Kildare relegated as Louth’s Division 1 hopes end despite win

Kildare got the result their needed elsewhere with Derry beating Cavan but could not hold up their own part to prevent relegation to Division 3

Sam Mulroy scored 0-8 for Louth in their victory over Kildare. Pic: ©INPHO/Grace Halton

National Football League Division 2: Louth 1-25 Kildare 0-25

Louth recorded a win in Cedral St Conleths Park that was ultimately futile in their attempts to be promoted to Division 1, but it was a result that consigned Kildare to an immediate return to Division 3.

Leinster champions Louth knew coming into Newbridge that results elsewhere would have to fall their way if they were to be in with a chance of promotion but it wasn’t to be for Gavin Devlin’s team. Kildare did get the result they needed elsewhere when Derry defeated Cavan but they couldn’t capitalise in their own game and last year’s Tailteann Cup winners will play in the third tier of league football once again in 2027.

With so much at stake for both teams, there was a real intensity to the game from the very early stages but both teams had to deal with injuries and there were four substitutions made before the 26th minute.

Louth made their first with two and a half minutes on the clock and were forced into another change in the tenth minute.

Momentum swung back and forth through the opening half and Louth led 0-9 to 0-8 after 23 minutes but it was what happened between then and the half-time hooter than dictated the final outcome.

Sam Mulroy scored a brace of two pointers as Louth outscored their hosts by six points during that spell and they went in at half -with a 0-17 to 0-10 lead.

That left Kildare with a mountain to climb in the second half but they did score the opening three points after the restart through Tommy Gill, Alex Beirne and Jack Robinson.

Louth kept their composure during that spell though and just did enough to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Dara McDonnell broke that run of scores, but a 43rd minute two point free brought Kildare back to within three.

They couldn’t sustain that pressure however, and points by Mulroy and Conall McCaul extended their lead to five.

Kildare had to throw everything at Louth in the final 20 minutes and had further good scores from Gill and Robinson but their fate seemed sealed when Kieran McArdle got in for a 55th minute goal to make it 1-23 to 0-18.

Kildare answered back with four points in a row, first Beirne and then three in a row by the superb Robinson.

McCaul and Ciaran Keenan scored either side of an Eoin Cully point and a late two pointer by McLoughlin was scant consolation for Kildare as they are left to contemplate Division 3 football next year, while Louth’s attentions will turn to retaining their Leinster Championship after an excellent league campaign.

Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy 0-8 (2tp, 1tpf), K McArdle 1-1, C Keenan 0-4, C McCaul 0-3, P Matthews 0-3 (1tp), T McDonnell 0-2 (1tp), D McDonnell 0-2, C Early 0-1, S Callaghan 0-1.

Scorers for Kildare: B McLoughlin 0-7 (2tpf), A Beirne 0-6 (2fs), J Robinson 0-5, C Moran 0-1, B Loakman 0-2, T Gill 0-2, C Dalton 0-1, E Cully 0-1.

LOUTH: Niall McDonnell; Emmett Carolan, Dermot Campbell, Daire Nally; Conall McKeever, Dara McDonnell, Eoghan Callaghan; Tommy Durnin, Conor Early; Paul Matthews, Sam Mulroy, James Maguire; Ciaran Keenan, Conall McCaul, Kieran McArdle. 

Subs: Tadhg McDonnell for Callaghan, 3; Leonard Gray for Campbell, 10; Conor Branigan for Maguire, 44; Sean Callaghan for Tommy Durnin, 47; Sean Reynolds for Kieran McArdle, 69 

KILDARE: Cian Burke; Harry O'Neill, Padraic Spillane, Ryan Burke; Tommy Gill, Brian Byrne, Ben McCormack; Eoin Lawler, Brian McLoughlin; Darragh Kirwan, Alex Beirne, Colm Dalton; Colm Moran, Callum Bolton, Ben Loakman. 

Subs: Mark Dempsey for O'Neill, 24; Daragh Ryan for McCormack, 26; Jack Robinson for Moran h/t; Eoin Cully for Gill, 51; Brendan Gibbons for Dalton, 56.

REFEREE: Patrick Neilon (Roscommon).