Louth 4-15

Sligo 4-11

Louth staged a remarkable late comeback to snatch the Lory Meagher Cup from Sligo's grasp at a sun-kissed Croke Park this afternoon.

The Wee County scored three goals in the last four minutes to secure promotion to the Nicky Rackard Cup for 2017 and leave Sligo heartbroken for the second year in-a-row after they lost last year's final to Fermanagh. Sligo must have thought they had done enough when they led by five points after 66 minutes, but Louth had other ideas as goals in rapid succession from Liam Dwan (free), Andrew Mackin and captain Shane Callan turned the game on its head.

Declan Loughnane's charges dominated the first half to built up a 10-point lead, 3-6 to 0-5, at the break. After Sean Kenny had opened the scoring, Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch, Kevin Gilmartin and Matthew Davey all raised green flags in a devastating 13-minute spell.

Diarmuid McCarthy's Louth side resumed with points from Diarmuid Murphy, Dwan and sub Andrew Mackin (two), only for the Yeats County to reply with two each from Keith Raymond and Brian O'Loughlin.

Entering the last 10 minutes, Louth sub Seaghan Conneely and Sligo's O'Kelly-Lynch traded goals, but the Wee County finished with a flourish. 

Louth: J Connolly, C Matthews, B Minogue, M Wallace, M Lyons, R Maher, A McCrave, D O'Hanrahan, S Callan (1-1), G Smith, N Stanley, D Kettle, D Murphy (0-7, 6f, 1 '65), L Dwan (1-4 (1-2f), P Lynch. Subs: N Cafferkey for Matthews (27), A Mackin (1-2) for Smith (h-t), S Conneely (1-1) for O'Hanrahan (43).

Sligo: N McGrath, R Redmond, J Kenny, G Feely, E Comerford, C Behan, L Reidy, R Cox (0-1), K Raymond (0-2, 1f), K Gilmartin (1-0), G O'Kelly-Lynch (2-2), B O'Loughlin (0-3), M Davey (1-0), C Brennan, S Kenny (0-3, 1f). Subs: F Cretaro for Gilmartin (61), M Gilmartin for Davey (66), A Morrison for O'Kelly-Lynch (69)

Referee: Mickey Dan Murtagh (Westmeath).

 

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