Louth 2-11

Kildare 0-12

MICKEY HARTE DECLARED Louth ‘safe’ for another season of Division 2 football after a huge Allianz League win over Kildare in Ardee, the in-form Wee County’s third in a row.

A week after beating neighbours and old rivals Meath, Louth pulled off another sweet win over a Kildare side that hammered them by 16 points in last year’s Championship.

Glenn Ryan’s Kildare look a pale shadow of the side that cruised to that big win and their fourth defeat in five games leaves them locked in a relegation battle.

They’re just a point ahead of rock-bottom Limerick and will travel to face the Shannonsiders in Round 6 on March 19.

As for Louth, boss Harte said that he believes they are safe despite still having two games to go. Those matches are against Cork, at home, and Dublin at Croke Park, and if Louth win both they could remarkably snatch a promotion place.

Tommy Durnin’s early goal set Louth on the way to this win and the big midfielder, a late addition to the lineup, finished with 1-2 while Conor Grimes also netted late in the first-half.

Louth led from start to finish and those two goals gave them a handsome 2-6 to 0-7 half-time lead in front of a strong home support at DEFY Páirc Mhuire.

Kildare were ponderous in attack – where they were blown for over-carrying on four separate occasions – and couldn’t get any closer to Louth than three points in the second-half.

There were brief moments of inspiration from the likes of Daniel Flynn but it was all too sporadic from Kildare who lacked any sort of cutting edge.

Craig Lennon and Bevan Duffy came off the bench for Louth to fist over insurance scores late on.

The only downside for Harte was the hamstring injury picked up late in the first-half by captain and leading scorer Sam Mulroy. 

Louth scorers: Tommy Durnin 1-2, Conor Grimes 1-0, Sam Mulroy 0-2 (0-2f), Daire McConnon 0-2 (0-1m, 0-1f), Ciaran Downey 0-1, Niall Sharkey 0-1, Ryan Burns 0-1, Craig Lennon 0-1, Bevan Duffy 0-1.

Kildare scorers: Neil Flynn 0-3 (0-2f), Paddy Woodgate 0-3 (0-2f), Darragh Kirwan 0-2, Daniel Flynn 0-1, Ben McCormack 0-1, Jack Sargent 0-1, Barry Coffey 0-1.

Louth

1. James Califf (Dreadnots)

3. Peter Lynch (Roche Emmets), 4. Donal McKenny (Ardee St Mary’s), 6. Niall Sharkey (Glyde Rangers)

5. Leonard Grey (St Pat’s), 9. Ciaran Murphy (St Pat’s), 12. Conal McKeever (Clan na Gael)

8. Conor Early (Na Fianna), 20. Tommy Durnin (Iniskeen Grattans)

15. Conor Grimes (Glen Emmets), 14. Sam Mulroy (Naomh Mairtin), 10. Liam Jackson (Ardee St Mary’s)

13. Daire McConnon (Ardee St Mary’s), 11. Ciaran Downey (Newtown Blues), 17. Ryan Burns (Hunterstown Rovers)

Subs

• 19. Bevan Duffy (St Fechins) for Grimes (6-14, blood)
• 23. Craig Lennon (St Mochtas) for Mulroy (28)
• 24. Conal McCaul (St Joseph’s) for Burns (57)
• Duffy for Jackson (61)
• 22. Jay Hughes (Dreadnots) for McConnon (68)

Kildare

1. Mark Donnellan (Maynooth)

22. Jack Sargent (Eadestown), 6. Kevin Flynn (Celbridge), 2. Mick O’Grady (Celbridge)

7. Paddy McDermott (Naas), 5. David Hyland (Athy), 3. Shea Ryan (Sarsfields)

8. Kevin Feely (Athy), 9. Kevin O’Callaghan (Celbridge)

10. Eoin Doyle (Naas), 11. Ben McCormack (Sarsfields), 12. Paddy Woodgate (Raheens)

19. Neil Flynn (Maynooth), 24. Daniel Flynn (Johnstownbridge), 14. Darragh Kirwan (Naas)

Subs

• 21. Mike Joyce (Round Towers) for McDermott (h/t)
• 18. Aaron Masterson (Moorefield) for Feely (h/t)
• 17. Cein McMonagle (Clogherinkoe) for McCormack (48)
• 15. Jack Robinson (Clogherinkoe) for Kirwan (55)
• 23. Barry Coffey (Sarsfields) for N Flynn (63)

Referee: Barry Tiernan (Dublin) 

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