Leinster SFC First-round replay:Con Houlihan would have thrown down his pencil. At times it was like blind man's buff with a football but for old-fashioned championship fervour it would be hard to beat what unfolded in Parnell Park yesterday - at least until Croke Park next Sunday.
If this game had to be decided on the clock then chances are they'd be still out there, but instead it goes to a second replay. Wicklow and Louth look as inseparable as any two teams have in recent years, drawing comparisons to the Meath-Dublin epic of 1991. Scary, but true. They've already cut into the Leinster championship schedule, as the winners were due to play Wexford in Croke Park next Sunday. Wicklow against Louth - round three - that becomes the curtain-raiser to Meath against Dublin.
It's impossible to condense the 90 minutes-plus of football in a normal match report, and a lot of it is better off forgotten anyway. The essence of the story is both teams chased the win, fought tooth and nail, refused to die, etc. Yet both teams must have thought they had the thing either won or lost at the two critical stages - the end of normal-time, and then the end of extra-time. When it came down to the critical score, it was Wicklow who came from behind on both occasions to draw level. Had they lost, it would have been an injustice given their dominance throughout the less critical stages.
So to the first critical stage: having gone nearly 15 minutes without scoring Louth drew level again with Wicklow - 0-8 each - with two minutes of normal-time remaining. No one was surprised when they followed that with a wide as throughout their accuracy was often laughable, but then, against the odds, substitute David Reid hit what seemed the winning point.
Wicklow were knocked to their knees, had been reduced to 14 men when Tommy Gill got a second yellow on 65 minutes and were staring defeat in the face. Against likewise odds substitute Dean Odlum hit a brilliant equaliser. Mick O'Dwyer broke into his biggest smile in years.
Incredibly, Louth had another two chances to win it, with referee Séamus Mac Congail holding the whistle in his mouth as if giving them the time to do it. They fluffed two further wides and the game spilled into the inevitable.
Fitness, as always, is crucial in extra-time and Wicklow looked fitter. John Slattery, Tony Hannon and Leighton Glynn, and defenders Ciarán Hyland and Alan Byrne, ran tirelessly all afternoon. Slattery had a great chance to set up a possible victory early in the first half when, standing four-feet from the line, he had a goal at his beckoning. Somehow he sent it wide. Up 0-6 to 0-4 at that point, a goal would have left Wicklow five points clear. Louth's Arron Hoey had an even better goal chance in the first half, with only Wicklow goalkeeper Billy Norman to beat. Somehow he too sent it wide.
No, if this game was going to be won it would be the hard way - in extra-time. Restored to 15 men, Wicklow tore into the period with the same intent that had the first and second halves, and soon regained the advantage. JP Dalton hit a fine score, followed by a classic side-footer from Glynn, and Louth looked rattled once again. In fact they went the first period without a score, and looked set to go the second period too before they rebounded with the seemingly match-winning goal. With just two minutes to play, full back Colin Goss set up another substitute Nicky McDonnell and he made no mistake this time, blasting straight at the goal, benefiting from two deflections before the ball went it.
Ouch! Wicklow had sustained football's equivalent to lethal injection, yet somehow they battled on. Awarded a free on the 45-metre line, O'Dwyer could be seen shouting instructions to Glynn, who took a quick one-two before trying his luck . . . It rebounded off the post. In the right place at the right time was Thomas Walsh, Wicklow's precious midfield import from Carlow. He took one look at the posts and bang! Wicklow had equalised. Again, just as incredibly, Louth had another chance to win it, and McDonnell came very close. His shot looked inseparable from in and outside the posts. Just like these teams really.
