St Mary's Ardee dig deep to book place in Leinster final

St Mary's Ardee 0-15 St Loman’s 0-14

A well-taken point from Sean Callaghan in the fourth minute of added-time earned a place in next Saturday’s Leinster final for St Mary’s Ardee after a pulsating encounter against St Loman’s on the losers’ home pitch in Mullingar.

Most neutrals expected this to be a close affair, and so it proved. Indeed, Sam McCartan was unable to convert a 47-metre free from the ground with just seconds remaining which would have brought the game to extra-time.

All-Star nominee Donal McKenny opened the scoring in the third minute at the end of a patient move, but the wind-assisted home team responded very well and they scored four unanswered points by the eighth minute courtesy of Ronan O’Toole, TJ Cox, and one each from the McCartan brothers, Danny and Sam (both coming after quickly-taken frees).

Points from Shane Matthews and goalkeeper Tiernan Markey (free) left the visitors trailing by just the bare minimum, 0-04 to 0-03, with 11 minutes elapsed.

The scoring rate dropped during the remainder of a niggly first half, with some of the referee’s decisions – in both directions – proving unpopular with the sizeable crowd. The influential John Heslin opened his account from a free with Tom Jackson cancelling this out in fine style from play.

Both sides pointed just once in the time remaining – Cox for St Loman’s and Ciaran Keenan for St Mary’s.

A Heslin free in injury-time came back off the upright and O’Toole was unable to goal from the rebound due to staunch Ardee defending, but led 0-06 to 0-05 at the break.

Ciaran Keenan pointed twice, the second courtesy of a mark, by the 34th minute to edge his side ahead, but Kelvin Reilly equalised shortly afterwards.

Daire McConnon was almost in on goal in the 36th