Laois find top gear as Derry stumble

WHEN Derry were awarded a penalty in the eighth minute of the second half of this game at Croke Park yesterday the fate of Laois seemed to be sealed. There was no nervousness among the Derry supporters as that most dependable of players, Anthony Tohill, stepped up to take the kick. But, amazingly, he drove the ball badly wide.

At that stage Derry were leading by 1-9 to 1-7 and there can be little doubt that had Tohill hit the net Laois would have found it difficult to make a comeback. As though inspired by Tohill's miss, Derry widened the gap to three points by way of a Brolly point from a free.

But then the shrewdest of switches by the Laois backroom team moved Hugh Emerson to full forward, and he changed the whole match and earned Laois a semi final spot against Kerry.

Hat tricks of goals are infrequent events in top class Gaelic football, but Emerson achieved that distinction yesterday.

Although liberally sprinkled with the type of fouls which have now, apparently, become endemic to the game, this was, nevertheless, an entertaining match.

Derry may now regret the move which they made by substituting David O'Neill at full back for Johnny McBride in an attempt to curb Emerson's goal scoring instincts. Emerson stole in behind the Derry defence to drive the ball twice past Jonathan Kelly in the Derry goal after this and changed the pattern of the match.

Tohill and Dermot Dougan had shaded the midfield exchanges earlier, but whether or not the Derry pair tired, Tony Maher and PJ Dempsey began to prosper in the open spaces of Croke Park.

It was Maher and David Sweeney who combined to set up Emerson for his first goal and Maher and Dempsey who combined to place Emerson for the second and third goals, by which time Derry's fabric was beginning to unravel.

It has to be said that Laois always looked the livelier side, and with the boost of a goal after only 44 seconds play they set about their task with admirable verve and efficiency.

That goal came as a result of a raid featuring Ian Fitzgerald, Martin Delaney and Maher, who drove the ball firmly home. The slick passing movement had unhinged the Derry defence.

Derry were not ready to panic, however, and with Joe Cassidy, Joe Brolly and Seamus Downey putting the Laois defence under severe pressure, Brolly brought the Ulster side level just before half time at 0-8 to 1-5, before the excellent Ian Fitzgerald gave Laois the narrowest of margins at the break. Fitzgerald had a total of six points by the end, four of them from expertly taken frees.

It was Derry's turn to strike for a quick goal on the resumption.

Henry Downey, Seamus Downey, Gary Coleman, Dermot Dougan (twice) and Brolly put a blinding move together and Dougan finished it to give Derry a three point lead (1-9 to 1-6).

Fitzgerald narrowed the gap with a free, but when Brolly was pulled down in the penalty area by Delaney, Derry seemed to be about to take control. Tohill could not oblige from the penalty spot.

Brolly and Fitzgerald traded successful free kicks as the match swayed one way and then the other, but by then Emerson has moved to full forward and a long high ball by Dempsey was fielded and the tackle from McBride beaten off before Emerson drove the ball home firmly past Jonathan Kelly.

It was Seamus Downey who brought Derry level again with a point when he made the most of his opportunity after Tohill had hit the upright. Emerson restored the Laois lead with a point and Tohill and Fitzgerald exchanged points before Emerson grabbed a long, raking, Maher free to drive the ball home from close range.

A point by Brolly followed, but another long delivery from Dempsey into the Derry danger area was fielded expertly by Emerson, who eluded O'Neill and completed his hat trick and the scoring with three minutes left for play.