Leitrim 0-12
Waterford 0-8
A SEVEN-POINT CONTRIBUTION from Ronan Kennedy helped Leitrim to taste victory in the All-Ireland qualifiers for just the second time ever this afternoon.
In difficult conditions at a rainy Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon, Shane Ward’s side ran out four-point winners against Waterford, who had fallen at the first hurdle in the Munster Championship via defeat to Tipperary.
But Leitrim responded well to their 13-point Connacht quarter-final loss against Roscommon, with Kennedy leading the way as they booked their place in the second round, while Waterford’s campaign for 2016 comes to an end. Leitrim’s only previous win in the qualifiers had come against Wicklow back in 2012.
Emlyn Mulligan opened the scoring for Leitrim with just over a minute on the clock and they led from there until the very end. With a strong wind at their backs, Leitrim surged ahead in the opening half and led by 0-7 to 0-2 at the break, with four points coming from the boot of Kennedy.
Waterford made three changes at the break in an attempt to claw their way back into the game, but Kennedy picked up where he left off before the break, adding a brace to extend Leitrim’s lead to seven points.
The Deise, for whom substitute Mark Ferncombe pointed three placed-balls, did their utmost to reduce the deficit but they trailed by eight with 14 minutes remaining when Donal Wrynn split the posts to give Leitrim a 0-12 to 0-4 advantage.
Waterford — who hit 13 wides over the course of the game — finished strongly, registering four unanswered points, two each from Ferncombe and Liam Lawlor, but it was a case of too little, too late as Leitrim advanced.
Scorers for Leitrim: R Kennedy 0-7 (0-2f, 0-1 ’45), E Mulligan 0-3 (0-2f), C Gilheaney and D Wrynn 0-1 each.
Scorers for Waterford: M Ferncombe 0-3 (all frees), L Lawlor 0-2, G Crotty, P Hurney, S Corcoran 0-1 each.
Leitrim
1. B Flynn
2. K McHugh
3. R Gallagher
4. P Maguire
5. S McWeeney
6. G Reynolds (captain)
7. J Rooney
24. P McGowan
9. S Moran
10. T Mulvey
11. E Mulligan
17. C Gilheaney
14. R Kennedy
8. D Wrynn
15. A Croal
Subs:
22. B Prior for Rooney (HT)
13. N O’Donnell for Mulvey (68)
19. C Gaffney for Croal (68)
20. R O’Rourke for Gilheaney (71)
Waterford
1. S Enright
4. M O’Gorman
3. T O’Gorman
2. T Ó hUallacháin
7. S Prendergast
6. J McGrath
5. B Looby
24. R Ó Ceallaigh
9. T Prendergast (captain)
10. G Crotty
8. P Hurney
12. M O’Halloran
15. J Veale
13. L Lawlor
14. L Ó Corraoin
Subs:
23. C Murray for O Ceallaigh (HT)
25. F O Cuirrin for Hurney (HT)
17. S Corcoran for O Corraoin (HT)
21. M Ferncombe for Veale (43, BC)
19. M Curry for O’Halloran (51)
26. J O’Mahony for Looby (temporary, 68-70)
Referee: N Mooney (Cavan)
