Laois run continues against Antrim

Laois 1-12 Antrim 0-10

Laois continued their winning start in Allianz NFL Division 2 by beating Antrim in Portlaoise this afternoon.

Late points from Darren Strong, Gary Kavanagh and MJ Tierney put the seal on the O’Moore men’s second league victory.

Tierney’s fisted goal had the hosts 1-07 to 0-05 ahead at half-time, but they had Brendan Quigley sent-off just after the restart.

Paddy Cunningham spearheaded Antrim’s charge as they made it a one-point game, but Justin McNulty’s side produced the stronger finish.

Laois, who beat Westmeath two weeks ago, managed to win today despite failing to score for 27 minutes in the second half.

Tierney’s haul of 1-02 was crucial for the victors, while Cunningham accounted for six of Antrim’s points.

The sides were well-matched in the opening stages at O'Moore Park and were tied on four occasions inside the opening 25 minutes.

Rain showers hampered play approaching the break, but wind-backed Laois gained momentum by outscoring Antrim by 1-02 to 0-01 in the closing stages.

The unmarked Tierney was perfectly positioned on the edge of the square to fist a high ball to the net. A late point from Conor Murray closed the gap for the Saffrons to five points.

Quigley's dismissal threatened to derail Laois' charge for victory early on in the second half. Antrim scored four unanswered points during the third quarter to whittle Laois' lead down to 1-07 to 0-09.

But Liam Bradley's charges also struck four wides during their best spell of attacking play, and they came back to haunt them when substitute Paul Cahillane pointed to get Laois back on track.

Antrim were then outscored by four points to one in the closing stages with Strong, Cahillane, Kavanagh and Tierney copperfastening the win.