Foley fires Kilbride to glory in extra-time epic
Carlow GAA Chairman John McDonald presents Michael O'Brien with the Division 4 trophy.
Kilbride are the new Carlow Credit Union Football League Division 4 Champions after they needed extra time to get past Clonmore on Saturday night in Netwatch Cullen Park.
Darragh Foley was the star of the show for Kilbride, scoring a mightily impressive 1-14 in the final, while his young side-kick, Daniel Bolger contributed 1-6.
Both these sides had just one point to spare in narrow semi-final victories, with Clonmore scraping past Ballon by 0-11 to 0-10, while Kilbride beat O'Hanrahans 1-11 to 1-10. This was another incredibly close affair that needed extra time to decide a winner, with Clonmore left reeling from a remarkably up-and-down decider.
Kilbride looked lively in the early goings and hit the target inside two minutes thanks to Paul Kealy before a lovely turn-and shoot from Daniel Bolger raised a second white flag.
Bolger's opposite number, Fiach Byrne, got Clonmore off the mark in the fifth minute but that was quickly cancelled out when Bolger curled one over off his left foot.
Kilbride then had a stroke of luck when a speculative effort from Bolger bounced just in front of Oran Keating before bouncing over the bar for a two-pointer.
But Clonmore turned the tables in instant when Owen Coleman gathered a high ball and got a left-footed shot away that blasted into the top corner of Michael Brown's net with ten minutes Carlow U20 prospect Fiach Byrne drew the sides level before Coleman nudged Clonmore into the lead for the first time.
The game swung back in Kilbride's favour midway through the half with unanswered scores from Rian Farrell, Ben Curry and Darragh Foley free. Kilbride claimed the resulting kick-out and fed Foley who rippled the net in the 17th minute.
Foley continued to shine and added another two points, giving him an unanswered 1-3 as part his side scoring 1-5 without reply to lead by seven points after 22 minutes.
Clonmore needed only five minutes to draw level, however, starting with a goal from Aaron Kelly, who - in a carbon copy of his side's first goal - claimed a high ball before getting his shot away and into the net.
Kelly had the ball in his hands again moments later, charging through the Kilbride defence before firing a shot low and hard into the bottom corner of the net.
It was all square then when Byrne landed a point, and so it remained until half time, with the scoreboard reading 3-4 to 1-10.
Kilbride hit the ground running after the break with three scores on the bounce from Darragh Foley, Matthew O'Brien and Daniel Bolger, but Clonmore responded well with pair of scores from Fiach Byrne and Owen Coleman.
Foley stretched the lead back to three with a couple of quick-fire scores before Joe Waters belted one over with the assist from the crossbar.
But it was a one-point game again midway through the half when Clonmore won a free close to the Kilbride goal, with Coleman stepping up and firing a rocket into the net.
Kilbride then lost Chris Buckley to a black card and Clonmore were level less than a minute later thanks to a 45 from Coleman.
Clonmore took the lead for tye very first time in the 50th minute courtesy of Coleman, but it lasted a mere matter of seconds before a two-point free from Darragh Foley pushed Kilbride ahead once more.
The back-and-forth nature of the second continued with a two-point free down the other end from Coleman to regain the lead for Clonmore, with a brilliant individual score from Fiach Byrne giving his side a two-point cushion heading into stoppage time.
A two-point free from Foley left it all square, before late scores from Byrne and Lee Doyle and put Clonmore two points up with time almost yet.
Yet the drama persisted, as Kilbride won a free and worked another two-pointer for Foley to leave it all square at the end of full time, sending the final to extra time.
Clonmore started the first period well and kicked three points to Kilbride's one, but Joe Waters proved to be a massive difference-maker, setting up goals for Ben Curry and Daniel Bolger to leave Kilbride four points ahead.
Three points apiece in the second period changed nothing as Kilbride held on to get their hands on the Division 4 crown.
O Coleman 2-7 (1-1f, 1tp, 0-1'45), F Byrne 0-8 (1tp, 1f), A Kelly 2-0, L Doyle, D Cullen and M Ryan 0-1 each.
D Foley 1-14 (0-4f, 2tpf, 1tp), D Bolger, 1-6 (1tp), B Curry 1-1, P Kealy, R Farrell, M O'Brien, J Waters and D Francis 0-1 each.
Óran Keating; Luke Kelly, John Kelly, Rory McKernan; Evan Fitzachery, William Doyle, Lee Doyle; Paddy Byrne, Darragh Cullen; William Byrne, Fíach Byrne, Lewis McDonnell; Dáire Byrne, Aaron Kelly, Owen Coleman.
Sean Corless for J Kelly (blood sub, 18 - HT), Dara Connolly and Aaron Corless for W Byrne and L McDonnell (both 42), Michael Ryan for A Kelly (58), Sean Corless for L Kelly (77).
Michael Brown; Chris Buckley, Tom Donald, Michael O'Brien; Matthew O'Brien, Joe Waters, Pierce Deane; Darragh Foley, Jake Brown; Rian Farrell, Daniel Bolger, Ben Curry; Paul Kealy, Davy Francis, Alan Curry.
James Foley for Brown (29), Johnny Gleeson for Kealy (58), Lochlann McGagh for Buckley (68).
Patrick Fleming.
