Ardee St Mary’s Begin Louth Senior Championship Defence with Strong Win Over Geraldines
Ardee St Mary’s 0-16, Geraldines 1-6
Ardee St Mary’s began their defence of the Louth Senior Football Championship with a commanding victory over Geraldines in a Group 3 opener at Stabannon on Monday night. While the final scoreline suggests a comfortable win for the reigning county champions, for a brief period early in the second half, Geraldines threatened to pull off a significant upset.
The sides were tied 0-6 to 0-6 at halftime, with Geraldines holding their own against the formidable St Mary’s. Just five minutes into the second half, the Haggardstown side struck for a goal, taking a 1-6 to 0-7 lead. At that moment, their supporters must have believed an upset was on the cards.
However, that was as good as it got for Geraldines. The Ardee St Mary’s squad, demonstrating the composure and experience of county champions, responded with nine unanswered points to secure a seven-point victory.
Geraldines, playing with the wind advantage in the first half, started brightly. Shane Rogers and Jim McEneaney gave them an early two-point lead. Ardee St Mary’s, undeterred, quickly leveled the score through Carl Gillespie and Seán Callaghan. The first half was a closely contested affair, with both sides trading points. A turnover led to James Craven’s long-range effort, putting Geraldines ahead again, but Ardee’s patient play ensured the scores were level at the break.
The second half saw a dramatic shift. Despite conceding an early goal, Ardee St Mary’s tightened their grip on the game. Geraldines managed just one score in the entire second half as Ardee’s defense became impenetrable.
Ardee’s sustained pressure paid off as they methodically chipped away at Geraldines’ lead, eventually pulling ahead through points from Dáire McConnon, Carl Gillespie, and substitutes Shane Matthews and Ryan Rooney. Although they missed a few goal chances, Ardee’s dominance in the latter stages ensured a comfortable win.
In the dying moments, Geraldines had one last chance to claw back into the game, but Gareth Neacy’s powerful shot was brilliantly saved by Ardee’s goalkeeper Tiernan Markey, who preserved the seven-point margin.
Ardee St Mary’s showed why they are the reigning champions, displaying resilience and quality when it mattered most. They will be looking to build on this performance as they continue their campaign to retain the Louth Senior Football Championship.
Ardee St Mary’s:
Tiernan Markey, Karl Faulkner, Eimhín Keenan, Conor Keenan, Noah Coyle (0-1), Tiernan Corrigan, Carl Gillespie (0-2), Robert Levy, Seán Callaghan (0-1), TJ Doheny (0-2, 1f), Tom Jackson (0-3, 1f), Kian Moran, Rónán Carroll (0-2), Dáire McConnon (0-2), Andy Murphy. Subs: Shane Matthews (0-1) for Coyle (40mins), Ryan Rooney (0-2) for Murphy (45mins), Josh Taaffe for Carroll, RJ Callaghan for Gillespie (59mins), Gillespie for Jackson (65mins).
Geraldines:
Sean McEneaney, Cian Farrell, Thomas McNamara, Tiarnan Hand, John McCrohan (0-1, 1mk), Dan Corcoran, Brian Cafferty, Michael Rogers, Gareth Neacy, James Craven (0-1), Jim McEneaney (0-2), Eoin McDonnell (1-0), Jack Traynor, Matt Corcoran, Shane Rogers (0-2, 1f, 1mk). Subs: Shaun Callan for Hand (44mins), Niall Brennan for McDonnell (47mins).