TG4 All Ireland Junior Football Championship
Louth 0-13 Antrim 1-8
Antrim started and finished well at Croke Park on Sunday but the Saffrons lost their way in between as scores proved hard to come by against a strong running and skilful Louth team who claimed their fourth title.
The Saffrons made a great start when team captain Bronagh Devlin fired a penalty high into the Louth net in the third minute after Theresa Mellon was buried in a mountain of bodies in the Louth ‘square’
Mellon added a fine point a minute later and things looked really good for the Saffrons, but Louth began to show what they were capable of and eventually opened their account through Aoife Russell. Lara Dahunsi, who covered every blade of the Croke Park turf, reinforced Antrim’s early authority by splitting the posts and the St Paul’s player made it back to back scores.
Louth corner-forwards Russell and Ceire Nolan hit back and in the temporary absence of Antrim captain Bronagh Devlin, for a yellow card offence, the Wee County cut their deficit to the bare minimum with impressive contributions from Flood and Shannen McLaughlin.
A brilliant point from Maria O’Neill on 21 minutes got Antrim back in front, but it was to be their last point of the half and Louth finished strongly with points by captain Aine Breen and the ever-dependable Flood (two) to give the Wee County a 0-8 to 1-4 lead at the break.
Antrim were still very much in the reckoning, however, and the team jointly-managed by Chris Scullion and Michael Devlin were back on level terms with a second point from the excellent O’Neill three minutes into the second period. However the scoring dried up for the Ulster champions and it was to be another 26 minutes before they raised their next flag. Eimear Byrne was on hand to restore Louth’s lead on 38 minutes, a lead the winners would not relinquish
An outstanding score from the increasingly-influential Flood left Louth two points to the good moving into the final-quarter and they were a step closer to another junior crown when Breen and substitute Mia Duffy added points in the 47th and 49th minutes respectively.
Lucy White subsequently increased Louth’s cushion and it appeared to be all over bar the shouting, but despite the fact nothing was running for Antrim they never gave up the fight, and when Ana Mulholland sent over a point on59 minutes it appeared to be mere consolation. However when Mellon added another Antrim point thirty seconds later the gap was suddenly down to one score.
When the Saffrons were awarded a free with just seconds left on the clock the impossible suddenly seemed on, but Maria O’Neill’s late effort of a goal that would bring the game to extra time was touched over the Louth crossbar, and Louth had deservedly survived.
Scorers – Louth: K Flood 0-4, A Breen, A Russell 0-2 each, S McLaughlin, L White, E Byrne, C Nolan, M Duffy 0-1 each.
Antrim: M O’Neill 0-3 (1f), B Devlin 1-0 (pen), T Mellon, O Dahunsi 0-2 each, A Mulholland 0-1.
LOUTH: R Lambe Fagan; R Beirth, E Hand, E Murray; H Lambe Sally, S McLaughlin, L Byrne; A Breen, A Halligan; L White, E Byrne, S Matthews; A Russell, K Flood, C Nolan. Subs: M Duffy for Matthews (42), L Collins for Russell (56), G McCrave for Lambe Sally, Z Sweeney for White (both 59).
ANTRIM: A Devlin; N McIntosh, M Blaney, M Mulholland; S O’Neill, C Brown, C McKenna; A Mulholland, A Tubridy; T Mellon, M O’Neill, Aoife Kelly; B Devlin, O Dahunsi, L Agnew. Subs: A Turley for Tubridy, A Monaghan for Kelly (both 39), B Nic Cathail for Agnew (47), N Jones for B Devlin, Aine Kelly for McKenna (both 56).
Referee: Kevin Corcoran (Mayo).
