They had done enough here to secure progression to the All-Ireland knock out stages, a notable achievement in itself, but they will wonder how they let Monaghan wriggle off the hook
Momentum swung just after the hour mark. A sloppy cross-field ball in front of the Louth goal was intercepted by Micheal Bannigan. He kept his cool to lob to an empty net to cut Louth’s lead to one. A few seconds later, Sam Mulroy, using his left foot against a tight angle, hit the post with a free.
By now momentum was with Monaghan. Conor McManus, on as a sub, brought the sides level and suddenly the Monaghan supporters in the 11,329 present sensed another famous Clones rescue mission.
Rory Beggan boomed over a pressure free, from some 50m, to give his side the lead for the first time. Mulroy replied to draw the sides level and that proved to the last score of the game. However, Ryan O’Toole might have snatched it for Monaghan at the end.
It was a grandstand finish to a game that didn’t have much of a championship feel in the first half.
Craig Lennon plundered two goals in Inniskeen a week a go and he was at it here again, getting on the end of a Louth move, started by livewire Ciaran Keenan, to slam to the net.
That put Louth four clear, 1-3 to 0-2, but Monaghan replied within seconds as a Conor McCarthy sidewinder found the bottom corner of the net. That might have sparked Monaghan but they coughed up frees that Sam Mulroy gleefully converted.
A Jack McCarron free brought the gap to two before Louth created another goal chance. Once again Lennon was involved and he found Conor Grimes, whose shot found its way through a mass of bodies and hit the net. Rory Beggan, who had denied Mulroy earlier in the half, had no chance. Suddenly the game had a new complexion as the visitors took a 2-5 to 1-3 lead in at the break.
Monaghan kicked the first three scores of the half but Louth looked to have steadied the ship before Bannigan’s goal.
Louth progress, albeit with injury worries over Ciaran Downey and Lennon. Monaghan move on to face a struggling Meath, knowing a draw will be enough secure their qualification.
SCORERS – Monaghan: M Bannigan 1-1, C McCarthy 1-0, C McManus (2f) 0-2, J Wilson, C McNulty, G Mohan, R O’Toole, K Duffy (1m), R Beggan (1f) J McCarron (1f) 0-1 each.
Louth: S Mulroy 0-7 (6f, 1 45), C Lennon, C Grimes 1-0, R Burns 0-2, C Downey 0-1.
Monaghan: R Beggan; R Wylie, K Duffy, R O’Toole; J Irwin, K Lavelle, C McCarthy; G Mohan, K O’Connell; S O’Hanlon, M Bannigan, M Hamill; C McNulty, J Wilson, C McManus SUBS: K O’Connell for Duffy (HT), C McManus for McCarron (46), A Woods for O’Connell (54), S Jones for Hammill (63), M McCarville for Wilson (74).
Louth: N McDonnell; D McKenny, D Corcoran, P Lynch; C McKeever, A Williams, C Lennon; T Durnin, B Duffy; N Sharkey, C Keenan, C Grimes; R Burns, S Mulroy, C Downey SUBS: L Grey for Lennon, C Byrne for Downey (both 55), P Mathews for Sharkey (66), T Jackson for Burns (67),
Referee: F Kelly (Longford).
