Carlow hold on for second league win after late drama
Paddy McDonnell scores a first half goal for Carlow during their National League win over Wicklow Photo: Pat Ahern
It doesn’t come any more dramatic than this National Football League Division 4 tie at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday.
With four minutes of added time elapsed and three points in arrears, Wicklow drew a free just outside the 20 metre line. The referee then consulted with the fourth official and a linesman for what was a possible rule breach by the visitors.
It looked as if Carlow would be given an easy free and the game would have been over. As it turned out that didn’t happen and Wicklow were allowed to take their initial free.
Play was delivered into the small square and after both sides failed to gather, Dean Healy hammered the ball to the Carlow net. In a matter of seconds, home supporters disappointment turned to joy as Pat Clarke the referee signalled a free out for a square ball. There was time for no more and Carlow had two wins out of two.
How it came to this is hard to know. Apart from the opening minutes where Wicklow keeper, Mark Jackson, converted a two-point free and Podge O’Toole scored a goal, the home side dominated.
By the 16th minute, Carlow had drawn level with Paddy McDonnell scoring a great goal. Jackson was Wicklow’s main scorer in the first half accounting for 0-6 as the sides went in tied at 1-7 each. Chris Blake scored four points for Carlow and Colm Hulton knocked over two.
The game was on a knife edge all through the second period. Blake’s two-pointer on 48 minutes should have given Carlow the momentum to go on and win easily particularly as six of their starting forwards found themselves on the scoresheet as the game went into the final stages.
A succession of wides at the O’Hanrahan end of the ground particularly at the left-hand posts kept the Garden County in the game.
Five points behind Wicklow gave themselves a huge boost when Podge O’Toole punched to the net after the home side failed to deal with a dropping ball. Blake subsequent strike put Carlow three clear and set up that amazing end which saw Carlow breath a huge sigh of relief and left Wicklow fuming and clearly feeling hugely frustrated.
C Blake 0-8 (1-2pf 1-2p), P McDonnell 1-1, C Hulton 0-2, C Doyle, M Bambrick, C Crowley, R Dunphy 0-1 each.
Podge O’Toole 2-0, M Jackson 0-6 (2-2pfs 45), C Deering, D Fee, E Murtagh 0-1 each.
Ben McCarron; Colin Byrne, Dara Curran, Lee Moore; Niall Roche, Mark Furey, Padhraig Bolger; Eoghan Ruth, Conor Doyle; Paddy McDonnell, Colm Hulton, Mikey Bambrick; Conor Crowley, Chris Blake, Ross Dunphy. Subs: Tadgh Roche for Bolger (51), Sean Murphy for Bambrick (71).
Mark Johnson; Tom Moran, Eoin Murtagh, Cian Deering; Darragh Fee, Craig Maguire, Gavin Fogarty; Dean Healy, Jack Hardy; JP Nolan, Paudraig O’Toole, Cillian McDonald; Christopher O’Brien, Sean Murphy, Eoin Darcy. Subs: Joe Prendergast for Nolan (h/t), Kevin Quinn for Darcy (37), Jack Kirwan for O’Brien (56), Oisin McGraynor for McDonald (64), Liam O’Neill for Hardy (69).
Pat Clarke (Cavan).
