Louth U21 manager Kieran Maguire was devastated for his players after their narrow defeat to Dublin.

The Wee County produced a brave performance at Dowdallshill on Saturday but eventually succumbed to a shattering defeat after extra time. After watching his brave charges come so close to a famous win, Maguire was crestfallen:

"Of course it's a tough one to take. A bit of a rub of the green on the day might have changed things a lot.

"It's unfortunate but it's typical of Louth: also-rans. I honestly thought these boys could come through this.

"The boys worked so hard out there. They kept at it and were never beat. I couldn't have asked any more of them. They are a great bunch of fellas and work so hard. I couldn't be more proud of them.

"The referee didn't so us any favours. Now, I'm not saying he beat us but you could see what was going on. That's football for you. You just have to take what comes.

"It's just one of those things. We never seem to get that bit of luck to get into the next round." Tweet

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