphy. Subs: D Shevlin for Tony McDonnell (53), D Reilly for Dorian (56).
Referee: James Foley (Carlow).