Five-star Louth set up the Leinster quarter-finals with Kildare after a 15-point win over Carlow

Mickey Harte’s Louth scored five goals as they comfortably beat Carlow at Navan.

Outh were the better side arrow to arrow, with Carlow putting no real pressure on a side who had risen for a second consecutive season under the Tyrone man just weeks ago.

Louth played with the help of a strong breeze in the first half and Conor Grimes raised the first green flag with a brilliant low finish past Ciaran Cunningham in Carlow’s goal. That result gave the Wee Men a 1-5, 0-1 lead after 18 minutes.

Carlow seemed to steady the ship when Louth struck again. Niall Carew’s side had scored two straight points before Louth stepped in for another Major. This time, former AFL man Ciaran Byrne scored the goal with the calmest finish. That brought Louth to eight, and for a moment they looked like they might hurtle off into the distance.

But between Carlow’s tenacity and an arduous Louth game, Carlow held out until half-time, with Darragh Foley and Jamie Clarke showing free games to leave seven between the teams at the break (2-6 to 0-5).

Louth scored his third goal in the 48th minute through a brilliant finish from Tommy Durnin and it was all about finishing the game from there.

Carlow’s legs were now failing and Sam Mulroy scored his first goal from the game when a quick Carlow kick was wrong and he punished, registering his side’s fourth goal. And late in the day Mulroy took his second from the penalty spot as the Wee men set up a quarter-final game between Leinster SFC and Kildare next Sunday.

Goalscorers:

According to: S Mulroy 2-5 (1-0 Pen, 3f, 1 45), C Grimes, T Durnin 1-1 each, C Byrne 1-0, C Downey 0-2, C Early 0-1

Carlow: D Foley 0-3 (2f), R Dunphy 0-2, J Moore, C Crowley, N Hickey, C Hulton, J Clarke (1f) 0-1 each.

TEAMS –

LÜH – J Califf; D Corcoran, B Duffy, D McKenny; Jackson L, Sharkey N, Callaghan E; T Durnin, C early; Clutterbuck J, Mulroy S, McKeever C; C Downey, C Grimes, C Byrne SUBS: C Keenan for Byrne (43), T Jackson for McKeever (55), C Lennon for L Jackson (61), L Gray for Callaghan, G Browne for McKenny (both 66)

CARLOW – C Cunningham; L Roberts, S Buggy, C Doyle; J Morrissey, M Bambrick, D O’Brien; L Brennan, E Ruth; J Moore, J Clarke, S Bambrick; C Crowley, D Foley, C Hulton SUBS: N Hickey for M Bambrick (11), R Dunphy for Brennan (38), M Ware for Hickey (53), S Clarke for Buggy (56), O Roberts for Moore (60)

Ref: N Cullen (Fermanagh)