Louth dig deep to crush Kildare dreams and march into historic Leinster final
BOTH Louth and Kildare knew this was important.
But since this game finished 20 minutes before the seismic meeting of
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Louth saw off Kildare to seal a Leinster final place against Meath at Croke Park
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The Wee County will hope to end a 68-year provincial drought in the Leinster final
Kildare owned the ball and controlled the game for long stretches in Tullamore, but when it came to the big moments, Louth seized the day.
Six Kildare goal chances unconverted stacks up very poorly alongside Conall McKeever's palmed finish.
Sam Mulroy's pair of doubles to erode Kildare's early lead and Tommy Durnin's booming kick from 50 metres that sent the Wee County through to a third consecutive
Louth chief Ger Brennan said: 'After this game, you're either going to Croke Park or you're going to, with the greatest respect, Fraher Field in Waterford for the Tailteann Cup.'
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Little did he realise that his native Dublin were about to lose their first Leinster SFC game in 15 years — and suddenly the end of a 68-year provincial title drought is on the cards for the Wee men.
For Brian Flanagan and Kildare, it must feel like a wilderness.
The Lilywhites boss moaned: 'We wanted to be in a Leinster final in two weeks.
'We wanted to be in Sam Maguire for the rest of the summer, but it's not to be. Perhaps that's part of the development of this group and if that is the case then so be it.'
The first 15 minutes could not have gone any better for Kildare.
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Kevin Feely lorded midfield. Alex Beirne and Darragh Kirwan were a twin threat along the spine of the attack, converting eight out of nine chances, and the Lilywhites were full value for their 0-8 to 0-2 lead.
Wee County supremo Brennan conceded that their opponents dominated possession.
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But he reasoned: 'Ultimately, the one statistic that matters is the scoreboard.
'We managed to take more chances than them today.'
In the second quarter, that was particularly relevant.
Craig Lennon, making his first start since round two of the league, laid the foundations for his man-of-the-match performance.
Mulroy found the target for two orange flags — one 55-metre free and another precision kick under pressure — while Kildare squandered goal chances.
Kirwan fisted one over when so much more was on offer, then Ryan Sinkey shot too early and allowed Niall McDonnell to make the first of two crucial saves.
On the stroke of half-time, Lennon timed his layoff perfectly to Kieran McArdle, who drew the keeper and squared the ball for McKeever to finish.
Brennan said the 1-11 to 0-10 score at the interval flattered Louth.
The third quarter was more of the same, with three points apiece scored.
Kildare, however, had more of the ball but could not finish.
That was until Beirne, Colm Dalton and Brian McLoughlin all scored in a run of four in a row — with more missed goal chances in between.
Asked if he had been contemplating extra-time at this stage, Brennan replied: 'I wasn't. I was contemplating probably going home with our tails between our legs, because we were struggling to get out of our defence.'
But again, with the pressure on, the Wee County stood tall.
Lennon broke Kildare's scoring run before Durnin sent a high kick over the crossbar.
Flanagan said his side's focus must now switch to the Tailteann Cup.
He said: 'We're there now and we have to accept that we deserve to be there. And it is a competition that we will be taking seriously.'
No confirmation was needed from Brennan that Louth will be taking their next game seriously — the biggest match any of his players have faced.
LOUTH: N McDonnell; D Nally, D Campbell, D McKenny 0-1; C McKeever 1-0, P Lynch, C Lennon 0-4; T Durnin 0-2, 1tp, P Mathews; A McDonnell, C Downey, C Grimes; K McArdle 0-1, S Mulroy 0-7, 1f, 1tp, 1tpf, R Burns 0-3. Subs: D McDonnell for Mathews 41 mins, D McKeown for Burns 58, E Carolan for Campbell 58, L Jackson for A McDonnell 60, C Branigan for Grimes 67.
KILDARE: C Burke; B Byrne, M Dempsey, R Burke 0-1; J McGrath, D Hyland, T Gill; K Feely 0-1, C Bolton 0-1; C Dalton 0-2, A Beirne 0-6, 2f, B McCormack; R Sinkey 0-1, D Kirwan 0-5, 1f, B McLoughlin 0-1. Subs: C Hagney for Bolton h-t, N Kelly for McCormack 44 mins, J Hyland for Sinkey 54, R Houlihan for Gill 65, K Flynn for McGrath 70.
REFEREE: B Griffin (Kerry).
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