Flood’s brilliance seals dominant win for Louth
LOUTH sealed their third TG4 All-Ireland Junior title thanks to goals from Katie Flood, Niamh Rice and Lauren Boyle. Full-forward Flood caused havoc throughout, but Boyle and Rice on either side of her also got the better of their opponents as Louth wrapped up promotion to the intermediate ranks for next year.
Lisa Maguire and substitute Aisling Woods tried to launch a Fermanagh comeback with second-half goals, but there was no way back after a near faultless display from Louth. Flood pointed in the seventh minute and by the interval she had scored 1-5 as her side worked their way to a sevenpoint cushion.
At midfield, Eimear Byrne was instrumental in plenty of positive Louth plays, while Aoife Byrne was also in the thick of the action beside her. But you suspect that first-half would have been different had Fermanagh taken their early chances.
Aoife Flanagan and Eimear Smyth both missed the target, while a brilliant ninth-minute save from Una Pearson denied Smyth a goal that would have given Fermanagh the lead. Flood kicked frees in the 12th and 14th minutes to make it 0-3 to 0-0, and although two Smith frees closed the gap to one, Louth kicked into gear before the break.
A sweeping move resulted in a great Niamh Rice point, and with Eimear Byrne again providing the assist Flood made it 0-5 to 0-2 after 24 minutes. And five minutes from the interval the vital goal arrived. An arrowed pass from Rice picked out Eimear Byrne, who sent Flood in on goal, and she found the net via the underside of the crossbar. Louth were 1-6 to 0-2 ahead at half-time and six minutes after the restart they had stretched that lead by another three – Susan Byrne, Flood and Lauren Boyle found the target. Lisa Maguire had a goal disallowed when she illegally dispossessed Sarah Quinn, but she make amends when she fired to the net in the 38th minute to make it 1-9 to 1-2. But 12 minutes from time, Byrne and Boyle combined before Rice crashed Louth’s second goal to end any remaining doubt. LOUTH: U Pearson; E Hand, S Quinn, S McLoughlin; C Nolan, M McMahon, D Osborne; E Byrne, A Byrne (S Woods 48); R Carr (A Breen 37 (S Matthews 56-58 blood)), S Byrne, A Russell; L Boyle, K Flood, N Rice (J McGuinness 57).
Scorers: K Flood 1-8 (5f), N Rice 1-2, L Boyle 1-2 (1f), S Byrne 0-1.
FERMANAGH: S Murphy; S McQuaid (M Maguire 54), E Murphy, M Flynn; A Maguire (A McGovern 58), C Murphy (A McGovern 35-36 blood), M McGloin (A Woods 35); R O’Reilly, A Flanagan; L Maguire, J Doonan, D Maguire (N Connolly 47); A O’Brien (D McManus 40), E Smyth, B Bogue. Scorers: E Smyth 0-4 (4f), A Woods 1-1, L Maguire 1-0, B Bogue 0-1. Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).