Offaly come back from the dead to snatch unlikely draw

ON a miserable night for football, Offaly produced the most unlikely of draws as they came back from the dead against Louth in the first round of the Leinster U-20 Football Championship in Stabannon Parnells on Tuesday evening.

Leinster U-20 Football Championship Group 2 Round 1

Offaly 2-4

Louth 0-10

0-9 to 0-3 behind with seven minutes left, Offaly looked to be a beaten docket. They hadn't scored from play until that stage and Louth had done more than enough to justify that lead.

The visitors, however, somehow rallied as they outscored a devastated Louth by 2-1 to 0-1 in the closing minutes. The equalising goal came from the boot of John Furlong four minutes into injury time and considering the circumstances of it, this felt very like a win for Offaly.

They didn't score from play until the 53rd minute and even that was by default, even though it changed the game. Awarded a penalty for a foul on Geordi O'Meara, sub Alex Egan's strike was saved by Josh Finlay but he got in first to blast the rebound to the net.

Geordi O'Meara got their first point from play four minutes later to make it a two point lead and suddenly Louth were pressing the panic button. Offaly centre back Cathal Ryan was dimissed for a second yellow card in the 61st minute with Kieran McArdle tapping over the free for a three point lead.

It looked like it would be enough but with the game back in the melting pot, Offaly showed great character and kept going. They were reduced to hopeful punts, as they had been for most of the evening and it eventually worked the oracle. One of those from Alex Egan caused consternation in the Louth defence and Furlong got his toe to the ball to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat.

The draw will have been taken with both arms by Offaly as they gave an impoverished display on the evening and would have had no complaints if they had been beaten.

In Cormac Egan, Keith O'Neill, Cormac Egan, Marcas Dalton and Tom Hyland, who came on as a late sub, an injury devastated Offaly were missing some of their most important players. Chris Kenny, while unproven at county level, was also a loss and Offaly just could not cope with that scale of absentees but even those considerable mitigating factors don't fully explain the way they played for fifty minutes.

Offaly could get nothing going on the day and they never looked like breaking down Louth until that late rally – and even then, their football was of the “Hail Mary” rather than the manufactured variety. While Offaly defended bravely and held their own at midfield, their attacking display was nowhere near good enough and the bare statistics say all that need to be said on this: they not only didn't score from play until the 53rd minute but they didn't create chances and couldn't open up Louth.

Yet this result could change their season. They have Wicklow next up and if they can get injured bodies back on the fiel, they could improve considerably.

With so many key players missing, it was not a surprise that Offaly would struggle but their first half display came as a shock to the system.

Playing with a strong wind, Offaly just couldn't break down the home side and Louth were the better team. Louth enjoyed more possession than you would have expected against the wind, pulled most of their team back when Offaly had the ball and broke forward at pace.

They fully deserved to lead by 0-3 to 0-2 at half time as Offaly didn't get anything going in an attacking sense. Their struggles is illustrated by the fact that their two points came from Harry Plunkett frees and they had only one shot in open play – a left footed effort from John Furlong that drifted wide while their other three first half wides were hopeful punts forward that went harmlessly out.

The game was ten minutes old before Plunkett gave Offaly the lead from a free. Louth got the next two, Plunkett equalised with a very good free and Darragh Dorian put Louth ahead with an injury time point that could have been a goal.

Louth almost got in for two goals in the first half and it left Offaly in a very difficult position at the break, hoping that it was one of those winds that was easier to play against than with.

Offaly struggled badly in the second half, even though they did push up with Diarmuid Finneran winning a lot of ball just behind midfield and John Furlong improving as it went on. Scoring, however, was a huge ordeal. Harry Plunkett got a 41st minute free to make it 0-5 to 0-3 but Louth then hit a rich vein of form, opening up what should have been an untouchable six point lead with four points in a great four minute spell from the 44th to 48th minutes.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Sean Reynolds (Louth): Sean Reynolds had an excellent game for Louth. He manned the defence impressively at centre half back and got forward to kick two points. On a day when Offaly made way too many mistakes and few players found their A game, Diarmuid Finneran, Daire McDaid, John Furlong and Geordi O'Meara did best.

THE SCORERS

Offaly: Harry Plunkett 0-3 (3f), John Furlong and Alex Egan 1-0, Geordi O'Meara 0-1.

Louth: Kieran McArdle 0-4 (3f and 1m), Sean Reynolds 0-2, Cameron Maher, Liam Flynn, Harry Butterly and Darragh Dorian 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

OFFALY: David Dunican (Ferbane); Daire McDaid (Tullamore), Diarmuid Finneran (Ballinagar), Diarmuid O'Neill (Clonbullogue); Ben Heffernan (Tullamore), Cathal Ryan (Daingean), Luke Bourke (Tullamore); John Furlong (Tullamore), Harry Plunkett (Tullamore); Geordi O'Meara (Ballinagar), Niall Furlong (Tullamore), Pauric Robbins (Tubber); Dylan Byrne (Edenderry), Sean Conway (Ballycommon), Jamie Guing (Clonbullogue). Subs - Alex Egan (Clara) for Niall Furlong (44m), Sean Finneran (St Rynagh's) for Byrne (47m), Luke Kelly (Doon) for Guing (50m), Tom Hyland (Bracknagh) for O'Neill (53m), Cian Murphy (Rhode) for Heffernan (61m),

LOUTH: Josh Finlay; Fionn Tipping, Beanon Corrigan, Mark Holohan; Tadgh McDonnell, Sean Reynolds, Cameron Maher; Dara McDonnell, Sean Callaghan; James Rogers, Kieran McArdle, Liam Flynn; Harry Butterly, Tom Mathews Darragh Dorian. Subs – Kyle McElroy for Dorian (41m), Ben Gartlan for Rogers (60m),

Referee – Patrick Coyle, Meath.

REFEREE WATCH

Patrick Coyle had a good game on a night when it would have been easy to ruin the game. He allowed play to develop but punished clear fouls. He gave both sides can't miss frees in for off the ball fouls when play was way down the field but he was consistent in this and did well to spot them.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

John Furlong's equalising goal was the only moment that mattered here.

VENUE WATCH

Stabannon Parnells' ground in Louth was a small exposed venue but the pitch held up very well considering the bad weather. The host club took great pride in hosting the fixture and offered a genuinely warm welcome to visiting supporters.

WHAT'S NEXT

Offaly host Wicklow in Faithful Fields next Tuesday.

STATISTICS

Wides: Offaly – 5 (4 in first half); Louth - 2 (1 in first half).

Yellow cards: Offaly – 2 (Cathal Ryan 2); Louth – 1 (Darragh Dorian).

Black cards: 0.

Red cards: Offaly – 1 (Cathal Ryan, 2 yellows); Louth 0.