Nervy Roscommon seal promotion to Division 1, Louth beat Meath to stay up

Allianz Football League Division 2

• Cavan 0-19 Cork 0-21
• Westmeath 1-19 Roscommon 2-16
• Monaghan 2-17 Down 0-24
• Louth 1-19 Meath 0-17

ROSCOMMON SUPPORTERS ENDURED five minutes of mental anguish before their promotion back to Division 1 of the Allianz Football League was confirmed.

Westmeath rallied to share the spoils with the last kick of the game in the Shannonside derby at TEG Cusack Park, leaving Rossies fans waiting anxiously on the result from Meath’s trip to Louth before they could celebrate.

As final day drama goes, today’s action in the second tier had everything that a supporter could hope for. Wind-assisted Cork and Louth moved out to commanding early leads but both could easily have been reeled in, while there was plenty of hooter confusion too, both in Mullingar and in Cavan.

For Roscommon, a tense finish should never have been needed as they ran riot in the opening half, at one point leading by 2-10 to 1-1. Luke Loughlin got an early goal for the home side but a superb Ciaráin Murtagh finish at the other end cancelled that score out. With Keith Doyle and Eddie Nolan lording matters at midfield, fielding Westmeath kickouts imperiously, the score quickly built up.

Daire Cregg and Cian McKeon kicked three points each while Diarmuid Murtagh palmed in a goal to capitalize on great work from Enda Smith, and even though Westmeath tacked on the last four points of the first half, it still looked academic. With 55 minutes gone there was still seven points between the teams, but Ray Connellan hoisted over three two-pointers to keep things tense, while Roscommon’s failure to convert a string of chances also left the underdogs in the game.

Eoghan McCabe split the uprights from distance to leave two between them with a little over a minute remaining, but it seemed like Roscommon had done enough when the hooter sounded with the ball on Conor McCormack’s tee, waiting for him to take a kickout. But much to Davy Burke’s chagrin, play was allowed to continue and Westmeath took full advantage, with Kieran Martin sending over the levelling score from 50 metres out.

At Kingspan Breffni, Cavan’s Dara McVeety had the chance to do the same but he rushed his shot when the hooter sounded, meaning that Cork ran out two-point winners.

After conceding the opening two scores, Cork quickly got into their attacking rhythm and orange flags from Brian O’Driscoll and Mark Cronin made it 0-8 to 0-2 with 15 minutes gone. A host of goal chances went abegging however, and it was the Rebels’ midfield dominance that kept them eight clear going into the final quarter.

Seán McEvoy continues to look like a huge find for Cavan manager Ray Galligan, chipping in with three points and having a great battle with Neil Lordan, while Gearóid McKiernan’s brace of two-pointers set up a tense finale.

Elsewhere, Down travelled to St. Tiernach’s Park in Clones and held on to win by a point but it was ultimately in vain as the two sides that got promoted from Division Three in 2024 will return to the third tier for next spring.

Micheál Bannigan’s early goal rocked the Mourne men but they hit back with eight points in a row, four from Pat Havern and two each from Ryan Magill and Eugene Branagan.

0-11 to 1-3 up at the break, they were in complete control six minutes into the second half when they added the next four, including a two-pointer from Magill.

Rory Beggan hit the target from distance twice in succession around the 50-minute mark and that sparked a Monaghan comeback, with David Garland’s goal helping them to draw level. Scores from Havern (two), Shay Miller and Ryan McEvoy saw Down home, meaning they and the Rossies were both avidly tuned into the last game to finish, Louth’s local derby with Meath at Inniskeen.

Even in the absence of Sam Mulroy, Louth looked very sharp up front in the opening half, with Ryan Burns leading the attack. He kicked 0-9 on the day with Tommy Durnin adding 0-3, while Kieran McArdle’s goal got them out to a dream start.

It was 1-9 to 0-1 with 29 minutes gone and the margin was still double figures with a quarter of an hour to play, when Meath finally got into gear. Keith Curtis and Morris hit doubles to briefly cut the lead to four, but that was as good as it got, and Burns’ final score of the day confirmed Louth’s victory, and the preservation of their Division Two status — though as the team in sixth place in the league, they will need to reach a Leinster final if they are to play Sam Maguire football later this summer.