Bizarre ending as Louth claim the spoils and Kildare are condemned to Tailteann Cup

A third successive Leinster SFC final appearance for Louth for the first time since 1914, but only after a confusing ending

Conall McKeever of Louth celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final match between Kildare and Louth at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly. Photo by Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Leinster SFC semi-final: Kildare 0-18 (0-0-18) Louth 1-18 (1-3-12)

There were bigger games, bigger names and bigger crowds to catch the eye this weekend, but Louth will wake up on Monday morning as the biggest winners. That holds equally for hurling and for football.

A three-point win over Kildare in Tullamore on Sunday afternoon earns them a third successive Leinster senior football final appearance for the first time since 1914. And it guarantees them Sam Maguire football once the provincials are over.

For their defeated opponent, this semi-final loss condemns them yet again to a Tailteann Cup from which they were evicted at the last four stage by neighbours Laois last year. It is another bitter pill for the county to swallow.

The narrow margins here, and a litany of spurned goal chances, will only make that worse.

Level with three minutes to play, Louth kicked for home with a point from Kieran McArdle and an enormous two-pointer from Tommy Durnin. That’s how it stood when the hooter sounded and the game ended in some confusion.

Man of the match Craig Lennon kicked what he thought was the last ball dead over his own goal line, but celebrations were cut short when referee Brendan Griffin declared that Kildare were entitled to the '45'. In the event, they got two after the first deflected wide off a Louth player, the second of the dead balls eventually going wide.

A member of the Louth management claimed that they had been subsequently told that the first '45' should not have been given and the game declared as over. They were wrong, the referee was in the right. 

Kildare had tore into it. The Lilywhites were 0-8 to 0-2 in front midway through the first-half and dominant in every area of the field.

Tight at the back, they were lording it in midfield where Kevin Feely was plucking ball from the skies and making hay up front with an attacking game that was at times patient and at others quick and direct with long kicked passes.

Darragh Kirwan could and probably should have had a pop on goal when opting for a fisted point after eight minutes while Louth were clinging on to their coattails with Conor Grimes fighting the good fight up front and Ryan Burns making something from nothing in attack.

It was Burns’ second point that kickstarted a turnaround. Kildare suddenly started to stand off their men and the couple of easy points it afforded Louth fed the latter’s momentum. As did Sam Mulroy’s migration from full-forward to the half-forward line.

The captain was brilliant on his return from injury, firing over a pair of two-pointers, one of them from a 50m-free, and six in total as they took a 1-11 to 0-10 lead into the interval with Conall McKeever fisting to the net right on the buzzer.

McKeever’s score was awarded only after a consultation between referee Brendan Griffin and his umpires over a possible square ball. Whether right or wrong, it was in keeping with the way the game was turning for the Wee men.

A first-half of fluctuations was followed by the sort of tit-for-tat that most had expected before the throw-in. With the sides swapping scores at more regular intervals, Kildare couldn’t get any closer than two points throughout the third quarter.

Kirwan had one shot half-blocked and saved while Alex Beirne fired the trigger a bit too early when bursting through the middle and skirting the grass the wrong side of the Louth post. Skinny margins with potentially massive repercussions.

Still, Kildare kept chipping away.

Kirwan narrowed the gap to one with a point and then had a thunderbolt shot diverted by the goalkeeper before Beirne came up with the equaliser. Kildare were finally level, for the first time since the opening minute and with a good ten minutes to go.

They were close, but there was no cigar.

Scorers for Kildare: A Beirne (0-6, 2f); D Kirwan (0-5, 1f); C Dalton (0-2); R Burke, C Bolton, K Feely, R Sinkey and B McLoughlin (all 0-1).

Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy (0-7, 1 2pt, 1 2pt f); C Lennon (0-4); R Burns (0-3); C McKeever (1-0); T Durnin (0-2, 1 2pt); D McKenny and K McArdle (both 0-1).

Kildare: C Burke; R Burke, M Dempsey, B Byrne; T Gill, D Hyland, J McGrath; K Feely, C Bolton; C Dalton, A Beirne, B McCormack; R Sinkey, D Kirwan, B McLoughlin.

Subs: C Hagney for Bolton (HT); N Kelly for McCormack (44); J Hyland for Sinkey (54); R Houlihan for Gill (65); K Flynn for McGrath (69);

Louth: N McDonnell; C Lennon, D Campbell, D McKenny; D Nally, P Lynch, C McKeever; T Durnin, A McDonnell; P Matthews, C Downey, C Grimes; K McArdle, S Mulroy, R Burns.

Subs: D McDonnell for Matthews (41); D McKeown for Burns (58); E Carolan for Campbell (58); L Jackson for McDonnell (61); C Branigan for Grimes (67);

Referee: B Griffin (Kerry).