Laois under 20 football team named for championship opener with Kildare

Laois under 20 football boss Eddie Kinsella has named his starting team to take on Kildare in the quarter final of the Leinster u20 football championship on Thursday night.

The game throws in at 7.30pm in Hawkfield and it will be a winner takes all clash with the winners advancing to a semi final meeting against reigning Leinster and All Ireland champions Offaly or Carlow who lock horns on Thursday night also.

After a disappointing exit at the hands of Wicklow last year in the opening round, they will be hoping for better fortunes this year but they will be up against it going up to Kildare to take on the hosts.

After a mixed set of performances in the John Kerins cup, the u20 pre-season competition, Courtwood native Kinsella will have done plenty of work with them since but will only know where they are at once they take to the field in the heat of championship battle.

Emo's Sean Greene will Captain the side and he is one of seven players who featured in that opening round defeat to Wicklow last year. Eamonn Delaney, Kevin Swayne, Ciaran Burke, Rioghan Murphy and Colin Dunne all make the cut again as does Ben Dempsey who featured as a sub last year.

The loser of Thursday night's game is out of the championship.

The Laois team is as follows;

Conor Brown (Portlaoise); Ben Reddin (Portlaoise), Eamonn Delaney (Stradbally), Ben Dempsey (Portlaoise); Sean Greene (Emo), Simon Fingleton (Park-Ratheniska), Conor Heffernan (Killeshin); Ciaran Burke (Crettyard), Kevin Swayne (Portlaoise); Rioghan Murphy (Portarlington), Davin McEvoy (Ballyroan-Abbey), Shaun Fitzpatrick (Ballyroan-Abbey); Paddy Hosey (Emo), Darragh Carolan (Stradbally), Colin Dunne (Arles-Killeen).