THE LAST POINT: Lost for words but full of wonder

Saying you are lost for words when you scribble for a living is not something a journalist is supposed to admit but even now, four days later, it is hard to put into words what the diehard Green & Gold fans witnessed in Laois Hire O’Moore Park last Saturday evening!

But maybe it is no surprise when I start to ruminate on what I witnessed on a dank and dirty evening in Portlaoise as Andy Moran’s team stared into the abyss, their Allianz NFL Division 4 promotion hopes seemingly slipping away for yet another year only for the Green & Gold to yank victory from the fire.

Maybe it wasn't that I was lost for words but rather there were too many tumbling around my head. At halftime, it was the same old story of a Leitrim team creating chances but not taking them as Laois looked far more composed, the better team on a day when both teams missed goal chances. Leitrim unfortunately edged that statistic three chances to two but there was no disagreement at the halftime break  when one opined that the hosts were the superior outfit.

Laois’ modus operandi this League campaign has been to surge after halftime to kill off the opposition but instead, it was Andy Moran’s team who lifted themselves off the ground, the words in my head now swirling around telling  a tale of an epic comeback that kept the promotion dream alive.

Then came a killer - Leitrim drew level and were poised for victory and crash, bang, wallop, Laois punched home 1-1 in the space of a minute and we were back in  heartbreak territory and the familiar sad tale of hopes dashed and missed chances.

THE LAST POINT: CELEBRATING WOMEN'S SPORT

But like any good thriller, there was time for a twist or two before the finish - hauling themselves off the ground, Leitrim somehow dragged themselves back into the game to draw level in the dying seconds of normal time only for Mark Barry to nudge Laois back in front with a pretty harsh free when a Leitrim player was adjudged to have lifted the ball off the ground - wrong in my opinion!

Again, the story turned to one of heartache but Leitrim weren’t finished yet and if anything the drama grew even more unbelievable - imagine winning a free about 60 yards out on a heavy pitch and more than three minutes elapsed of the five added, what would you do? I know what I’d do - find a teammate and try to work a better scoring position.

Except we’re not Paul Keaney - the St Mary’s Kiltoghert clubman strode up, took the ball confidently and booted an absolute monster effort high over the crossbar to tie the scores. Even his manager Andy Moran admitted he wouldn’t have taken it on and the former Mayo Footballer of the Year isn’t exactly short of ability and self-belief.

Riordan O'Rourke takes on the Laois defence Picture: Willie Donnellan

But maybe that’s what’s different with this Leitrim team - Keaney’s wondrous kick infused Leitrim with self-belief, the resulting kickout was turned over and Barry McNulty, one arm held by a Laois defender, burst through like a runaway train to fire over the lead point.

Of course, Leitrim being Leitrim, nothing is ever simple - Ryan O’Rourke picked up a black card in an overzealous attempt to halt a late Laois equaliser but it would leave the Green & Gold a man short, an example of passion overcoming caution.

Still, it looked as if Leitrim had done enough as they flooded bodies back into defence, frustrating the life out of the home team so much that they lofted a high ball forwards that was meat and drink for the Leitrim defence, Shane Quinn claiming a mark that sparked off wild celebrations.

Unfortunately, Shane himself got caught up in the celebrations, not realising the referee’s whistle was not for full-time but for a mark and as he cavorted and jumped around the field in celebration, Cork referee John Ryan penalised him for overcarrying, quite correctly despite the howls of protests from Leitrim fans.

I was howling myself, banging the press box table with frustration, even annoyance,  as a promotion-saving victory hung in the balance. A Laois point would almost certainly have ended Leitrim’s dreams but fate again intervened, Mark Barry sending a free from the wing goalwards only for the wind to take it right, hitting the inside of the upright before falling into the hands of a grateful Leitrim defender!

And with that, promotion was saved and in a League of twists and turns, this was the greatest yet. We tend to remember the ones that go against us like Carlow’s late match winner but Leitrim have had the rub of the green in a big way this campaign, Barry’s post grazer right up there with the late penalty against Wexford in saving the Green & Gold.

Yet this was a victory with a difference - we stole one against the head against Wexford but victory here was fully deserved and Leitrim’s second half display ranks right up there with anything the Green & Gold have produced in many a year, surpassing quite a few considering the pressure that was on. This wasn’t like last year when Leitrim struck early and hung on - Moran’s men  dragged themselves back into the game not once or even twice but four times.

They were like a pack of ravenous wolves, pressurising the League leaders into mistakes, running them into the ground. Laois will look back and wonder how it got away from them - the amount of unforced handling errors and turnovers that led directly to Leitrim points was staggering but you could sense the foreboding growing in the Laois ranks the longer the game went on, they were simply unable to hold out against a  the ferocious Leitrim pack that hunted them down.

You wonder what changes from game to game, a team that looked like a beaten docket against Longford harrying the division leaders to such distraction that they didn’t know what was happening? Maybe it is the old Leitrim trait of being best when hope is seemingly gone, a trait they’ll have to banish again next Sunday against Tipperary or else again experience the crushing disappointment we endured last year against Sligo.

Ryan O'Rourke tackles a Laois defender in the first half Picture: Willie Donnellan

Granted Tipperary aren’t chasing promotion the way the Yeatsmen were last year, they have nothing to play for, but Leitrim, in the irony of ironies and one I pointed out in this column after the game, the Green & Gold need Wexford to beat or draw with Longford, a result that would leave the Model County in Division 4 for 2025 and Leitrim in Division 3 thanks to the head to head rule.

One other point and I can’t believe I’m about to make it but Leitrim’s two big results against Wexford and Laois have come on heavy, wet pitches while the losses against Carlow and Longford were on surfaces as firm and as dry as Croke Park. This isn’t dissing Leitrim’s performance or damning them with faint praise that they can perform in all conditions but rather to highlight the amazing conditioning of the Leitrim players.

THE LAST POINT: CHEERS AND TEARS IN PEARSE PARK

Fair to say that Andy Moran had copped his fair share of grief on social media and  forums from fans over the past three years but the physical condition of his players was second to none in appalling conditions as Laois looked as if they were gasping for air with ten minutes to go.

Apart from some wayward finishing, Leitrim’s performance was laden down with class and ability but as Moran himself stated, that skill could only shine if the Leitrim players are conditioned as they are so credit to the manager and his backroom team and, naturally, the players themselves.

A word of caution to finish - if I was to put money down right now, I’d bet on a Leitrim and Wexford double next Sunday but I’ll admit I thought Laois would be too strong for us last Saturday. That opinion didn’t change until the second half last Saturday and as we discovered last year, there are many twists and turns before this League ends.