The big winners on the final night of Division 2 action were Cooley Kickhams as they claimed the title, while it was despair for Roche Emmets who were relegated back to Division 3.

Cooley Kickhams clinched an immediate return to Division 1 football when they defeated Nh Fionnbarra by 2-7 to 0-5 at John Markey Park on Saturday evening.

Cooley needed a strong second half showing to claim the win with goals from Jason Long and Brian Donnelly proving decisive.

The first half turned out to be a very tight affair with the first quarter remaining scoreless before Hugh McGrane opened the scoring.  A Brian White point put Cooley 0-3 to 0-2 ahead but Stuart Osborne levelled just before the break.

The second half saw Cooley step up a gear and White fired over two points before Long hit the net on 37 minutes. Donnelly then sealed victory with a second on 50 minutes as the Finbarrs were unable to mount any real challenge in the second period.

The Clans finished a point behind in second place and will have to be content with a place in the play-offs after a 2-15 to 1-13 win over Na Piarsaigh at the Rock Road.

The Clans had the better of the first half and went in leading by 0-10 to 0-5 at the interval.

A goal four minutes after the restart from Mark Newell put the Clans eight points clear. However, Na Piarsaigh rallied and when Niall Franklin hit the net on 20 minutes the teams were level at 1-12 apiece. The Clans finished the stronger and sealed the win with a goal from Mark McGeown. Despite losing, Na Piarsaigh saw other results go their way as they secured their league status for next year.

St Mochtas bounced back from last weeks disappointing championship defeat against Hunterstown with a 1-14 to 0-10 win at the Young Ireland's to secure a semi final playoff place.

The Louth Village men had the better of the first half and should have been further ahead than 0-9 to 0-7 at half time.

However, they continued to push on and Declan Byrne capped a fine display with the only goal of the game. Dean Maguire did his best to keep the home side in contention as he kicked five points.

Hunterstown Rovers qualified for the promotion play-offs with a 2-12 to 0-14 victory over Oliver Plunketts that leaves the Drogheda side facing a relegation play-off.

With so much at stake is was no surprise that the first half was a very close affair and at the break it was the Plunketts who had the slight edge with a 0-8 to 0-7 lead thanks to a late point from Cian Matthews.

However, Hunterstown grabbed the initiative with a 35th minute goal from Ryan Ward and five minutes later Alan Landy added a second to help secure a victory that ensured they finished ahead of Young Irelands on score difference.

The Plunketts were unable bridge the gap as they finished second from bottom and now face a long wait before they will be in action again in the play-off.

Meanwhile, the Geraldines completed their league campaign by confirming their place in the promotion play-offs with a 4-16 to 0-8 win over neighbours, St Josephs.

Jim McEneaney was the scoring hero for the Gers as he finished with a personal tally of 4-4 to see his side finish the league in fourth place.

The county player scored two goals in each half, with the Gers leading by 2-4 to 0-6 at half time.

In the battle to avoid the drop to Division 3 it was St Brides who prevailed when they defeated Roche Emmets by 3-13 to 1-15. The added bonus for the Knockbridge men was that they also finished above Oliver Plunketts to guarantee their place in Division 2 next year.

Both teams knew that victory see them stay clear of automatic relegation but it was the Brides who gained control in the first half thanks to a Michael McKenna goal.

The Knockbridge men sealed the win when Aaron Hoey fired in two second half goals.

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