Division 2 FL Results

• Louth 1-12 Kildare 0-12
• Fermanagh 2-14 Cavan 1-13

*******

A STRONG SECOND-half performance secured a crucial win for Louth, preserving their NFL Division 2 status for a third consecutive season.

Ryan Burns’ 1-2 haul and strong performance overall, allied to five points from free-taker Sam Mulroy, helped the Wee County to their third and by far most significant win of the campaign.

They needed the victory to guarantee they stayed up, regardless of what happened elsewhere between Fermanagh and Cavan, and duly delivered at Carlow’s Netwatch Cullen Park.

After a closely contested first-half, Ger Brennan’s side opened up with their best football in the third quarter to consign troubled Kildare to their seventh straight loss.

Aside from ensuring that Louth remain in Division 2, it may yet be significant in Championship terms too as the same teams could meet again in a Leinster quarter-final in five weeks, provided they win their opening round ties on 14 April.

With Kildare already relegated, it was a relatively small crowd that travelled to neutral Carlow with Louth supporters the most vocal.

The 2023 Leinster finalists were unchanged from their Round 6 demolition of Fermanagh, when they hit 6-17, while Kildare altered a third of their team.

Shea Ryan and Brian Byrne came into defence, Paddy Woodgate was recalled in attack while there were starts also for Maynooth’s Sigerson Cup semi-finalists Luke Killian and Shane O’Sullivan.

It was a low-scoring, cautious first-half with just 10 scores and four wides registered between the two teams.

Louth only scored four times but still went in on level terms at the interval, 1-3 to 0-6, thanks largely to Burns’ 14th minute goal.

Tommy Durnin, Tom Jackson and Conall McKeever were involved in the buildup though Burns still had to cut inside smartly from the left to evade Ryan Houlihan and fire to the net.

It left Louth 1-1 to 0-2 ahead at that stage but it remained nip and tuck throughout with the sides level three times in the opening half.

Aaron Masterson pointed twice for Kildare who were desperate to eke out their first league win since Round 7 of last year’s campaign.

Louth upped the ante noticeably in the second-half and reeled off four points in a row between the 38th and 45th minutes to put daylight between the teams for the first time.

With Burns, Conor Grimes and Tom Jackson all on the mark, Louth put five points between the sides late on and cruised to a comfortable and badly needed win.

Louth scorers: Ryan Burns 1-2, Sam Mulroy 0-5 (0-5f), Tom Jackson 0-2, Conor Grimes 0-1, Ciaran Downey 0-1, Leonard Grey 0-1.

Kildare scorers: Paddy Woodgate 0-4 (0-2f, 1 45), Aaron Masterson 0-3, Kevin Feely 0-2 (0-2f), Daniel Flynn 0-1, Paddy McDermott 0-1, Darragh Kirwan 0-1

Louth

1. Niall McDonnell

3. Dermot Campbell. 4. Peter Lynch, 2. Donal McKenny

5. Conall McKeever, 6. Anthony Williams, 7. Leonard Grey

8. Tommy Durnin, 9. Ciaran Murphy

12. Conor Grimes, 11. Ciaran Downey, 10. Tom Jackson

13. Ryan Burns, 14. Sam Mulroy, 15. Ciaran Keenan

Subs

• 21. Craig Lennon for Murphy (40)
• 19. Liam Jackson for Tom Jackson (65)
• 22. Niall Sharkey for Burns (72)
• 20. Dan Corcoran for Keenan (72)

Kildare

1. Mark Donnellan

3. Mick O’Grady, 2. Ryan Houlihan, 23. Shea Ryan

5. Paddy McDermott, 6. Eoin Doyle, 7. Brian Byrne

8. Aaron Masterson, 20. Luke Killian

12. Shane Farrell, 25. Shane O’Sullivan, 10. Alex Beirne

15. Paddy Woodgate, 14. Daniel Flynn, 13. Kevin Feely

Subs

• 24. Jack Sargent for Doyle (18)
• 4. Ryan Burke for Houlihan (26)
• 11. Darragh Kirwan for O’Sullivan (50)
• 18. Barry Coffey for Flynn (64)
• 26. Rian Teahan for Farrell (67)

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).