Referee 'not man enough' to admit mistake at time says ex-Louth boss of 2010

Irish Daily Mirror

08-05-2025

It was one of the most infamous moments in GAA history and the fallout lingers to this day. It's Louth v Meath in the 2010 Leinster final, and this Sunday the sides are in line for a rematch.
Fifteen years ago, with Louth looking to end a long provincial title drought dating back to 1957, Meath tore up the script as Joe Sheridan bundled the ball over the goal line late on to snatch victory in the most controversial of circumstances.
The Royals celebrated, the referee decided it would stand and Louth were outraged. It was front page news for days, amid talk of Meath offering a replay. That didn't come and in the end Louth and their manager Peter Fitzpatrick had to try to pick up the pieces and move on.
It's not that simple however, and Fitzpatrick still can't help but harbour anger over the dramatic finale. On the day, the Louth boss and some fans ran onto the pitch to question Tyrone official Martin Sludden, who is now Red Hand chairman. They spoke privately in the dressing room after the 2010 final also, but Fitzpatrick did not get the answers he sought.
"I asked him straight away why he gave the goal," said Fitzpatrick this week in the Drogheda Independent. "But all he said was, 'Peter, if I didn't give the goal, I would have given a penalty, so what's the difference?'.
"I said, 'Martin, there was no penalty, no foul, but Meath might have missed the penalty, that's the difference'.
"He knew he made a mistake but he wasn't man enough to admit it (at that time), he wouldn't even consult his umpires."
The GAA later confirmed that referee Martin Sludden admitted he was wrong to award the stoppage-time goal to Meath, but they added that they had no powers to order a replay of the game.
Louth dropped all the way to Division Four of the Allianz League in the years since, with Fitzpatrick adding that the final controversy 'set Louth football back years'.
However, they are riding high now with a third Leinster senior final appearance in a row to come this weekend - the first against anyone other than Dublin. The Louth under-20 team beat Meath in their recent provincial final and they also hammered Dublin at minor level this week.
Fitzpatrick credits Mickey Harte with igniting the spark in the county again. The Tyrone legend came in after speaking to Fitzpatrick, who was county chairman by 2020 and, more recently, he also brought in current manager Ger Brennan.
"Mickey came in and changed the whole set-up around the county team," he said. "His attention to detail is amazing.
"We put a structure together at underage and senior and we aimed very high. Now I look at all the success and it all goes back four or five years and putting the right structures in place and getting the best players to play for the county."