Louth and Meath will face off in the Leinster U20FC final at Parnell Park next Monday evening.
In last night's semi-finals at Parnell Park and Hawkfield, Louth shocked Dublin, while Meath dethroned Kildare to set up an intriguing local derby.
Without a provincial U21 / U20 title since 1981, Louth qualified for their first final since 2012 with a brilliant 1-13 to 1-9 victory over Dublin in their own backyard. Sean Reynolds' 13th minute goal helped the Wee County to a 1-6 to 0-7 interval lead before a Luke O'Boyle major tied up the scoring at 1-7 apiece in the 40th minute.
But the vistitors responded by reeling off five unanswered points per the in-form Kieran McArdle, Tadhg McDonnell and Dara McDonnell to pull away.
Meath brought Kildare's reign as Leinster and All-Ireland champions to an end with a 2-9 to 0-10 victory in the other semi-final. Goals either side of half-time from Eamonn Armstrong and Sean O'Hare were crucial for Cathal Ó Bric's side, who remain on course to repeat their All-Ireland minor triumph of three years ago.
Meanwhile, Longford defeated Wexford 0-13 to 1-7 and Westmeath overcame Carlow 3-9 to 1-10 to qualify for the Andrew Corden Cup final.
TweetLouth 20s the most exciting side I’ve seen play this year. Bursting with football, pace , power and size . ππΌππΌ @louthgaa pic.twitter.com/PlKLuUiSgv
— paul galvin (@pgal10) April 23, 2024