Louth secured their passage to the quarter-finals of the Leinster GAA Senior Football Championship after a 1-11 to 1-7 victory over Longford in a sun-kissed O’Moore Park, Portlaoise on Sunday May 23rd.

Peter Fitzpatrick’s side will face a massive step up when they face Kildare in the quarter-finals on June 5 while Longford now have to take the qualifiers road once again.

Longford were not helped by the fact that they were dealt a massive blow before the game when their attacking talisman, Brian Kavanagh, failed a fitness test and was replaced in the team at full-forward by Seán McCormack.

Kavanagh’s only role on the day was to dispense water to his team-mates in the energy sapping conditions.

The Wee men led by 1-6 to 0-6 at half-time after Shane Lennon had hit the back of the net just before the break.

However, substitute Bernard McElvaney responded for Longford with a well taken goal in the 38th minute, and Peter Foy added a point to give them a 1-7 to 1-6 lead.

Glenn Ryan’s side failed to score again in a second half as Louth kicked five points without reply to secure a four points win.

Louth raced into an early 0-4 to 0-1 lead in the 16th minute, as Paddy Keenan, Colm Judge, JP Rooney and Brian White were all on target.

Longford’s sole response was an equaliser from McCormack in the third minute, although Paul Barden did force Neil Gallagher, the Louth goalkeeper, into a fine save two minutes later.

Longford came back into the game in the second quarter, as Paddy Dowd, Kevin Mulligan and Francis McGee (two) all hit the target, before McCormack levelled the game at 0-6 apiece with two minutes left before the break.

However, Louth full-forward Keenan fired his side into a three-point lead at the break, when, with a minute left in the half, he latched on to Paddy Keenan’s long delivery and blasted home.

Louth appeared to have the upper hand, but it was Glenn Ryan’s side who made a blistering start to the second half, when three minutes after the restart, substitute McElvaney took a pass from Declan Reilly and looped the ball towards the goal.

Ostensibly, it was an attempted point, but the ball was misjudged by Louth goalkeeper Gallagher and dropped into the back of the net.

It could have been worse for Louth a minute later when defender Foy was played through on goal and he attempted to fist the ball over the bar. Again, it dropped below the crossbar, but referee Pat Fox correctly disallowed the goal.

Foy made amends shortly after when he drove over a well-taken point to give his side the lead – 1-7 to 1-6 – for the first time in the game.

Longford appeared to be on course to cause an upset, but the wheels came off their challenge and they failed to score again in the final 31 minutes of the game.

Keenan levelled the game for Louth after 42 minutes before free taker Brian White nudged them ahead six minutes later. Peter Fitzpatrick’s side never looked back, although they were never forced out of second gear as Longford kicked a succession of wides in the final quarter.

It mattered little as Judge had kicked his third point of the afternoon to give his side a three-point lead and Lennon added the insurance score with two minutes left.

Longford did have a late goal chance, but Louth goalkeeper Gallagher (who played with Longford Town soccer two seasons ago) saved well from Mulligan in injury time and the Wee men hung on for a four-point victory.

LOUTH: N Gallagher; E McAuley, D Finnegan, R Greene; R Finnegan, M Fanning, J O'Brien; P Keenan (0-2), B White (0-3, 0-3f); A McDonnell, M Brennan, A Reid; C Judge (0-3, 0-1f), S Lennon (1-1), JP Rooney (0-2).

SUBS USED:- D Byrne for A McDonnell ’49, A Hoey for JP Rooney ’64.

LONGFORD: D Sheridan; D Brady, D Masterson, S Hannon; S Mulligan, E Williams, P Foy (0-1); A O'Connor, B Gilleran; P Dowd (0-1), F McGee (0-2, 0-1f), K Mulligan (0-1); D Reilly, S McCormack (0-2), P Barden.

SUBS USED:- B McElvaney (1-0) for B Gilleran, N Farrell for P Foy ’50, C Mimnagh for A O’Connor ’57.

REFEREE: Pat Fox (Westmeath).

ATTENDANCE: 7,122