Late heartbreak for Carlow
Carlow Manager Joe Murphy Photo ©INPHO/Grace Halton
A game of inches. Well not quite for seventy minutes but for all the second half and the entire two ten minute periods of extra-time. At first glance this reads like a hurling scoreline but in fact it was a Tailteann Cup first round game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Sunday where extra-time was needed to find a winner.
At the end, a 92nd minute goal from Antrim substitute Benen Kelly decided the issue. Carlow were gutted to lose but on reflection and with at least another game to play in the competition, they will surely see this as part of the building process.
Even though John Phiri dinked over the first point at the dressing room end of the grounds, the home side were unable to impose themselves on a confident looking Antrim side. Chris Blake added two points from play with Niall Burns getting two early Antrim points. Carlow created two half goal chances with Jamie Clarke just failing to execute and Lee Walker was denied by goalkeeper, John McNabb.
The game turned in the visitors direction when Carlow coughed up possession and Ronan Boyle came forward to score the opening goal of the game on 22 minutes. Less than ten minutes later, the same player was on hand to score another three-pointer. While those goals told a story the all three starting players in the Antrim full-forward line scored from play as the visitors went in leading 2-10 to 0-7 at the break.
Five minutes into the second half, Eoghan McCabe added a third Antrim goal and it looked all over as a contest. There was no real trigger moment for Carlow to do what they eventually did. Maybe Antrim relaxed? Then again maybe the home side began to play without fear?
When Jamie Clarke attacked down the left into the O’Hanrahan end, he spotted Padhraig Bolger loose at the far post. The pass was perfect and the Rathvilly man fisted the ball to the net. It got better for Carlow when Lee Walker was fouled in the big square and getting up he found the net off the inside of the left-hand post. Two Ross Dunphy points left only three between them with nineteen minutes left to play. Conor Crowley, who had come on as a substitute, was back to his brilliant best and his speed caused Antrim all kinds of problems. The Palatine player secured two Carlow points to leave only two between them.
Even the concession of another Antrim goal from Pat Shivers couldn’t halt the Carlow revival. Adam McCarron, Crowley and Bolger all raised white flags and when Antrim committed a breach offence, McCarron went successfully for two. Clarke then pointed to give Carlow the lead and with injury time looming it was time to dream.
Yet as would happen later in the contest, Carlow, on the restart, were unable to secure possession. Antrim came forward and Joseph Finnegan had all the time in the world to level the game at 4-16 to 2-22 to bring it to extra time.
Even then, there was a moment of drama when it looked as if Antrim had committed a breach offence which, if the free was awarded, would have seen Carlow surely clinch victory.
As it turned out both sides had breached and after throwing up the ball, Conor Dourneen, the referee blew for full-time.
The first half of extra time was a tame affair. Antrim secured the only score in ten minutes, a goal from Ryan McQuillan. The tension and fireworks all came in the second ten minutes where Jamie Clarke almost scored an equalising goal but had to settle for a point. Crowley added two points and Liam Gavin converted an easy free. McQuillan raised an Antrim white flag.
The sides were level when Carlow made one last bid for victory. The seconds were ticking by and the game had gone into two minutes of injury time when Ross Dunphy found himself to the right of the posts but at an angle.
For sure the decision to go for a point will haunt for a couple of days but it was a 50-50 call. This time Dunphy’s effort was inches wide and might even have grazed the right-hand post.
From the kick-out Carlow were caught flat-footed and space opened up behind them. Antrim got bodies forward and Antrim all but walked the ball into the Carlow net with Benen Kelly getting the final touch.
It was joy unconfined for the Northerners. For the home side, it was hard to stomach. It will surely take a few days to get over this one but what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.
P Shivers 1-5 (1-2p 1f), R Boyle 2-0, R McQuillan 1-3, D McEnhill 0-4 (1-2p f), B Kelly 1-0, E McCabe 1-0, N Burns 0-3, J Finnegan 0-1, T McCann 0-1 (f).
L Walker 1-4 (1-0 pen, 3fs), C Crowley 0-6, P Bolger 1-1, R Dunphy 0-3, A McCarron 0-3 (1-2pf), J Clarke 0-2, C Blake 0-2, K Nolan 0-2 (1-2p), J Phiri, P McDonnell, L Gavin (f) 0-1 each.
John McNabb; John Morgan, Joseph Finnegan, Kavan Keenan; Eoghan McCabe, Peter Healy, Marc Jordan; Paddy McAleer, Eunan Walsh; Tiernan McCormack, Ryan McQuillan, Ronan Boyle; Pat Shivers, Niall Burns, Dominic McEnhill.
Tom Shivers for McCormack (49), Tomas McCann for McEnhill (57), Benen Kelly for Keenan (59), Adam Loughran for Boyle (59), Conor Hand for Jordan (65), Jordan for Finnegan (76), Cathal Hynds for McAleer (84).
Ben McCarron; Kyle Nolan, Niall Roche, Lee Moore; John Phiri, Dara Curran, Padhraig Bolger; Mark Furey, Adam Burgess; Paddy McDonnell, Lee Walker, Conor Doyle; Jamie Clarke, Chris Blake, Ross Dunphy.
Conor Crowley for Furey (41), Adam McCarron for Blake (62), Aaron Amond for Nolan (53), Tadgh Roche for Burgess (69), Darragh Foley for Walker (69), Shane Buggy for Moore (78), Liam Gavin for Clarke (85), Cormac Lomax for Furey (89).
Conor Dourneen (Cavan).
