Roscommon from Division 1 A, joined Kerry in the Church and General National League semi finals along with Derry and battling All Ireland champions Meath from the next division down.

But there was no joy for League Champions Cork who bit the dust at Parnell Park, a result which brought no comment from Larry Tompkins but a smile of satisfaction from Dubs tteam boss Tommy Carr.

Further afield, Sligo made the trip to Clare as favourites but came away beaten, their hopes of a semi final spot destroyed by a poorer scoring average than that achieved by Meath while beating Kildare handsomely in Newbridge.

Division 1 B leaders Derry duly cruised into the semi finals by beating ambitious Fermanagh handsomely.And so we wee left with a semi final line up which read  Roscommon  v Derry , Kerry  v Meath which is a repeat of  last year s quarter final.

At various stages of the afternoon Galway Division 1 A  runners up to Kerry and in the end it was powerful  Roscommon, narrow  if  nervy winners over Donegal who pipped Dublin and Galway  who also both won, for that semi final  place.

Sligo can only ponder on what might have been. Had Jody Devine not kicked a late, late point for Meath they would now be preparing for their first League semi final in 25 years.

But Sligo have only themselves to blame.Dessie Sloyane scored a goal for them straight from the start but the fans had to wait until the second half for their next score.

By then, of course., Clare had taken control, refused to loosen their grip on the game and with the help of a late goal from Martin Daly moved themselves clear of the relegation zone..

By Losing to Dublin, Cork were relegated and will be joined in Division 2 by  Kildare, Armagh and Down. It s a big come down for Cork, League champions and All Ireland finalists last season. Larry Tompkins did not hang about to make any comment afterwards to the Media . I wonder was his early departure significant.!

But If Tompkins was speechless afteerwards, Dublin manager Tommy Carr was quietly pleased not only with the result  but also with the performance, particularly those of  Ciaran Whelan at midfield and Ian Robertson.

Dublin made a significant move when they brought Jonathan Magee to midfield, allowing  Whelan to move forward.  And this could be  significant in the context of their Championship ambitions.

Nor was Carr too disappointed at missing out on a semi final spot.”Getting the result was the main thing, we had no control over what happened at other venues.”

Although they were relegated, Armagh could take some consolation from a win against Tyrone  in a dress rehearsal for their Ulster Championship meeting in a few weeks time.

It was their first competitive win since they took the Ulster title last season And if it s a rather fragile form line, the Armagh fans will certainly cling to it , although it s probably not as significant as they might wish .

Kerry  fielded quite a few of their second string against Galway at Tralee but by all accounts the new boys with few exceptions failed to shine. And one of he exceptions was full back Michel McCarthy who gave a magnificent display allowing the dangerous Padraig only a single point.

But generally the shooting of the Kerry forwards was poor  but they still topped the scoring list in Division 1 A with  nine goals and 85 points in their ten games. And that might tell a story in the white heat of the Championship.

However that won t particularly concern either Offaly or Laois both of whom won promotion having won all heir seven games in Division 1 B and 2 B respectively. And for good measure, Offaly knocked in nine goals and 76 points in the process.

Offaly won pulling up against London  at Ruislip with Steve Lynch giving them the perfect start with a goal after seven minutes. And if was all over bar the shouting at half time with Offaly leading by 3-7 to 1-4.

Offaly eventually had ten points to spare at the finish and they certainly won t be a soft touch for anyone in the higher division next season. They had performed heroically right through the campaign and it was interesting to note that they did not soft pedal in their final assignment.

And if Louth were not quite as impressive in making sure of second spot to Offaly, they made no mistakes  while beating Leitrim by six points at Ballyshannon.

They got off to a perfect start when J.P. Rooney  knocked in a goal after only ten seconds but they won t be able to afford the luxury of shooting a dozen wides when they take  on the big boys.

Cavan came with a late run to clinch promotion by beating a very lack lustre Wexford in New Ross. But they finished with a pretty poor league average of a little more than l.2 goals and four wins in seven starts to finish four points behind table toppers Laois.

Longford, still on a high after winning he O Byrne Cup needed at least a point to finish runners up to Laois. But instead they got a good hiding in Mullingar and eventually finished  fourth in Division 2 B, behind Laois, Cavan and Monaghan.

Overall its been a fascinating League leading up to the knock out stages and  while Kerry and Roscommon grabbed the top spots, there was a lot to like about the quality of Galway s football and Dublin s  refusal to be knocked off course by a few poor results.

Kildare and Down were bitter disappointments but the determination of both Offaly and Laois to stay in front once they started winning was a credit both to the players and the backroom boys.

And what can one say of Meath. They blew hot and cold but their fierce competitive spirit is alive and as sharp as ever. They want the double this season and it will take a very good side to prevent them bringing it off.

© Tom Keogh 2001

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