Two goals in as many first-half minutes laid the platform for favourites Meath to cruise past Carlow in Portlaoise and through to the Leinster SFC quarter-finals.

Bryan McMahon saved Meath's blushes with a late goal to turn a potential disaster into a battling Leinster SFC win for the hosts in Navan.

It was the result most expected but Donegal's journey to the Allianz League Division 2 title was anything but straightforward at Croke Park.

Meath 2-12 Fermanagh 0-11

Meath snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to take a major step in their quest for a return to top-tier football with this victory in driving snow at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

There was a sensational ending to this fully-blooded Division 2 NFL encounter as a penalty goal from Barry Dardis in added time strengthened Meath’s promotion push at Pairc Tailteann.

Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days blared out over the tannoy prior to the start of this Allianz League Division 2 tie at breezy Páirc Tailteann yesterday and while that may have been a bit premature for the Royals there were some positive signs in this hard-fought victory.

Declan Bonner, the Donegal manager, commended the resolve shown by his young side as they came from four points down late on to overcame Meath in a frost-bitten Ballybofey on Saturday night.

The fare on offer from both side was well short of what will be needed to win promotion but it was Meath who were happiest at the end of this dour Division 2 tie at Páirc Tailteann yesterday.

Tyrone escaped from Navan with a narrow win and a place in the second round of the Qualifier series, squeezing out a courageous Meath side in an extra-time thriller.

Magnificent Longford’s long wait for a Leinster championship win finally ended when they created a massive shock with a thoroughly deserved victory over 14-man Meath before an attendance of 5,591 at Pearse Park yesterday.

Meath boss Andy McEntee expressed a mixture of delight and relief after his team boosted their prospects of avoiding the drop to division three following this polished display against fellow strugglers Down at Pairc Tailteann yesterday.

Kerry 2-19 Meath 1-14: Jimmy Keane is confident the younger members of his All-Ireland junior winning team will, in time, graduate to the county’s senior set-up.

Meath 2-15 DIT 0-10: Two third-quarter goals paved the way for a Meath victory in this O’Byrne Cup tie at Ashbourne last night. 

Coláiste Éanna, Rathfarnham 3 St Joseph’s, Galway 3 (after extra-time, Coláiste Éanna won 4-3 on penalties)

St Joseph’s College, Galway 2 Aloysius College, Athlone 1: St Joseph’s survived a second-half comeback from Aloysius College to secure the Connacht Schools "A" Cup in Eamonn Deacy Park yesterday.

Glanmire 79 DCU Mercy 72: Women’s U18 National Cup final: Glanmire were crowned Women’s U18 National Cup champions after a magnificent final at the National Basketball Arena on Saturday morning.

Armagh 8-13 Leitrim 0-10

London 2-11 Leitrim 1-13

Leitrim 0-13 London 2-07

Leitrim 0-13 London 2-7

Leitrim 4-19 New York 0-07

Leitrim 4-19 New York 0-07

Leitrim 1-11 London 1-09

Leitrim 1-16 Carlow 0-12

Limerick 0-11 Leitrim 0-09

Sligo 0-05 Leitrim 0-08

IN the decade since they last claimed the north Kerry senior football crown, Finuge have been repeatedly schooled in hard knocks.

PORTLAOISE won a historic fifth Laois SFC title in a row yesterday with a clinical second-half display against Graiguecullen.

Centre back Mick Fanning is expected to line out for Louth in tomorrow evening's All-Ireland SFC fourth round qualifier against Dublin.

Following a misfiring evening against Longford last weekend, Laois forwards Ross Munnelly and MJ Tierney have been dropped to the substitutes bench for tomorrow's GAA Football All-Ireland qualifier against Down in Portlaoise (throw-in 7pm).

Laois minor star Donie Kingston will make his senior championship debut for the O'Moore men on Saturday night against Longford at Pearse Park, throw-in 7pm.

UUJ 1-16 Garda College 1-14 (after extra-time)

UCC have named the same team that defeated Clare in the quarter-final for Sunday’s McGrath Cup semi-final against Kerry in Killarney.

Mick O'Dwyer's young Laois side have waited two years for revenge on Armagh, and it could finally come today when the sides clash in an intruiging All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park (3.30pm).

The temperatures may have gone down a few degrees in the past week but the heat will certainly be on for Derry, Laois, Monaghan and Tyrone today as they bid to make the last eight of this year's All-Ireland football championship.

BY Wednesday morning Mick O’Dwyer’s Laois selection of the night before had more holes picked in it than the plot of a Jeffrey Archer novel.

LAOIS selector Declan O’Loughlin is adamant that his team will secure an All-Ireland quarter-final spot if they can avoid a repeat of the slow starts that handicapped them so badly against Offaly and Dublin.

Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer has kept Brian 'Beano' McDonald in reserve for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC fourth round qualifier against Derry at Croke Park.

Dublin 0-14 Laois 0-13

Dublin and Laois - the two sides that have shown the most promise, albeit lacking a dollop of consistency, in Leinster this summer - go head-to-head in a mouth-watering provincial decider today at Croke Park (throw-in 3.45pm).

Laois manager Mick O'Dwyer has kept faith with the same players who thumped Kildare for Sunday's Leinster SFC final against Dublin at Croke Park.

Leinster champions Laois have recalled former minor sensation Martin Delaney to their starting lineup for Sunday's league clash with Limerick.