Leitrim, led by Ryan O'Rourke, gained promotion to Division 3 when they upped their second half performance to grab a decisive win over a battling Tipperary side at Carrick-on-Shannon.
Initially Tipperary dominated the opening three minutes of play but it was Leitrim who got the game's first score when Darragh Rooney pointed a free on the 4 minute mark after Ryan O'Rourke was fouled.
A purple patch followed for the home side over the next eight minutes with Darragh Rooney firing over from play and a free to put Leitrim up by three points clear after twelve minutes of action.
Jack Kennedy opened the Tipperary account when converted after winning a 16th minute mark. The Tipp men took control of the proceedings for the next eight minutes with goalkeeper Evan Comeford hitting a point to reduce Leitrim's lead to the minimum and then Conall Kennedy levelled matters.
A Paddy Creedon point on the 24 minute mark put Tipperary ahead for the first and only time in the game. After that it was tit for tat for the remainder of the half with Leitrim's Darragh Rooney and Tipperary's Jack Kennedy swapping a point each while then Rooney from a free traded a point with Tipp's Shane Neville to make it even Stephen as then interval approached.
Before the half time whistle Darragh Rooney punished a foul on Leitrim's Tom Prior by converting the resulting free to leave the home side ahead by 0-07 to 0-06 at the break. Leitrim pulled four points clear in the opening eleven minutes of the second half.
In this period Ryan O'Rourke split the Tipperary posts twice while in between O' Rourke's scores Darragh Rooney tapped over a free after Tom Prior was fouled. In reply Jack Kennedy opened Tipperary's second half account when he popped over a 47th minute point.
Following that Ryan O'Rourke for Leitrim and Jack Kennedy for Tipperary traded points at opposite ends which left the Premier County men four points in arrears as the game's third quarter came to a close.
The gap remained at 0-04 between the Connacht side and the Munster men after Tipp sub Mark Russell and Leitrim's Tom Prior exchanged points at opposite ends at the start of the final quarter.
With the Tipp challenge beginning to fade somewhat Ryan O'Rourke converted a 54th minute free to give Leitrim a five points advantage for the first time in the showdown. Jack Kennedy responded with a Tipp free tap over.
But Leitrim finished strongly with Ryan O'Rourke adding a point from play and a free before the long whistle.
Leitrim: Nevin O'Donnell; Conor Reynolds, Donal Casey, Aidan Flynn; Pearce Dolan, Mark Diffley, Jack Foley; Jack Gilheaney, Barry McNulty; Mark Plunkett, Ryan O'Rourke 0-06 2f, Donal Wrynn 0-01; Tom Prior 0-01, Darragh Rooney 0-07 5f, Riordan O'Rourke.
Subs: Shane Quinn for Plunkett (49); James Rooney for Reynolds (52); Paul Keaney for Prior (60); Niall Walsh for Riordan O'Rourke (64); Evan Sweeney for D Rooney (69).
Tipperary: Evan Comeford 0-01; Tadhg Condron, Jimmy Feehan, J Morris; S Grogan, P Feehan, K Costello; Shane Neville 0-01, Conall Kennedy 0-01; Colm O'Shaughnessy, Teddy Doyle, Peter McGarry; Michael Lowry, Paddy Creedon 0-01, Jack Kennedy 0-04 m f.
Subs: Conor Cadell for Lowry (HT); Mark Russell 0-01 for Creedon (42); Jack Kennedy for McGarry (53); Jack Leamy for Neville (57); Rory O'Dowd for C Kennedy (61).
Referee: Margaret Farrelly (Cavan).
