Offaly's ascent goes on

FROM Division Four to a Leinster final - the force is with this Offaly team. And it was strong enough to take them through a rigorous semi final in Navan yesterday, an impressive second half performance clinching victory over a disappointing Louth side.

When Tommy Lyons took charge in Offaly last autumn they were, perhaps, a team waiting to happen. In any event, he has compressed the normal, phased process of development into nine months of rapid growth progress and, suddenly, there is a new contender in the province.

The team has got used to the winning habit and is clearly brimming with confidence. There is a streak of steel present, too, and some classy operators in an attack that can find the openings with swift passing movements.

It is Offaly's first Leinster football final since 1983. Louth could have postponed their arrival for another year but were once more undermined by their perennially flawed attack - they had 16 wides to Offaly's nine. The rot started with a bad miss by Alan Rooney from close range in the first minute and finished with another by Stefan White from distance in the 70th.

In between, there were several efforts that dropped short in addition to attempts from prohibitive angles and distances when the chance clearly was not on. Poor finishing has haunted the efforts of this hardworking Louth team for the past couple of seasons and, ultimately, unravelled their best chance of reaching a Leinster final in that time.

And their self laceration didn't end there. In control of the first half, they led by just four points to two when, in the 31st minute, midfielder Ken Reilly gave the ball away in his own defence. Three slick passes later band centre forward Sean Grennan was in the clear - he powered it home. Two points swiftly followed. Having scored two points in 28 minutes, they scored 1-2 in four and led by a goal at the break.

Louth were clearly in trouble by then but the omens were not good from the moment their key player, captain and midfielder Seamus O'Hanlon, hobbled to the dugout five minutes before the match began - an achilles tendon problem had failed to disappear despite a prematch injection.

Louth manager Paul Kenny described the loss as "a body blow", but his team still won significantly more possession than Offaly and, in the first quarter, threatened at times to dismantle the opposing defence. With corner forward Pat Butterly pulled deep into midfield, their two man full forward line of Cathal O'Hanlon and Colin Kelly had swathes of space in which to operate. Early, accurate ball was arriving into O'Hanlon who, in one of his best games for Louth, showed almost consistently in front of his marker, Larry Carroll, and consistently won the ball.

In the 12th minute he lost Carroll and drew the cover before releasing Ollie McDonnell, arriving into the square on the overlap. McDonnell was forced to round goalkeeper Padraig Kelly. By the time he did, the angle was tight and two scrambling defenders made the vital block. Three minutes later O'Hanlon came through on the burst - Kelly tipped his blazed shot over.

Louth failed to threaten his goal for the rest of the game as they reverted to the plodding, laborious build ups which repeatedly allowed Offaly to get back in numbers and force the player in possession up one way streets. Offaly's defence got tighter and tighter as the game progressed, eventually suffocating Louth's forwards until they stepped off the gas in the final minutes.

Colin Kelly, meanwhile, was not enjoying a good afternoon. A free taking policy in which he left two relatively simple chances to Butterly - who missed both - was baffling while he was also unlucky with some long range efforts of his own which just faded wide of the uprights.

Things were as bad from play, where he found himself tracked by Offaly's quick and tenacious corner back, Cathal Daly, who ultimately wore him down. Thirteen minutes from time, the almost inconceivable happened - Kelly was called ashore.

Trailing 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, Louth started the second half as they meant to go on another wide. O'Hanlon was the guilty party but compensated with tw9 points in a row to take them within a point.

Offaly led by two midway through, with the game balanced and available to either side. They made the decisive surge at this point hitting four points without reply to leave them six in front with eight minutes remaining. Louth's defence buckled during this period, unable to deal with the speed and movement of Offaly's slick attack. Wing forward David Reynolds was reliable from frees while Roy Malone, who had a confident game at full forward, struck twice.

Offaly had struggled during the first half to cope with the step up in pace and physical aggression required at this level, but eventually found their stride in the second.

But a second reminder of their inexperience came when they idled after going six points in front. A Louth team that had all but surrendered suddenly hit four in a row, including two fine efforts from Stefan White, and left Offaly's vocal supporters nervously awaiting the final whistle.