Louth seal Leinster semi spot with stunning second-half comeback win over Westmeath
BRIDGING THE GAP: Conor Grimes, left, and Sam Mulroy of Louth celebrate. Pic: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
In the end, it was the result that many anticipated but few could have predicted just how Mickey Harte's Louth would go about securing a first Leinster SFC semi-final place in 13 years.
Trailing by eight points at half-time, it looked as if the Division 2 side would be comfortably dispatched by Dessie Dolan's Division 3 outfit who looked all set at that stage for a return to Croke Park where they won the Tailteann Cup final last year.
But a spectacular second-half performance which saw Louth outscore Westmeath by 2-6 to 0-2 turned the game on its head and means Louth will return to Croke Park themselves next Sunday having recently faced Dublin there in the league.
Sam Mulroy, just coming back from a hamstring injury, wasn't at his best on the afternoon but still struck 1-4 and it was his 48th minute goal from a penalty that gave Louth real hope of a comeback win.
Substitute Liam Jackson then wiped out the deficit entirely with Louth's second goal in the 55th minute.
Late points from Conor Early and Mulroy proved to be the insurance scores though all is not lost for beaten Westmeath who still possess their free pass to the new All-Ireland group campaign as a result of last year's Tailteann Cup win.
Failing to secure promotion from Division 3 in the National League was presumably a disappointment for Dolan's side but, initially at least, it didn't appear to bother them as they surged into that big lead against the Division 2 side.
The Wee County set up in a typical counter attacking formation with Mulroy regularly their only player in the opposition half, with full-back Kevin Maguire on his shoulder.
Louth sought to hurt Westmeath on the break and they did carve out a couple of goal chances but Mulroy was twice thwarted in the 11th and 28th minutes by goalkeeper Jason Daly.
At the other end, Louth goalkeeper James Califf had plenty of success with getting his kick-outs away but his colleagues further out the field consistently failed to build on that possession with Westmeath dominant at the back.
At times, the Westmeath supporters groaned as they watched their own forwards run into the Louth defensive screen, forcing them to recycle possession back and forth across the pitch.
But it was only delaying the inevitable and John Heslin's 19th minute point, when he booted over from around 35 metres out after what seemed like endless hand-passing between Westmeath players, summed up their patience and how they went about their business.
That score moved Westmeath 0-4 to 0-1 clear and ex-AFL player Ray Connellan pushed them further ahead with a terrific point from distance two minutes later.
Louth lacked any sort of punch going in the opposite direction and found themselves facing waves of Westmeath pressure which resulted in points for Senan Baker, Luke Loughlin and Heslin.
The latter score from Heslin, a converted free in the 35th minute, came following a fantastic fetch in the middle of the field by Sam Duncan from a Daly kick-out which set the midlanders on the attack.
That put Westmeath into a 0-9 to 0-4 lead and they were boosted in the moments just before half-time by Ronan O'Toole's goal when he cut through the centre of the Louth defence thanks to a neat one-two with Ronan Wallace and calmly slotted low to the bottom left corner.
Whatever Harte said at half-time clearly did the trick because they were a different team in the second-half, full of energy and attacking threat.
Westmeath suddenly found themselves pinned back in their own half and only registered two second-half points in total, from O'Toole and free-taker Heslin.
Louth picked off the points in the third quarter from Mulroy, the excellent Grimes and Donal McKenny before Ryan Burns was fouled for a penalty that Mulroy carefully dispatched.
If left just three between them and Louth wiped out the deficit entirely when Jackson was fed by Mulroy and slammed in the equalising goal in the 55th minute.
The sides were level again 2-08 to 1-11 but late Louth points from Early and Mulroy did the trick.
S Mulroy (1-4, 4 frees, 1 pen); L Jackson (1-0); C Grimes, C Early (0-2); N Sharkey, D McKenny (0-1).
R O'Toole (1-1); J Heslin (2 frees), L Loughlin (0-3, 1 45); S Baker (0-2); R Connellan, S Smith (0-1).
J Califf; D Corcoran, P Lynch, D McKenny; C Murphy, N Sharkey, L Grey; T Durnin, C Early; C McKeever, C Downey, C Grimes; D McConnon, S Mulroy, R Burns.
L Jackson for McConnon & C Lennon for Murphy (h/t); P Matthews for Burns (51); A Williams for Lynch (61); C McCaul for McKeever (69); O McGuinness for Grimes (73, blood).
J Daly; D Giles, K Maguire, J Smith; D Lynch, R Wallace, J Gonoud; S Duncan, J Lynam; R Connellan, R O'Toole, S Baker; L Loughlin, J Heslin, S Smith.
C McCormack for Smith (51); J Dolan for Gonoud (61); D Seery for Wallace (64); L Dolan for Duncan (66).
James Molloy (Galway)
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