Louth sauntered to victory in what was exactly a aggressive dead-rubber at Aughrim on Sunday – a calamitous chain of occasions having been required to disclaim the Reds promotion and garner Wicklow salvation.
hile aggressive to a level, Louth have been fully snug and in a position to play effectively inside their means in racking up a fifth successive Division 3 success.
It’s testomony to the Wee males’s enchancment in a collective and particular person sense that they negotiated the competition in such knowledgeable and organised method.
A colleague remarked at Louth’s apparent teaching post-match and it was inconceivable to argue. The gradual and continuous growth of Conall McKeever, Donal McKenny, Daniel Corcoran and Niall Sharkey particularly pour gasoline by the gallon load on Mickey Harte’s declare that Gavin Devlin is the most effective coach in Eire.
Certainly, it was telling that each Louth’s objectives have been based mostly on strikes rehearsed religiously at midweek periods.
The primary, which put the Reds 1-5 to 0-6 in entrance as half-time neared, noticed Bevan Duffy run a tough line to the sideline, popping to Liam Jackson. In excellent sequence, Ciaran Downey ran in the direction of the nook, and Jackson, earlier than spinning and darting again the best way he got here, leaving his marker in no man’s land.
Jackson, with a luxurious, left-handed cross, discovered Downey on the run and the Newtown Blues attacker collected and calmly slotted beneath Wicklow’s line-covering defenders.
The second main, with the competition almost over, may have equally happy Devlin, whose giddiness and shrewdness on a coaching pitch galvanises gamers in a novel style.
‘Darver’ was known as by Harte and so Martin McEneaney, in for the injured James Califf, belted the ball down the center, its trajectory was like a magnet to Ciaran Byrne’s leap. The break was picked up, fed to Eoghan Callaghan within the clear. He jinked and offloaded to Tommy Durnin, who slipped it to Tom Jackson. Objective, a neat aspect foot to the underside nook.
Pleasant. A coach’s dream. Wicklow going from dealing with the ball to chasing it in an occasion. So advanced however completely deadly.
SOLE DISAPPOINTMENT
The one vital blot on the Reds’ afternoon was Califf’s shoulder ‘pop’ earlier than the interval. He was simply after producing an unbelievable, diving dispossession of Oisin Cullen a metre from the online, however instantly his damage was evident.
For all Louth’s enhancements, the Dreadnots man is pivotal to the upcoming championship marketing campaign lingering for so long as Harte and co will want.
The Reds led 1-6 to 0-7 on the interval – Downey kicking 1-4 from play to associate with a pair of Sam Mulroy frees.
After the Backyard County narrowed the divide to 1, Durnin, Dáire Nally, Liam Jackson and Mulroy, with three large kicks, had the guests 1-12 to 0-9 up halfway by means of the second half.
5 was the hole when Kevin Quinn capitalised on an absence of alertness to bag a Wicklow main.
However Byrne, Mulroy and McKeever raised white flags to accompany Tom Jackson’s objective.
A becoming end.
“We’re going up, I say we’re going up,” the gamers bellowed from the dressing room.
They is probably not chart toppers, however desk toppers will do properly!
Wicklow: Mark Jackson; Tom Moran, Peter O’Keane 0-1, Malachy Stone; Zach Cullen 0-1, Nicky Devereux, Fintan O’Shea; JP Hurley, Pádraig O’Toole; Oisin Cullen, Dean Healy, Darragh Fitzgerald; Mark Kenny 0-4, Kevin Quinn 1-2 (0-1m), Eoin Darcy 0-4 (3f). Subs: Rory Stokes for Cullen (48), Conal O’Gallaghoir for Stone (54), Arran Murphy for O’Shea (56), Alan Dillon 0-1 for Hurley (60), Cian O’Sullivan for Devereux (66)
Louth: James Califf; Donal McKenny, Bevan Duffy, Daniel Corcoran; Conall McKeever 0-1, Niall Sharkey, Leonard Gray; Tommy Durnin 0-2, John Clutterbuck; Liam Jackson 0-1, Sam Mulroy 0-7 (4f, 2 45s), Craig Lennon; Daire McConnon, Ciaran Downey 1-4, Daire Nally 0-1. Subs: Martin McEneaney for Califf (32), Ciaran Byrne 0-1 for Clutterbuck (40), Tom Jackson 1-0 for McConnon (41), Eoghan Callaghan for Nally (52).
Referee: Paul Falloon (Down)