Bennett's first game in charge of Carlow ends in defeat
Carlow’s Colm Beck is chased by Davy Keogh of Dublin Photo: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Dublin took their expected Dioralyte First Round Walsh Cup win at the SETU Carlow Campus on Sunday but they needed to produce a superior second half performance against a home side who matched them for lengthy periods over two thirty minute halves.
Points from Marty Kavanagh and Conor Kehoe got the home side off to a great start but with full-forward Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing proving deadly accurate from placed balls and play, the visitors turned it around. He scored seven points in the opening half but Kavanagh replied in kind with six from frees. At the break, Dublin led 0-13 to 0-11.
The visitors started the second half well and could have had three goals. Dara Purcell was unlucky when he was unable to take control of an inaccurate pass while he also shot weakly at Brian Tracey in the Carlow goal who saved well.
Ó Dúlaing also saw his goal effort clear the left-hand post at the town end of the ground.
Carlow had one good goal chance but Sean Brennan denied Kehoe when diving to his right to turn the shot around the posts.
Dublin led by six points at different stages but twice Carlow only trailed by four. The game finished with both sides introducing substitutes but it was a good test for both sides so early in the season.
Carlow now play Laois in the Walsh Shield quarter-final in Stradbally on Thursday evening (8 Jan) at 7.30pm.
D Ó’Dúlaing 0-11 (6fs), David Purcell 0-3, Dara Purcell 0-2, C Burke, D Keogh, C Donohoe, J Madden, O Gaffney, S Gallagher, L Mostyn 0-1 each.
M Kavanagh 0-8 (7fs 65), D Murphy, C Kehoe 0-2 (1f), J Nolan, F Fitzpatrick, J Treacy, K McDonald, P Boland 0-1 each.
Sean Brennan; Andy Murphy, Paddy Smyth, Conor Groarke; Conor Murray, David Lucey, Conor Burke; Conal O’Riain, Davy Keogh; Conor Donohoe, Dara Purcell, James Madden; Ollie Gaffney, David Purcell, Diarmaid Ó’Dúlaing. Subs: Liam Mostyn for Purcell (h/t), John Bellew for Smyth (h/t), Ronan Hayes for Gaffney (h/t), Sean Gallagher for O’Riain (h/t), Darragh Power for Madden (40), Cathal Kennedy for Dunphy (44), Joe Flanagan for Purcell (44), Tom Brennan for Donohoe (49), Ben Lynch for Groarke (56), Evan McSherry for Murray (57).
Brian Tracey; Niall Bolger, Dion Wall, Conaill Fitzpatrick; Paidi O’Shea, Evan Kealy, Joe Nolan; Colm Beck, Fiachra Fitzpatrick; John Michael Nolan, Eric English, Conor Kehoe; Jake Treacy, Marty Kavanagh, Donagh Murphy. Subs: Kevin McDonald for Bolger (h/t), Paddy Boland for JM Nolan (h/t), John Doyle for Beck (40), Fiach O’Toole for English (40), Ruairi Murphy for Murphy (48), Colm Kavanagh for Kavanagh (50).
Matthew Redmond (Kildare).
