Wasteful Louth almost made to pay the price

SURVIVAL instincts can sometimes mean just as much as any amount of skill. When the questions were asked (and Carlow persisted in probing) in this Leinster senior football championship game at Newbridge yesterday, Louth, digging deep into their mental and physical reserves, somehow came up with enough answers to stay alive.

But only just. If Carlow had possessed enough self belief they'd probably have savoured their first ever championship win over the only county in Ireland which is smaller, geographically.

Louth, however, survived in the championship, repelling one scare after another, particularly in the dying minutes of a match which actually went on for 83 minutes referee John Bannon meticulously added on 13 minutes of injury time, five in the first and eight in the second.

The suspicion existed that Louth would have found a way to survive even if it had gone on till nightfall.

After all, this was a match in which Louth kicked 17 wides to Carlow's eight; allowed their opponents, playing into the wind, to grab the early initiative; conceded a penalty early in the second half, and then relied on goalkeeper Niall O'Donnell to produce two quite outstanding saves in added time.

Seamus O'Hanlon and Ken Reilly were truly inspiring at midfield for Louth. But too many of the Louth attackers experienced off days on the same day.

Carlow, despite having the more lethal forwards, seemed naive tactically. Certainly, the long ball into Colm `Rooster' Hayden wasn't delivered often enough - and, when it was, late in the game, it caused considerable consternation in the Louth defence.

Anthony Keating shot into the side netting and later O'Donnell was forced to save, superbly, from Sean Kavanagh and Hayden.

Early on, Carlow played with enough conviction to leave Louth supporters aghast and their own bemused. With 13 minutes gone Carlow, playing into the strong wind, had scored four points (from five chances) and Louth's first point didn't arrive until Colin Kelly successfully kicked the first of three 455.

However, moments after Carlow's goalkeeper Pat Doran had pulled off a great smothering save to deprive him of what seemed a certain goal, Louth full forward Cathal O'Hanlon (who was to end the match with a heavily bandaged head) did find the back of the net in the 14th minute after being set up by Ollie McDonnell.

The goal left Louth level 1-1 to 0-4 and, although Keating pointed a free three minutes later to restore Carlow's lead, Louth were well and truly back in the game.

By half time, Louth - who had shot nine wides to Carlow's two - led by four points, 1-6 to 0-5. However Carlow's really fruitful work came in the second half. Willie Quinlan, calm as you like, converted a penalty after Keating was fouled in the square and, then, Keating himself kicked a pointed free to leave just a point separating the sides alter 39 minutes.

Carlow then went 25 minutes without scoring at all; in contrast, Kelly (three points) and McDonnell found a semblance of their attacking instincts to give Louth the upper hand.

And, although Kavanagh kicked a nice point for Carlow to end their drought in the 64th minute, further points from Seamus O'Hanlon and Alan Rooney gave Louth a six point cushion as the clock ticked down. The Louth scores were needed.

The Carlow renaissance - spurred on by Hughie Brennan whose strength and experience when introduced as a substitute helped a great deal - took shape and, in the early stages of injury time, Keating, twice, and Nevin pointed to leave just a goal between the sides.

Next came the Carlow onslaught, and one wondered why it hadn't happened earlier. Keating's shot beat everyone, including O'Donnell, and crashed into the side netting; Kavanagh escaped from midfield to see his well struck shot smartly saved by O'Donnell and, with Louth hearts racing, O'Donnell again saved.