Tullamore stun The Downs to reach Leinster SFC semi-final

LEINSTER WRAP: Tullamore stun The Downs while Portarlington hold off Naomh Mairtin. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

An upset of sorts in Mullingar, if you can call the three-in-a-row Offaly champions overcoming the Westmeath representatives a surprise.

Tullamore were certainly underdogs, and considerably so, approaching their Leinster club SFC quarter-final tie but advanced by 3-13 to 4-8.

The game was broken into two distinct periods; the first 50 or so minutes which Tullamore dominated and the last 10 which The Downs bossed.

Tullamore were 1-8 to 1-2 up at half-time, 10 points clear when Niall Furlong netted in the 40th minute and a whopping 11 ahead when rising star Cillian Bourke struck the team's third goal with nine minutes to go.

That's when The Downs came alive, tightening their grip and pinching the scores to turn it into a mere two-point game by full-time.

Jonathan Lynam and Charlie Drumm pulled back 56th and 57th minute goals for The Downs while Tailteann Cup All-Star Luke Loughlin tagged on two separate two-pointers to cut the deficit right back.

Loughlin finished with 0-7 overall though only really cut loose late on as Tullamore held on to secure a semi-final clash, at home in Tullamore, against Ballyboden St Enda's next Saturday week (1.30pm).

Harry Plunkett top scored for Tullamore with 1-5 while captain and county man John Furlong was Man of the Match, edging out Cormac Egan.

Meanwhile, Portarlington held off a Sam Mulroy inspired Naomh Mairtin in Drogheda to advance to the last four on a 0-14 to 1-8 scoreline.

Port's reward is a quarter-final on Saturday week against Athy in Newbridge at a time yet to be confirmed.

Darragh Galvin and Colm Murphy split eight points evenly between them with Galvin's scores all coming from play and Murphy's all from frees.

Pat Roe's side led by 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time but fell under the hosts' spell in the third quarter and were pegged back to level terms.

A Dara McDonnell two-pointer and a Tom Gray goal hauled Naomh Mairtin right back into it but, crucially, they never managed to take the lead late on.

Portarlington hit the next point to move ahead and they remained there with Rioghan Murphy, Ronan Coffey, Mikey Bennett, Jason Moore and Darragh Slevin also on the mark in a memorable win.

Mulroy picked up his first All-Star award for Louth recently and top scored with 0-4.