TOMMY DURNIN sang it Louth and proud after the Wee county survived in Division 2.
Ger Brennan’s men banished neighbours Meath 1-19 to 0-17 in Inniskeen on Sunday to stay up on the head to head rule.
Tailteann Cup holders Down were relegated along with Westmeath in a dramatic Division 2 finale.
Durnin fired 0-3 in a sizzling performance as Kieran McArdle’s goal and 0-9 from Ryan Burns denied their arch rivals promotion, as the Royals finished third on eight points.
Louth will still need to reach their third Leinster SFC final row to guarantee Sam Maguire football this summer.
Brennan’s men endured a tough league campaign as four defeats left them on the brink before they got out of jail.
And Durnin hopes Sunday’s win can spark their summer ahead of their provincial quarter-final against Wexford or Laois on April 13.
He said: “There were people congratulating us and once I heard we were okay, I was just delighted.
“Things haven’t gone right this year but hopefully that will make us grow as a team and bond. We didn’t want to go back down to Division 3.
“It’s massive, it’s massive for Louth. That was a massive occasion there, the crowd. I’m just so happy and so proud of them, and I’m just delighted to get over the line.
“We dug deep, big men stepped up, big occasions and that’s exactly what you need in these big days.
“Again, I’m so proud and just happy to get over the line and focus now on the championship and give a good right battle, and get all the men back.
“We still have a lot of hard work to do, I’m just so happy though. I think we got everything right.
“The men were really tuned in and we just died for the jersey. I think we needed that, and it just goes to show how we can build on and get into the championship.”
Star man Sam Mulroy was on fire for Brennan’s men during the league and was Division 2’s top scorer with 1-52.
The Naomh Máirtín clubman missed Sunday’s clash with a hamstring injury, and is a huge doubt for their championship opener next month.
But Burns stood up to the mark in his absence, and kicked 0-7 from placed balls – including a rasping two-point free.
Jordan Morris thrived in Meath’s attack with 0-8, but Brennan’s full-back line stood firm to keep a vital clean sheet.
All-Star Craig Lennon has been sidelined since last month with a quad injury, and Durnin hailed others for stepping up to the plate to keep them up.
He said: “We had a lot of injuries coming into this and I’m just so proud of each and every one of the lads. The boys that came in today were absolutely excellent, but they’ve been excellent all year.
“I know we haven’t got the results but we fought at it, we’ve changed different things. Maybe it didn’t work, but it was massive to get over the line.
“There’s a lot of hard work, there’s a lot of boys finding each other. It’s a 35-man panel and to see Ciarán McArdle and these boys coming in, he got a massive score.
“So just so proud for the whole team, backroom team and everything. It’s just massive to get over the line, we need to be in Division 2.
“We grew into the game, we got big tackles, we got big hits. When you’re at it, you’re at it.
“Maybe heads have been dropping, we’ve been giving teams big leads and then we’re not taking the shots. But today we knew exactly what we had to do.
“Everyone was up for it, from every man coming in. It was brilliant. Big men stepped up with big scores.
“It’s a stepping stone for all these guys. The bigger occasion, that’s where you want to be.”
