Louth make four changes for Meath clash

Louth have made four changes to their side for Sunday’s final Allianz Football League Division Two clash with neighbours Meath in Drogheda.

Mick Fanning, Darren O’Hanlon, Bevan Duffy and Kevin Rogers all come into the side for the clash with the Royal County with Dessie Finnegan, Gary O’Hare, Stephen Campbell and Eoin O’Connor missing out after starting the defeat to Donegal last weekend.

Shane Lennon will also start again having been a late addition to the side last weekend in Ballyshannon.

Aidan O’Rourke’s side have little but pride to play for having already been relegated to Division Three next season after taking just two points from draws with Armagh and Galway to date in the campaign.

A win over old rivals Meath would no doubt boost morale ahead of the start of the Leinster Championship next month though.

The team in full is: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Mick Fanning, John O’Brien; Darren O’Hanlon, Derek Crilly, Adrian Reid; Paddy Keenan, Brian Donnelly; Patrick Reilly, Brian White, Bevan Duffy; Andy McDonnell, Shane Lennon, Kevin Rogers.

Donegal defeat consigns Louth to relegation

Louth will be playing in Division Three next season after yesterday’s 1-19 to 3-7 defeat to Donegal in Ballyshannon, coupled with Galway’s victory over Armagh, consigned them to relegation.

The game was practically over as a contest in the first-half with the home side leading by 0-13 to 1-1 at the break, with Louth’s goal being poked home by Shane Lennon a minute before the interval.

Further goals from Paddy Keenan and Brian White in the second half did briefly reduce deficit back to three but the 2012 All-Ireland champions never looked in trouble and barely had to get out of second gear as David Walsh’s late goal secured a comfortable win.

Donegal were totally dominant in the middle third in the first half with Christy Toye and Rory Kavanagh scoring four points between them before the break.

Louth lost two players to black cards and took their time to adjust. Full-back Dessie Finnegan was forced off in the fourth minute and full-forward Eoin O’Connor joined him in the 30th minute for hauling down Colm McFadden.

Dermot Molloy, playing on the forty, scored two points from play in the opening half with wing back Anthony Thompson also on the scoresheet as Donegal raced clear.

Louth midfielders Paddy Keenan and Brian Donnelly were much improved in the second half, as they looked to spearhead a revival from the Wee County.
Toye’s third point, a Michael Murphy free and a Colm McFadden point extended Donegal’s lead to 0-16 to 1-2 after 47 minutes.

Louth then enjoyed their best spell of the game, registering an unanswered 2-2 in the space of five minutes.

A brace of points from Brian White was followed by two goals in a minute from Keenan and White, who both drove straight through the middle of the Donegal defence to drill goals past netminder Paul Durcan.

With their cushion cut to three points, substitute David Walsh settled any Donegal nerves with a goal after 56 minutes.

A Lennon free and a point from Bevan Duffy did reduce the deficit to four points again, before Murphy scored his only point from play to complete a convincing win for Donegal, which virtually assures instant promotion for them back to the league’s top tier.

DONEGAL: P Durcan; E McGee, N McGee, K Lacey; Declan Walsh (0-1), L McLoone, A Thompson (0-1); R Kavanagh (0-2), C Toye (0-3); M McHugh, D Molloy (0-2), O McNelis; C McFadden (0-6, 0-3f), Michael Murphy (0-04, 0-3f), P McBrearty. Subs: R McHugh for Lacey (half-time), David Walsh (1-0) for McBrearty (55 mins), L Keaney for Thompson, G McFadden for Kavanagh (both 69).

LOUTH: N Gallagher; P Rath, D Finnegan, J O’Brien; G O’Hare, D Crilly, A Reid; P Keenan (1-0), B Donnelly; P Reilly, B White (1-3, 0-1f), S Campbell; A McDonnell, E O’Connor, S Lennon (1-03, 0-2f). Subs: D O’Hanlon for Finnegan (black card, 4 mins), C Judge for Campbell (21), B Duffy (0-1) for O’Connor (black card, 30), D Brown for Judge (32), D Clarke for Donnelly (63), L Shevlin for Reilly (65).

Referee: Martin Higgins (Fermanagh).

Louth make one change to side for trip to Donegal

Louth have made just one change to the side that drew with Galway a fortnight ago for this Sunday’s trip to face Donegal in Ballyshannon.

Na Piarsaigh’s Gary O’Hare comes into the side in the full back line in place of forward Derek Maguire, who went off injured against Galway and is expected to be out for the remainder of the campaign.

Having taken just two points so far this season, the Wee County can ill-afford to lose to the 2012 All-Ireland champions at the weekend, with a tough final fixture at home to neighbours Meath on the horizon the week after as Aidan O’Rourke’s side look to preserve their Division Two status for next season.

The team in full for Sunday’s game is: Neil Gallagher; Padraig Rath, Dessie Finnegan, Gary O’Hare; John O’Brien, Derek Crilly, Adrian Reid; Paddy Keenan, Brian Donnelly; Patrick Reilly, Brian White, Stephen Campbell; Andy McDonnell, Eoin O’Connor, Colm Judge.

Louth GAA supporters running bus to Donegal this Sunday

The Louth GAA Supporters’ Club are running a bus to Donegal this Sunday March 30^th.

The bus will leave Drogheda at 9am and Dundalk at 9.30am.

For further details or booking contact Kieran on 042-9354140 Gerry McGee on 0867500414 after 5pm or Brian Matthews on 087 2830308.

The game will be played in Ballyshannon with Aidan O’Rourke’s side needing a win to help them avoid relegation to Division Three next season.

Dundalk Gardaí living in fear

Garda Robbie Peelo

Gardaí in Dundalk are living in fear that they could be murdered like their colleague Detective Adrian Donohoe, according to a report in today’s Irish Sun.

In an interview with Stephen Breen, Garda Robbie Peelo has revealed that the 120 guards at Dundalk station have been left devastated by the killing of their colleague at Lordship Credit Union in January.

Garda Peelo also revealed that six major criminal gangs are now operating along the Border, three serious dissident mobs are based in the area and said that fuel laundering is now the main earner for gangsters in the area.

Garda Peelo, who has been based in Dundalk for 17 years, told The Sun: “Adrian is the first thing that’s in your head straight away — it’s there. The people who killed him are still out there and that’s the natural reaction.

“There is a fear constantly — you can hear it in members’ voices when they are answering calls.

“Ten days after Adrian’s murder there was a panic alarm in the Credit Union in Dundalk and we were looking for armed cover but the Regional Support Unit were in Ballyshannon. Officers are responding to panic alarms, to robberies and to reports of intruders but there is no second car for back-up.

“If we’re lucky maybe we can get a car from the drugs unit but these lads aren’t armed.

“What happened to Adrian is foremost in our thoughts — how can we formulate what his wife Caroline and family are going through?”

Gda Peelo, who has invited Justice Minister Alan Shatter to join his colleagues on patrol, warned that dissidents were getting a “free rein” along the Border.

He said: “On the rare occasions we have a patrol car on the Border, you are taking your life in your hands. The dissidents have a free rein because we are not there.

“We were out for the first time in ten days last week and within a half hour we came across 26,000 litres of mixing agent for oil laundering.

“When the PSNI are out, they often have five or six cars with heavily armed officers — but we are on the far side in a Ford Focus.

“If people drive through an armed checkpoint in the North, what are they willing to do to us? When a truck comes behind you it’s not a case of trying to stop them — you get out of the way.

“These gangs know of our limitations — what we need are members on the ground.”

Gda Peelo told how the PSNI has upped its policing levels. He added: “But they’re not being matched on this side of the Border because we don’t have the resources.” The investigator also said his colleagues were more determined than ever to nail Adrian’s killers.

He said: “We will never give up. If these people killed a guard in cold blood — what would they do to their own gang members? People should come to us.”

Gda Peelo revealed the number one crime in the Border is fuel smuggling, followed by burglaries. At times, travelling criminals using high-powered cars are committing 12 thefts in one afternoon before fleeing.

Other major crimes include stolen car scams, cigarette smuggling and drugs.

Source: Warning – Adrian killers could murder another cop (The Irish Sun)