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Roscommon Edge Past Louth in Thrilling Finish at Integral GAA Grounds

Roscommon Edge Past Louth in Thrilling Finish at Integral GAA Grounds

Roscommon Edge Past Louth in Thrilling Finish at Integral GAA Grounds
Roscommon Edge Past Louth in Thrilling Finish at Integral GAA Grounds

Ardee News and Sport Roscommon Edge Past Louth in Thrilling Finish at Integral GAA Grounds

Allianz Football League Division 2 – Roscommon 1-17 Louth 1-15

Roscommon battled their way to a hard-earned victory over Louth at the Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda, in a game that produced a dramatic finish. Despite a late surge from the hosts, the Connacht side held firm to take both points in this fiercely contested Allianz Football League Division 2 clash.

Early Setback for Louth

Louth’s hopes suffered a major blow in the opening minutes when All-Star Craig Lennon, who had opened the scoring, was forced off injured. His early exit disrupted Ger Brennan’s plans, and although the home side showed plenty of spirit, Roscommon gradually took control of the first half.

The sides were level three times in the opening exchanges, but a dominant spell midway through the half saw Roscommon score five points in a row, thanks to the ever-dangerous Murtagh brothers and a relentless press on Louth’s kickouts.

By half-time, Roscommon had established a commanding 0-10 to 0-5 lead, with Diarmuid Murtagh nailing a long-range free to underline their advantage.

Roscommon in Control, But Louth Fight Back

Louth, missing key forwards Ciaran Keenan and Ryan Burns from last week, turned to substitute Kieran McArdle in search of inspiration. The young attacker duly delivered with his first point for the county, but Roscommon continued to dictate proceedings, with midfielder Keith Doyle producing a towering display.

Doyle capped his superb performance with a crucial goal, palming the ball to the net to put Roscommon six points ahead with just eight minutes left. At that stage, it looked like the visitors were home and dry.

However, Louth refused to go down without a fight. Tommy Durnin’s strong fielding and Ciaran Downey’s long-range effort ignited the home crowd, and when debutant Val Leddy rattled the net with a thunderous finish, the deficit was cut to just three.

Sam Mulroy and Dara McDonnell added late points to set up a grandstand finish, but Conor Cox’s score for Roscommon proved enough to steady the ship, and despite Louth’s valiant efforts, they fell just short.

Scorers:

Louth: S Mulroy 0-8 (2ptf 4f), C Downey 0-3 (1 2pt), V Leddy 1-0, A McDonnell 0-1, C Lennon 0-1, K McArdle 0-1, D McDonnell 0-1.

Roscommon: D Murtagh 0-6 (1 2ptf, 1f), C Murtagh 0-4, K Doyle 1-0, D Smith 0-2, D Cregg 0-1(f), S Cunnane 0-1 (m), E Smith 0-1, B O’Carroll 0-1, C Cox 0-1.

Teams:

Louth: N McDonnell; D Campbell, P Lynch, D McKenny; C McKeever, E Carolan, C Lennon; T Durnin, D McDonnell; A McDonnell, S Mulroy, C Murphy; D McConnon, C Downey, S Reynolds.

Subs: T McDonnell for Lennon (3), P Grimes Murphy for Murphy (39), K McArdle for Reynolds (43), L Jackson for Carolan (49), V Leddy for McConnon (62).

Roscommon: C Carroll; N Higgins, P Frost, C Neary; B Stack, S Cunnane, J McManus; E Nolan, K Doyle; S Killoran, C Murtagh, E Smith; D Murtagh, D Smith, D Cregg.

Subs: S Lambe for Nolan (49), C McKeon for Killoran (52), U Harney for D Smith (57), R Fallon for McManus (Blood 57), B O’Carroll for Cregg (62), C Cox for D Murtagh (70).

Referee: C Dourneen (Cavan).

Looking Ahead

Despite the defeat, Louth can take plenty of positives from their battling performance, particularly their fighting spirit in the closing stages. Ger Brennan’s men will look to regroup as they prepare for their next challenge in Division 2, while Roscommon will take confidence from their clinical display as they continue their campaign.