Derry and Louth miss out in promotion bids as Kildare are relegated

22 Mar 2026, 16:41 by The 42 · The42

GAA Football League Results

Division 2

Derry 1-20 Cavan 0-19
Kildare 0-25 Louth 1-25

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DERRY AND LOUTH both enjoyed last round victories in Division 2 of the football league today, but missed out on their ultimate aim of securing promotion.

Derry defeated Cavan 1-20 to 0-19 at Celtic Park, while Louth saw off Kildare 1-25 to 0-25 in Newbridge.

Cavan survive in Division 2 despite the loss but Kildare have been relegated back to Division 3, along with already demoted Offaly, twelve months after the pair had enjoyed promotion.

Derry and Louth both completed their assignments successfully with wins but neither Cork or Meath slipped up in their respective outings, meaning Louth finished third in the table and Derry fourth.

Louth’s superiority meant last year’s Tailteann Cup champions Kildare were relegated. Louth were in front 0-17 to 0-10 at half-time, and while Kildare grabbed three early second-half points, Gavin Devlin’s side took control again with Kieran McArdle notching the only goal of the game in the 55th minute.

Sam Mulroy struck 0-8 for the winners and Ciaran Keenan hit 0-4, while Brian McLaughlin (0-7) and Alex Beirne (0-6) were best for Kildare.

Derry’s main attacking leader Shane McGuigan hit 0-11 in their success over Cavan. Niall Loughlin grabbed the only goal of the game, while Gearoid McKiernan was Cavan’s top scorer with 0-5.