Louth finally push past Laois to claim Leinster semi-final spot

SEMI-FINAL BOOKED: Ger Brennan’s Louth moved within 70 minutes of a third consecutive Leinster final appearance with a hard-earned defeat of Laois in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Leinster SFC quarter-final: Laois 0-17 (0-0-17) Louth 2-16 (2-0-16)

Ger Brennan’s Louth moved within 70 minutes of a third consecutive Leinster final appearance with a hard-earned defeat of Laois in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon.

This was even closer than the scoreline suggests, Louth needing well over an hour to pull away from a Division 3 side that spent the spring one tier below them. Next up for them is Kildare. Improvement will be required.

Laois take the Tailteann route.

There was a surprise before the throw-in when it was announced that key Louth midfielder Tommy Durnin would start on the bench rather than in the first 15, but his teammates did well enough without him for starters.

Playing with the wind, the Division 2 side built up a 0-5 to 0-2 lead against a Laois team that had its share of chances but was guilty all too often of overplaying the ball when easier scores were available.

Twice in the first ten minutes, the underdogs had half-chances of goals but poor execution cost them. Louth, on the other hand, were far more clinical, their scores coming much easier.

Laois dug in.

Goalkeeper Killian Roche targeted Damon Larkin time and again from kickouts and time and again the Portlaoise man came up with the goods. It gave the O’Moore county a solid basis on which to go to work.

The experienced Mark Barry was chipping away on the scoreboard from frees and open play and they were mixing their game up well. Dangerous on the counter, Barry tipped over one score seven minutes before half-time after the most patient of passages.

By half-time Laois were ahead by a single point, at 0-9 to 0-8, and they would have the wind largely at their backs on the restart. Louth manager Ger Brennan had some work to do in the impressive, new changing rooms underneath the main stand.

Whatever was said, it worked.

Durnin started to make plays in the air from the off and Louth created a trio of goal chances aside from the penalty sent low to the net by Ryan Burns after Paul Mathews had been taken down.

All told, Louth hit Laois for 1-2 in that first few minutes but, here again, the Midlanders chose not to take it lying down. Claiming the next three points brought them back to within a point.

This one was staying in the balance.

A black card for Benny Carroll didn’t help matters for Laois but they hung on in. Goalkeeper Killian Roche made a point-blank save from Paul Mathews with five minutes to go as the game stretched, just two points separating them.

Another black card followed with three minutes left, this one for Louth’s Emmet Carolan, but they still managed to pull clear, Ciaran Byrne’s 69th-minute goal putting six points between them and ending the game, finally, as a contest.

Scorers for Laois: M Barry (0-8, 0-3 frees); R Coffey (0-3, 0-1 free); D Larkin (0-2); D O’Reilly, N Corbet, B Byrne, K Swayne (all 0-1).

Scorers for Louth: R Burns (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-1 free, 0-1 ‘45’); C Byrne (1-3); C Downey (0-3); A McDonnell, K McArdle, P Lynch, T Durnin , C Lennon, D McKeown (all 0-1).

LAOIS: K Roche; B Dempsey, T Collins, P O’Sullivan; P Kirwan, S Fingleton, D Larkin; C Heffernan, S Lacey; M Barry, K Swayne, D O’Reilly; R Coffey, N Corbet, B Byrne.

Subs: C Lee for Byrne (28-35 and 62); B Carroll for Larkin (43-45) and for O’Reilly (46); J Hogan for Fingleton (49); R Brady for Coffey (71).

LOUTH: N McDonnell; E Carolan, D Campbell, D McKenny; D Nally, P Lynch, C McKeever; C Byrne, F Malone; P Mathews, C Downey, A McDonnell; C Grimes, K McArdle, R Burns.

Subs: T Durnin for Malone (34); C Lennon for Grimes (52); D McKeown for McArdle and C Branigan for McDonnell (both 64);

Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).