‘We didn’t show up’

THIS time, there was no controversy wrapping itself around Louth’s demise, only the same old regrets and the realisation that, once again, they were the architects of their own downfall.

As had been the case against Meath, Louth stuttered to a debilitating start, one that allowed Dublin canter into an early lead, but there was to be no second-half Lazarus act, only a limp shuffle towards the exit door.

“We didn’t show up at all in the first half,” agreed manager Peter Fitzpatrick. “I thought Dublin were fantastic. They crowded midfield and we couldn’t get going. They gave us a lesson in football in the first-half. I thought we played a lot better in the second half when we scored 10 points.