Brilliant Leitrim produce heroics to keep promotion dream alive in Laois

After a game over-flowing with drama that would defy description, Leitrim kept their Allianz NFL Division 4 promotion hopes alive in spectacular fashion as they defeated leaders Laois with two injury time points and witnessed a late equalising free hit the woodwork in Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday.

In a superb display from Andy Moran’s side, Leitrim twice recovered from four point deficits on a heavy and muddy pitch to keep their promotion hopes alive as they endured the torment of missed goal chances and wayward shots to secure a victory that will got into the annals of Leitrim GAA history.

League leaders Laois looked a class apart in the first half, leading by five points at the break and generally looking comfortable as they held Leitrim at bay. Yet the 0-9 to 0-5 scoreline didn’t reflect what we witnessed with Leitrim butchering three goal chances while Laois also missed two that might have changed this game.

The second half was live long in the memory of the dedicated few Leitrim fans who made what seemed like a fool’s errand to Portlaoise as the Green & Gold simply outworked and outfought the home side not once but twice when it seemed as if Laois would break their hearts when Paul Kingston goal.

A quick fire 1-1 from the Laois man put them four clear with just over 13 minutes of normal time remaining but from there to finish, it was all Leitrim as Moran’s side outscored Laois six points to two down the stretch.

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Paul Keaney with an absolutely monster 60 yard free, backed by the wind admittedly, and Barry McNulty got the game’s defining scores but victory was almost snatched away when Shane Quinn, mistaking a whistle for a free for the game’s end, over carried the ball and Mark Barry was handed a free.

Barry’s free looked on course but hit the inside of the post and fell down into the hands of a grateful Leitrim defence as the dream of promotion lives on for another week.

Incredibly, it is the second year in a row that Leitrim have defeated Laois in the sixth round of the League and both victories gave the Green & Gold a chance to secure promotion the following week. 

Leitrim are now in a head to head battle with Longford for promotion although a Laois loss could complicate matters further and bring it down to head to head. A Longford win means there is nothing Leitrim can do regardless of beating Tipperary but wins for Laois and Wexford would see Moran’s men promoted to Division 3 for 2025.

Leitrim got off to a bright start with Darragh Rooney punishing a foul on a marauding Pearce Dolan from the throw-in while Tom Prior fisted over after a good one-two with Riordan O’Rourke. Paul Kingston replied from a tight angle to cut the gap while a Prior pass on its way to a free Barry McNulty was just deflected away by a defender.

The Leitrim team who defeated Laois on Saturday in Laois Hire O'Moore Park Picture: Willie Donnellan

Aidan Flynn was yellow carded for pulling back Mark Barry, Evan O’Carroll firing over a free but Laois hit two more wide in addition to two earlier ones and Leitrim made them pay when a long ball found him, a trademark dummy giving him the room to score.

The game was beginning to heat up with Kingston and Barry both scoring good efforts from play but at the other end, Tom Prior gathered from a Leitrim kickout in complete isolation and fed Darragh Rooney who bore down on goal only for Killian Roche to make an excellent save, at the expense of a fifty that Nevin O’Donnell put well wide.

Laois almost had a goal of their own when a poor Leitrim pass was intercepted some 40 yards from goal with O’Donnell well out of position. Kingston launched an audacious lob that thankfully cannoned off the crossbar but came out to Barry for a point.

Leitrim now started to miss chances, Mark Plunkett and Riordan O’Rourke missing chances while Barry McNulty was booked for a heavy challenge on Killian Roche. Laois went three up when a crossfield Leitrim pass was intercepted and O’Carroll pointed.

The gap was four with nine minutes left in the half when Barry converted after a long ball out of the Laois defence following a Leitrim turnover but that sparked a Leitrim response, Donal Casey bursting through the middle, almost losing the ball but holding on to fire over.

An off-the-ball foul allowed Darragh Rooneyn notch another free but he then missed from play and an off-the-ball foul at the other end allowed O’Carroll to convert a free.

Another Tom Prior break led to a second goal goal for Darragh Rooney but perhaps mindful of his earlier miss, the St Jude’s clubman opted for a pass across the face of goal but there was nobody there. 

Leitrim were creating goal chances, seconds later a high ball broke, Rooney turned provider but Roche made a superb save to deny Ryan O’Rourke a certain goal and after a silly late hit on Kingston as he delivered a pass, Barry converted a free to put them 0-9 to 0-5 in front at the break.

Leitrim County Board chairman Enda Stenson celebrates with Jack & Shane Foley Picture: Willie Donnellan

Laois have done a lot of damage in this campaign just after halftime and it looked as if they were starting to pull away when Conor Heffernan fired over in the first minute to give the home side a double point lead but then Ryan O’Rourke burst into life with two points in as many minutes.

Both came from turnovers as Laois players failed to secure kickouts, a Donal Wrynn long pass set up the first and Aidan Flynn the second to cut the gap to three. O’Carroll had a wide on the near side before Riordan O’Rourke claimed a mark and dissent saw it moved in for a free in front of the posts, converted by Rooney.

Mark Barry lifted the Leitrim siege with a free but Leitrim fans must have felt it was not going to be their day when another turnover from a Laois kickout saw the ball floated across the face of the goal to an unmarked Tom Prior - he met the ball well with his fist but it smashed off the crossbar.

The chance still wasn’t gone - Ryan O’Rourke steamed in and pulled the trigger only for his shot to be blocked, the ball eventually coming back to Prior for a point.

Leitrim were now beginning to dominate but two more wides were matched when Mark Barry drove a brilliant goal chance wide in a real let off. Darragh Rooney lobbed a high ball into the square, the ball took a slight touch off Roche as it dribbled past the far post and our for a fifty that O’Donnell converted with some ease on 53 minutes.

From that kickout, Leitrim drew level, turning the ball over again and Ryan O’Rourke scoring a lovely point. Laois were somewhat shell-shocked but they showed the threat they possessed two minutes later when the ball was turned over in a Leitrim attack and Laois got the ball out to O’Carroll on the halfway line.

With the Leitrim defence pushing up, O’Carroll broke past a challenge and charged in before finding Paul Kingston who neatly sidestepped O’Donnell to smash the ball to the net. From the kickout, Laois again won the ball and Kingston fired over to open up a four point gap with just over 13 minutes left.

Leitrim were rattled but with the arrival of Shane Quinn for Tom Prior, the Green & Gold got themselves back on track when Rooney converted a free and seconds later, O’Rourke fired over a lovely point to leave two between the teams.

Rooney had a shot go wide but a slight touch led to an O’Donnell 50 that went wide but more sloppy Laois play under pressure saw the ball turned over and Mark Plunkett curled a lovely shot over the bar with just over nine minutes to go.

The margins were tiny - Laois worked a chance for Shaun Fitzpatrick but his shot was blocked and after yet another turnover, a strong run from Ryan O’Rourke led to the equalising score in the final seconds of normal time.

The Leitrim Gaels contingent celebrate! Jack Flynn, Donal Casey, Tommy and Aidan Flynn pictured after the game Picture: Willie Donnellan

Leitrim were then harshly penalised for touching the ball on the ground in the first minute of injury time, Barry converting the free to regain the lead for the home side. Killian Roche claimed a dangerous ball into the area from Jack Foley but with over three minutes of the allotted five added minutes played, Paul Keaney converted a monster 60 yard free to tie the scores.

Almost immediately, Leitrim forced another turnover and Barry McNulty was sent through to fire over the winning point, under severe pressure. The drama didn’t end there - Ryan O’Rourke picked up another black card for a high challenge while Keaney and Laois full-back Seamus Lacey were also booked for a spot of wrestling.

With added time on top of added time, Laois were frantically trying to find a way through and lobbed a high ball towards the Leitrim goal. Shane Quinn claimed the ball but apparently mistook the whistle for the mark as the final whistle and when he went away dancing in celebration, he was, it has to be said, correctly penalised for over-carrying.

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That left Mark Barry with a chance to force a draw that might have ended Leitrim’s promotion hopes but, from well out on the right wing, his shot hit the inside of the near post, bouncing down into the hands of a grateful Leitrim defence who celebrated a famous victory moments later when the final whistle did eventually sound.

LAOIS

Scorers: Mark Barry 0-6, 3f; Paul Kingston 1-3; Evan O’Carroll 0-3, 2f; Conor Heffernan 0-1

Team: Killian Roche; Ben Dempsey, Seamus Lacey, Sean O'Flynn; Eoin Buggie, Mark Timmons, Brian Byrne; Damon Larkin, Conor Heffernan; Kevin Swayne, Eoin Lowry, Shaun Fitzpatrick; Mark Barry, Evan O’Carroll, Paul Kingston. Subs: Niall Corbet for Lowry (HT), Kieran Lillis for Larkin (45), Danny O'Reilly for Heffernan (65), Brian Daly for Fitzpatrick (67), Mikie Dempsey for Swayne (69)

LEITRIM

Scorers: Ryan O’Rourke 0-6; Darragh Rooney 0-4, Tom Prior 0-2; Nevin O’Donnell (50), Donal Casey, Paul Keaney (f), Barry McNulty & Mark Plunkett 0-1 each

Team: Nevin O'Donnell; Conor Reynolds, Donal Casey, Aidan Flynn; Pearce Dolan, Mark Diffley, Jack Foley; Jack Gilheany, Barry McNulty; Mark Plunkett, Ryan O'Rourke; Donal Wrynn; Tom Prior; Darragh Rooney; Riordan O'Rourke. Subs: Shane Quinn for Prior (57), Niall Walsh for R O'Rourke (63), Paul Keaney for Wrynn (66)

Referee: John Ryan (Cork)