Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Quarter-Final

Kerry 1-22 Louth 2-9

By Jason O'Connor at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

While not a vintage display Kerry won a 22nd consecutive game at Minor level to reach Croke Park once more.

Louth managed to find their way through the Kerry defence on two occasions for goals although they would still lose out by 10 points in the end.

1-6 in a strong period between the sixth and the 15th minute was a big factor in Kerry’s win as team captain David Clifford finished with nine points (three frees) in their win.

Donnachadh O’Sullivan scored Kerry’s goal in the eighth minute to put them 1-3 in front before Louth registered their first score a minute later but it was the switch of Brian Friel to centre-forward along with the prowess of Diarmuid O’Connor and Barry Mahony at midfield that were key factors in Kerry’s win.

Louth had to rely on Ciaran Keenan and John Gallagher for inspiration and both were involved in the Leinster side’s first goal right before half-time. Gallagher took advantage of a lapse in the Kerry defence to find Keenan who buried the ball past Deividas Uosis to make the half-time score 1-11 to 1-5 for the Kingdom.

Kerry restarted with the first three points of the second period but despite a black card for Louth’s Conor Morgan, his replacement Conor Nicholson was on hand to give Eoghan Callaghan the pass for Louth’s second goal in the 39th minute as the score looked interesting at 1-14 to 2-6. The Munster Champions weren’t panicking however as Fiachra Clifford put over two patient points in sending Kerry back on their way to another tilt at the Tommy Markham Cup.

Cavan will be Kerry’s opponents in the All-Ireland Semi-Final in two weeks time but Roscommon must first be negotiated by the team’s U-17 contingent in next Saturday’s All-Ireland U-17 Semi-Final in Ennis.

Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford (0-9, 3f), B Friel (0-5, 1f), Donnachadh O’Sullivan (1-1), Donal O’Sullivan (0-3, 1f), F Clifford (0-2), N Donohoe and M Slattery (0-1 each)

**Scorers for Louth: **C Keenan (1-3, 2f), J Gallagher (0-6, 4f) and E Callaghan (1-0)

KERRY: Deividas Uosis; Sean O’Leary, Chris O’Donoghue, Cian Gammell; Michael Potts, Eddie Horan, Niall Donohoe; Barry Mahony, Diarmuid O’Connor, Adam O’Donoghue, David Clifford, Donal O’Sullivan, Fiachra Clifford, Donnachadh O’Sullivan, Brian Friel Subs: Dylan Casey for S O’Leary (41), Patrick Warren for Donoghue (46), Ryan O’Neill for Horan (47), Michael Slattery for Donal O’Sullivan (52), Ciaran O’Reilly for Donnachadh O’Sullivan (54) and Michael O’Leary for Potts (56)

LOUTH: Alan McGauley; Alan Connor, Dean McGreehan, Dan Corcoran; Leonard Grey, Nicky Browne, James O’Reilly; Liam Jackson, Conor Morgan; Gerry Garland, Conor Gillespie, Eoghan Callaghan; Ben Mooney, Cathal Keenan, John Gallagher Subs: Conor Nicholson for Moran (BC, 35), Fergal Malone for Gillespie, Jack Murphy for Browne (both 47), Shane Hickey for Garland (50), Keelan O‘Neill for Mooney (58)
 
**Referee: **Martin McNally (Monaghan)