Hurlers off to Croker after magnificent comeback against Louth

Lory Meagher Cup semi-final

Cavan 1-21

Louth 0-20

Paul Fitzpatrick at Kingspan Breffni

Cavan hurlers are off to Croke Park for the final of the Lory Meagher Cup after they overcame Louth in a remarkable finale this afternoon at Kingspan Breffni.

Cavan looked dead and buried with a few minutes to go but never gave up and were rewarded when a long-range Brian Fitzgerald effort found the net and a flurry of late points secured a famous win.

In scorching conditions, the sides were deadlocked at 0-5 apiece at the end of the first quarter.

Cavan full-forward Sean Keating was proving a real handful for Louth and landed two of those points, with Brian Fitzgerald registering twice from frees. Cavan created a couple of goal chances in this period but had to settle for white flags, with Darren Geoghegan on the mark at the other end along with Feidhleim Joyce,

Fitzgerald and Geoghegan traded frees just after the first water break before Philip Brady latched on to a loose ball to split the posts to give Cavan a 0-7 to 0-6 lead. Paul Matthews levelled matters; Louth spurned a good goal chance of their own as the nip and tuck nature of proceedings continued.

Geoghegan sent over another from play, capitalising on a poor Cavan puck-out, as Louth edged ahead but again, Philip Brady was on the mark from the edge of the D to tie the game at 0-8 apiece on 29 minutes.

Tempers were fraying in the heat, with Brady and Louth’s Niall Keenan picking up yellow cards. Cavan had the better of the closing exchanges as a Geoghegan free was sandwiched by two from Fitzgerald, one the second from 70 metres as Cavan went in at half-time 0-10 to 0-9 in front.

By the second water break, it was still level, 0-14 each. Cavan pulled two clear with a brilliant strike from Cillian Sheanon and, from the puck-out, a well-taken Jack Barry point but Louth then strung together three in succession, two from Geoghegan (one free) and one from sub Mark Gahon.

Back came Cavan with a lovely point from Cillian Sheanon after good work from Neasan Neary and then a massive Diarmaid Carney effort from play, before that man Geoghegan tied the match once again with a free.

It was anyone’s game entering the closing stages.

Diarmaid Carney won a free along the sideline which Fitzgerald nailed but James Costello capitalised on a mistake to once more leave it a draw game, 0-15 to 0-15, entering the final 10 minutes.

Louth’s subs were making an impact; David Kettle sent over a beauty and then Seaghan Connolly fielded and split the posts to make it 0-17 to 0-15.

Paul Matthews quickly added another as it seemed the game was getting away from Ollie Bellew’s men and when another sub, Thomas McCreesh, got in on the act, Louth were suddenly four to the good, having landed five points in succession, and had all the momentum.

Keating got Cavan going again with a good point on the turn and when Enda Shalvey found Cillian Sheanon and he fired over, it was a two-point game again with five minutes remaining.

Cavan had a chance to move within one but Fitzgerald was unusually off target.

But they made light of the miss, Keating coming up with another from a narrow angle to reduce the deficit to the minimum. Tension could not have been higher as the game ticked into five minutes of injury time.

Cuala clubman Fitzgerald then won and converted a nerve-shredding long-range free in the fourth minute of injury time to draw Cavan level once more. Louth pressed, with Darren Sheridan turning over a Paul Matthews shot with a brilliant save, but Cavan weren’t done and completed the comeback when Shane Briody broke the ball cleverly to Fitzgerald and his 67-metre effort went all the way to the net.

The impressive Keating and sub Kevin Conneely added points as Cavan completed a heroic revival. There were joyous scenes as the players and supporters celebrated on the pitch afterwards, having won their way to a rare outing at HQ.

Cavan: Darren Sheridan, Neasan Neary, Dominic Crudden, Mark Moffett, Anthony Sheridan, Jack Barry, Shane Briody, Matthew Hynes, Sean Keating, Philip Brady, Diarmaid Carney, Colum Sheanon, Cillian Sheanon, Brian Fitzgerald, Caoimhín Carney

Subs: Fiachra Hughes for Colum Sheanon (40 mins), Enda Shalvey for C Carney (50), Kevin Conneely for D Carney (62)

Louth: Gary Relis, Matthew Fee, Ronan Byrne, Andrew Smith, Conor Quigley, Jamie McDonnell, Peter Fortune, Seanie Crosbie, Feidhleim Joyce, Ryan Walsh, Darren Geoghegan, Niall Keenan, Paul Matthews, Andrew Mackin, Sean Kerrisk

Subs: James Costello for Walsh (27 mins), Seaghan Conneely for Keenan (ht), David Kettle for Crosbie (39), Mark Gahon for Kerrisk (43), Thomas McCreesh for Mackin (58)