KILDARE AND LONGFORD are looking ahead to the semi-finals of the Leinster Minor Football Championship after both sides were victorious this evening.
Longford had five points to spare against Carlow at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, while Kildare needed a point in injury time to defeat Laois at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise.
Longford raced into an eight-point lead midway through the first-half — 1-5 to 0-0 — and never looked back from there, with their goal coming courtesy of Darragh Doherty.
Carlow goaled with two minutes of normal time remaining but they were never able to close the gap to anything less than five points, and that’s how it finished as Longford ran out 1-14 to 1-9 winners.
Meanwhile, it was a much tighter affair in Portlaoise as Kildare defeated Laois on a 1-10 to 1-9 scoreline to book their semi-final spot.
Cathal Dunne scored an early goal to put Laois in the ascendancy. They led for most of the game until Kevin O’Callaghan hit the net for Kildare with four minutes left to put the Lilywhites 1-9 to 1-8 up.
Sean Moore equalised for Laois from a free, before Jimmy Hyland snatched it for the visitors with two minutes of added time played.
Leinster MFC quarter-finals
Longford 1-14 Carlow 1-9
Laois 1-9 Kildare 1-10
Originally published at 21.55 on Friday
