Pat’s survive huge scare

St Patrick’s, chasing a third successive Louth SFC title, were given a huge fright in the senior championship quarter-finals over the weekend.

Taking on intermediate league side, Ardee St Mary’s, the champions needed three late points to earn a 0-15 to 2-6 win.

St Mary’s were by far the better team early on, and weren’t flattered to be 1-2 to 0-0 in front after 10 minutes.

St Pat’s recovered some ground to be just one point down at the break, but a second goal 10 minutes from time put the challengers back in front. Any chance of a major upset was removed when county players Ray Finnegan, Paddy Keenan and Danny O’Connor chipped in with a point apiece for the holders, who now meet Newtown Blues in the last four.

In contrast, Cooley Kickhams sauntered to a 3-11 to 0-12 win over Naomh Mairtin, the bookies’ second-favourites doing all the hard work in the opening half.

Mairtin’s gave as good as they got in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the concession of three first half goals. Cooley meet the competition’s surprise-packets, O’Connells, who proved one point too good for Dundalk Gaels. After leading for most of the hour, they found themselves a point down in time added on.

But after drawing level, they snatched the winner right at the death, one-time county player, Mark Stanfield, guiding the ball over from an acute angle for a 0-11 to 0-10 win.

The last of the four matches was played in Drogheda yesterday, and resulted in a facile win for Newtown Blues over Mattock Rangers, 6-15 to 2-9.