Longford got the better of Louth at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar winning 1-9 to 1-7 in round one of the Leinster senior football championship.
The first half was a template for the remainder of the match as Longford led 1-5 to 1-4 at the short whistle.
Padraic Davis’ side laid down a marker early on and a Darren Gallagher goal helped them to a 1-2 to 0-1 lead at the first water break.
11 minutes later Louth drew level thanks to a goal from Louth’s scorer in chief Sam Mulroy who scored all of Louth’s total (1-2 from play)
Longford then added three of the next five scores to lead by a solitary point at half-time.
The second half was evenly contested with no more than two points separating sides at any stage.
Louth were heavily reliant on Sam Mulroy while Rian Brady, Robbie Smith (two) and Darren Gallagher all registered scores for Longford in the second half.
The Midlanders will now face Laois in the Leinster senior quarter-final next Sunday.
