Seven points from All-Star midfielder Paddy Keenan - including a late equaliser - earned St. Patrick's a Louth SFC final replay against Newtown Blues at Drogheda yesterday.

St. Patrick's 0-10
Newtown Blues 1-7

Keenan's levelling point three minutes from the end means the sides must do it all again in the Gaelic Grounds next Sunday. Both teams had late chances from frees to snatch victory, but St. Pat's Eamon Carroll and Newtown's John Kermode's efforts both dropped short.

The teams shared six points between them in the opening 11 minutes before the Blues' made a decisive breakthrough on the quarter-hour mark when Jimmy Murray was taken down for a penalty, and Kermode made no mistake from the spot-kick. That score helped the Blues to a 1-4 to 0-5 interval lead, but their Lordship opponents rallied after the restart and four points from the outstanding Keenan and another from Carroll gave them the lead for the first time in over 30 minutes.

Blues 'keeper Stephen McCann then made a brilliant save to deny Eoin O'Connor before they went on to regain the lead through points from substitute Hugh McGinn and Kermode.

But Keenan had the final say when he restored parity the sixth time.

Scorers - St Patrick's: P Keenan 0-7, E Carroll 0-2, E O'Connor 0-1. Newtown Blues: J Kermode 1-2, J Murray, K Lynch, A McDonnell, C Judge, H McGinn 0-1 each.

ST PATRICK'S: S Connor; D MacArtain, D Finnegan, D O'Hanlon; R Finnegan, E Breen, O Zamboglou; C Goss, P Keenan; P Mallon, S Hynes, A McCann; E Carroll, E O'Connor, D O'Connor. Sub: C White for Mallon.

NEWTOWN BLUES: S McCann; T Costello, C Reynolds, A O'Brien; S Moonan, J Carr, E Judge; J Kermode, K Lynch; B Kermode, B Sharkey, C Branagan; J Murray, C Judge, A McDonnell. Subs: I McManus for Sharkey; H McGinn for Branagan.

Referee: M Craven (Dundalk). Tweet

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