Louth's second-half comeback falls short as McCarthy and Beggan carry Monaghan over the line

Monaghan's Conor McCarthy and Stephen O'Hanlon tackle Conor Grimes of Louth. Pic: Leah Scholes/Inpho

Division 2: Louth 1-21 Monaghan 1-27

In a game of the proverbial two halves, Louth dusted themselves down and very nearly managed the impossible. However, the class Monaghan possessed in duo Conor McCarthy and Rory Beggan would not be denied.

Monaghan were coasting to a seventeen point lead before half time and one that they fully deserved and looked like adding to.

Yet, Louth, led by Sam Mulroy, showed resilience, cut the gap to three points with two minutes remaining and gave Monaghan a real scare.

Mulroy’s penalty sent Beggan the wrong way but it would be Louth’s last score of the thrilling second half.

Beggan would march down the pitch to slot over a two point free to withstand the Louth rally and go back joint top of Division two.

Club mate Conor McCarthy had the final say in a virtuoso performance to close out the game with a classy score. McCarthy the instigator in chief on Monaghan’s huge first half tally.

Gabriel Bannigan’s men were out of sight in the first half, coasting to a whopping and deserved seventeen point lead shortly before half time.

Straightaway from the throw-in late change Andrew Woods slotted over from a narrow angle to give an indication of the one way traffic that was to follow.

Mulroy would respond to level for the only time of the game as far back as the second minute of the match.

The visitors then had spells of dominance through individual moments of quality. The aforementioned McCarthy was majestical at times.

Pushing on the opposing kick outs, McCarthy was further advanced than the number seven on his back suggested.

Rapid to breaking ball and surging runs but his two pointer from the outside of his boot had the stand in Drogheda in awe.

The Ulster side stretched their lead right out to ten, 0-12 to 0-02 after twelve minutes, with a clinical show of shooting. The visitors only kicked one wide in the entire first half.

The impressive Woods notched four to his name, Stephen O’Hanlon the same and team captain and nephew of manager, Micheál Bannigan, also found the range in opening halves shooting practice.

Returning forward Conall McKeever and Ryan Burns did try to settle Louth but error ridden attacks played sweetly into Monaghan’s counter attacking game.

One of three shots into Beggans’ hands in a row saw McCarthy punish, with a menacing low shot to the net.

The score was the one Louth needed but nobody saw what was to come.

At half time Monaghan supporters could bask in the 1-19 to 0-7 lead, but Louth showed more than resilience after the break.

Before the short whistle, Ger Brennan sent out a message, he rolled out a quadruple substitution and one of the replacements, Paul Mathews, had a profound impact on the turnaround.

Midfielder Mathews hit four points in the third quarter but it would come down to Mulroy’s brilliance from placed balls that nearly saw Monaghan reeled in.

The hosts struck 1-9 to no reply to force the Farney to dig deep, Mulroy accounting for 1-7 of those successive scores. With the home crowd in a frenzy after the penalty, the classy Monaghan duo removed all doubt with the games last two scores.

Scorers for Louth: Sam Mulroy 1-12, (1-0pen, 5f, 3 2ptf, 1'45) , Paul Mathews 0-4 (1 2pt), Tommy Durnin, Conall McKeever, Conor Grimes, Daire McConnon and Ryan Burns 0-1 each.

Scorers for Monaghan: Conor McCarthy 1-04 (1 2pt), Rory Beggan 0-05 (2 2ptf, 1 '45), Stephen O’Hanlon 0-4 (1pt), Andrew Woods 0-4, Micheál Bannigan 0-3 (1m), Jack McCarron 0-2, (1f), Kieran Duffy 0-2 (1 2pt), David Garland, Ryan Wylie and Ciarán McNulty 0-1 each.

Louth: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny; L Grey, P Lynch, L Jackson, T Durnin, C Byrne; C McKeever, S Mulroy, C Grimes; D McConnon, K McArdle, R Burns.

Subs: P Mathews for Byrne (30), T McDonnell for L Jackson (30), P Grimes Murphy for McConnon (30), S Reynolds for McArdle (30), T Jackson for Grimes Murphy (68).

Monaghan: R Beggan; R Wylie, K Lavelle, D Byrne; K Duffy, R O’Toole, C McCarthy; M McCarville, G McPhillips; S O’Hanlon, M Bannigan, C McNulty; A Woods, J McCarron, D Garland.

Subs: B McCaul for McPhillips (44), J Irwin for McNulty (55), G Mohan for Garland (60), D Hughes for Irwin blood (65-68), Hughes for McCarville (68), S Mooney for McCarron (71).

Referee: Seamus Mulhare (Laois)