Newtown Blues Turn On The Style To Storm Past Dreadnots

Anchor Tours Louth Senior Football Championship – Group 3 – Round 1

From Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda

Newtown Blues 3-17 Dreadnots 0-19

Newtown Blues put their disappointing league form firmly behind them with an excellent performance in Round 1 of the 2026 Anchor Tours Senior Football Championship, overcoming Dreadnots by seven points at the Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda, on Saturday evening.

Having endured a difficult league campaign, there were questions surrounding how the Blues would respond when the championship finally got underway. Those questions were answered in impressive fashion, particularly in the second half, when Newtown Blues produced a powerful attacking display to turn what had been a closely fought contest into a comfortable victory.

Johnny Clerkin will have been particularly pleased with the character shown by his side. Dreadnots had led for long periods during the opening half and looked capable of causing the Blues plenty of problems, but Newtown Blues remained patient and, once they found their rhythm after the interval, they took complete control of the game.

Liam Branigan got the Blues off the mark inside the opening minute, curling over a well-taken point from the left. Dreadnots responded just 30 seconds later when Jay Hughes converted a two-point free after being fouled. The early exchanges were played at a high tempo, with both sides looking to attack at every opportunity. Dreadnots moved ahead again in the fifth minute when James Claiff produced an excellent two-pointer from the left-hand side.

County star Ciaran Downey responded with a point for Newtown Blues before his county teammate Conor Branigan reduced the deficit to a single point with a tidy finish. Downey then brought the sides level from a free after Dreadnots were punished for breaching the three-up rule. The Blues appeared to be settling into the game, but Dreadnots continued to threaten whenever they moved the ball forward. Anthony Williams created the opening for Ciaran Finnegan, who converted to put Dreadnots back in front.

Newtown Blues responded almost immediately through Liam Branigan, who was becoming increasingly influential. His ability to carry the ball at pace and drive through the middle was causing the Dreadnots defence plenty of problems.

The Dreadnots then enjoyed their best spell of the first half. In the space of a minute, they moved four points clear with two outstanding two-pointers. Califf struck another superb effort from distance, before Conor Faulkner produced arguably one of the scores of the evening. Faulkner drove forward and kicked a monster two-pointer to give Dreadnots a significant advantage.

Newtown Blues refused to panic. Conor Mac Criosta reduced the deficit with a point in the 22nd minute, although Hughes quickly restored the Dreadnots’ advantage from a free. The Blues then produced the key passage of play before half-time. In the 28th minute, the classy Daire Nally produced a moment of real quality, picking out Andy McDonnell with a brilliant pass. McDonnell showed excellent composure, turning his marker before slotting the ball into the Dreadnots net to bring the Blues right back into the contest.

And they were level almost immediately.

Once again, Nally was at the heart of the move, finding McDonnell, who finished superbly to bring Newtown Blues level and completely change the momentum of the game. Dreadnots were not finished, however, and Hughes had the final say of the opening 30 minutes, kicking an excellent point to send his side into the interval with a narrow advantage.

Half-time: Dreadnots 0-11 Newtown Blues 1-7.

Dreadnots started the second half in positive fashion, with Finnegan pointing shortly after the restart to extend their lead. However, that would be their final score for the next 12 minutes.

What followed was a devastating spell of football from Newtown Blues.

The Blues hit an unanswered 1-7 during that period, completely turning the game on its head and taking control of the contest. Liam Branigan got the comeback underway with his third point of the evening before Ewan Hoban found the net.

Again, Downey was at the centre of the move, producing an excellent piece of play to set up Hoban, who finished clinically to put the Blues in front. The goal gave Newtown Blues belief, and they began to dominate possession and territory. Conor Branigan then produced an excellent two-point score to stretch the lead, before Downey added another two-point free. Conor Branigan continued his excellent evening by pointing again, before Downey converted another two-point free. In the space of just a few minutes, a Dreadnots lead had disappeared, and Newtown Blues had established a sizeable advantage.

Dreadnots finally ended their barren spell when Hughes converted a free in the 43rd minute, but the Blues were now playing with confidence and attacking with real purpose.

Seven minutes later, they delivered another decisive blow.

A long ball from Conor Branigan caused uncertainty inside the Dreadnots defence and goalkeeper Dylan Cassidy was unable to hold on to the ball. Louth Under-20 player Eoin McCoy reacted quickest, pouncing on the loose possession before unleashing a powerful finish to the net. The goal put 11 points between the sides and effectively ended any realistic hopes of a Dreadnots comeback. Newtown Blues continued to press forward, and Hoban added another point as the Blues looked to put the finishing touches to an impressive second-half performance.

To their credit, Dreadnots continued to fight until the final whistle. Craig Shevlin kicked an excellent two-point free before further points from Conor Clarke and Alex Aspell gave them some hope of reducing the deficit. McCoy, who had made a significant impact since coming off the bench, responded with a point for Newtown Blues. Dreadnots did have the final score of the night when Darragh Shevlin landed a two-pointer three minutes into added time, but by then the outcome was already beyond doubt.

Newtown Blues had done the hard work during a remarkable second-half spell and ran out seven-point winners.

For Johnny Clerkin, the victory will be particularly satisfying given the difficulties his side experienced during the league campaign. The Blues showed resilience when Dreadnots were in control during the first half, and their ability to respond after the interval was perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the performance.

Newtown Blues team: Ronan Browne, Iollan Farrell, Alan Connor, Ian Connor, Liam Branigan 0-3, Daire Nally, Jamie Kelly, Emmet Carolan, Andy McDonnell 1-1, Conor Mac Criosta 0-1, Ciaran Downey 0-6 (2x2ptf, 1f), Conor Branigan 0-4 (1x2pt), Ciaran Cluskey Kelly, Ryan Kelly, Ewan Hoban 1-1.

Subs: Eoin Branigan for Ian Connor (46), Eoin McCoy 1-1 for Iollan Farrell, Conor Moore for Ewan Hoban, Joey Nally for Ciaran Cluskey Kelly.

Dreadnots team: Dylan Cassidy, Aaron Scullion, Dermot Campbell, Barry Faulkner, James Califf 0-4 (2x2pt), Anthony Williams 0-1, Conor Clarke 0-1, Conor Faulkner 0-2 (2pt), Donnacha Skinnader, Ciaran Finnegan 0-2, Sam Reilly, Donnacha Hodgins, Jay Hughes 0-5 (1x2ptf, 2f), Páraic Smith, Darragh Shevlin 0-2 (2pt).

Subs: Gustas Knystautas for Barry Faulkner (HT), Craig Shevlin 0-2 (2ptf) for Donnacha Hodgins (41), Padraig Rath for Donnacha Skinnader (41), Cian McEvoy for Sam Reilly (54).

Referee: David Fedigan – Hunterstown Rovers