National Football Leauge/Division 2A; Louth; 1-18 Kerry; 2-12 :Kerry will meet Meath - who humiliated them in last year's All-Ireland semi-final - in the Division Two semi-final despite losing their final league match to Louth yesterday afternoon. Louth produced their most fluid performance of the campaign against 14-man Kerry.
A point from Louth midfielder Seámus O'Hanlon after two minutes opened the scoring and it was O'Hanlon who scored Louth's second after Ian Twiss had briefly levelled for the visitors in Ardee.
Kerry led 0-4 to 0-2 briefly but the home side had squared the match before Mark Stanfield sent a 20th-minute penalty to the net. Full back Eamonn Fitzmaurice was red-carded for an off-the-ball foul on Louth's JP Rooney in conceding the penalty.
Kerry's Noel Kennelly finished a superb move to the Louth net on 30 minutes to level 1-5 each. Louth led 1-8 to 1-5 at the break and stayed three points ahead until 44 minutes when Kennelly struck for a second goal to level the match at 1-10 to 2-7. Louth responded instantly to regain a three-point lead.
LOUTH: S Reynolds; S Gerrard, A Hoey, D Brennan; J Neary (0-2), C Goss, P McGinnity (0-1); K Reilly, S O'Hanlon (0-2); N McDonnell (0-2), C Grimes (0-2), O McDonnell (0-3); M Farrelly (0-1), M Stanfield (1-5, one pen, two frees), JP Rooney. Subs: D Reilly for N McDonnell 52 mins. B Clarke for J P Rooney 69 mins.
KERRY: D O'Keeffe (0-1, free); E Galvin, E Fitzmaurice, M McCarthy; S Sheehan, T Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan; D Ó Sé (0-1, a 45), K Dillon; S O'Sullivan, K Kennnelly (2-2), E Brosnan; I Twiss (0-4, one free), D Ó Cinnéide (0-1), A MacGearailt (0-3). Subs: K Lynch for D Ó Cinnéide 16 mins; F Kelliher for K Lynch 35 mins; M Ó Sé for S O'Sullivan 57 mins; P Galvin for I Twiss 63 mins; L Hassett for K Dillon 65 mins.
Referee: M Hughes (Tyrone)
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