National Football League Division 1
Dublin 2-10 Down 0-13 The Dublin hype machine stepped up another gear on Saturday evening as Alan Brogan pounced with a last-gasp goal to book the Dubs’ place in the Division 1 final. Having kept their noses slightly in front for the majority of a very tight game at Headquarters, Pat Gilroy’s men found themselves a point behind with a minute to play, relying on a late Brogan-Brogan combo to see them over the line.
Kerry 1-14 Monaghan 0-11 Kerry’s Declan O’Sullivan proved that he is almost back to his best following his recent injury lay-0ff, bagging 1-2 as the Kingdom kept their hopes of a place in the final alive with victory. Monaghan will reflect on what might have been after some wasteful early shooting saw them go 32 minutes without kicking a score.
Mayo 1-13 Cork 0-14 A win for Cork at McHale Park would have sealed their place in the end-of-season finale against Dublin. As it happened, James Horan’s Mayo sprung a surprise which ensured that they would remain in the top-flight for at least one more season. Jason Doherty’s 47th-minute strike was the difference between the two sides as Mayo survived 18 scoreless minutes at the end to hang on for the win.
Galway 1-20 Armagh 0-18 Galway earned a lifeline for themselves on Sunday, recording their first win of the season against fellow relegation-strugglers Armagh. Cormac Bane led the way for the Tribesmen, pointing five times from play as well as converting from the spot in the first half.
National Football League Division 2
Donegal 1-17 Antrim 1-08 Donegal have one foot in Division 1 following their comprehensive win over Antrim in Ballyshannon. A fine total of 1-5 from Colm McFadden helped Jim McGuinness’s men to a nine-point victory, meaning that a draw next week against Laois will be enough to see them top the division.
Tyrone 0-13 Kildare 0-05 With both sides hoping to step up to the top flight next season, Tyrone’s eight-point victory over Kildare at O’Neill Park was one of the weekend’s more important fixtures. The Lilywhites ultimately proved to be rather toothless, only registering their first points after the break in the 68th minute. The Red Hand now need to better the results of b0th Laois and Derry next weekend in order to secure their place in the top two.
Derry 1-18 Meath 3-08 Yesterday’s encounter at Celtic Park was a game of two halves as far as Seamus McEnaney’s Meath were concerned. Although an early Joe Sheridan brace had seen them go into the break two points to the good, they only managed 1-3 in total in the second half, leaving Paddy Bradley and the rest of the Derry forwards to pick off their points and stay in the promotion hunt.
Laois 1-14 Sligo 2-08 Laois were made work for their victory over relegation-threatened Sligo in Markievicz Park, slightly outlasting the hosts to win by three points in a tight encounter.
National Football League Division 3
It’s still all to play for in Division 3 ahead of the last round of games after Wexford failed to push on and secure their promotion, crumbling to a seven-point loss against Tipperary at Semple Stadium. Their surprise defeat allowed Offaly to pull level alongside them at the top of the table, a result which means that Joe Dooley’s men can seal their own promotion with a win against Westmeath next weekend.
While Limerick’s destiny remains in their own hands despite Sunday’s defeat, Louth’s failure to beat Cavan could prove to be very costly as they must now wait on other results to seal their fate.
Results: Cavan 0-11 Louth 1-5; Westmeath 0-14 Limerick 0-12; Offaly 1-14 Waterford 1-12; Tipperary 0-17 Wexford 0-10
National Football League Division 4
Roscommon will be playing Division 3 football next year after they recorded a routine win against divisional whipping boys Kilkenny. Longford’s single-point win means that they remain favourites to steal the second spot though they will need to beat Carlow next weekend to be sure of promotion. If they fail to do so, Wicklow will have an opportunity to leapfrog them into the promotional places with a win over Clare in Aughrim.
Results: Longford 1-8 Leitrim 0-10; Roscommon 0-25 Kilkenny 0-01; Carlow 1-18 London 1-06; Fermanagh 0-17 Clare 0-09
