St Patrick's 0-10 Newtown Blues 1-7:PADDY KEENAN'S 57th-minute equaliser got St Patrick's out of jail, as a fascinating county final at the Gaelic Grounds ended in stalemate yesterday. The Louth captain was an easy pick for man-of-the-match, bagging seven of his side's 10-point haul.

Odds-on favourites St Patrick’s led 0-3 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter, but Newtown Blues’s superiority at midfield began to tell and, with the sides level at 0-3 apiece, the Drogheda outfit hit the front for the first time through a well-taken John Kermode penalty.

Louth star Andy McDonnell added a point to make it 1-4 to 0-3 but St Patrick’s rallied with late points from Eamon Carroll (free) and Keenan and they returned a rejuvenated side after the restart.

Carroll and Judge initially traded frees, but three points on the bounce from Keenan saw St Patrick’s hit the front again, 0-9 to 1-5. A wonderful save from Blues goalkeeper Stephen McCann to deny Eoin O’Connor was to prove crucial and the let-off lifted Eugene Judge’s side, who regained their lead through substitute Hugh McGinn and John Kermode. But Keenan levelled matters again while Carroll and Kermode dropped difficult late frees short at either end.

ST PATRICK’S: S Connor; D MacArtain, D Finnegan, D O’Hanlon; R Finnegan, E Breen, E Zamboglou; C Goss, P Keenan (0-7, two frees); A McCann, S Hynes, P Mallon; E Carroll (0-2 frees), E OConnor (0-1), D O’Connor. Sub: K White for P Mallon (13 mins).

NEWTOWN BLUES: S McCann; E Judge, K OBrien, T Costlello; S Moonan, J Carr, C Reynolds; B Kermode, B Sharkey; A McDonnell (0-1), J Kermode (1-2, one pen), C Brannigan; J Murray (0-1), K Lynch (0-1), C Judge (0-1, free). Subs: I McManus for Sharkey (46 mins), H McGinn (0-1, free) for C Brannigan (49 mins).

Referee: M Craven.