Minor footballers register impressive victory
The winning minor Carlow football team have a huddle with some words from their captain Mark Buggy after their win over Wicklow Photo: Pat Ahern
Carlow came away from Netwatch Cullen Park on Thursday with a convincing victory over their Garden County rivals in this Leinster Minor Football Group 3 Round 2 tie.
The eventual winners got off to a lightning start scoring two goals in the opening eight minutes with Ronan Dooley and Mark Buggy finding the Wicklow net.
Right away the visitors hit back when a passing movement ended with a tremendous finish from Pat Kehoe who hit the bottom right hand corner at the scoreboard end of the ground.
Wicklow got the upper hand for a spell and Harry Butler, Jack Wolohan and Lucas Reid all raised white flags. On the other hand, Carlow finished the half on top registering scores from Buggy and Fitzgerald. Those two white flags were all the more commendable as the home team were down to 14 players with Ben Curry picking up a 25th minute black card.
Even though Carlow led 2-9 to 1-5 at the break, the Wicklow boys had done enough to suggest it was all to play for.
The second half may not have matched the excitement of the first but it absorbed and kept supporters on the edge of their seats. Two points from Mikey Byrne were vital while the Carlow defence didn’t give their opponents an inch with the visitors registering 14 wides over the hour.
The victory was probably sealed on 40 minutes when Alan Fitzgerald swooped from close range for Carlow’s third three-pointer. They still had to battle it out.
A late Wicklow goal from Conor Fitzgerald kept Carlow honest to the end but they held out to take a deserved win.
The win puts Carlow in with a great chance of reaching the knockout stages and they finish the group stages away to Wexford next Thursday.
A Fitzgerald 1-3, M Buggy 1-3 (1f), R Dooley 1-0, J Curran 0-2 (1-2p), M Byrne 0-2, F Byrne 0-1, J Hendricken 0-1.
P Kehoe 1-1, C Fitzgerald 1-1, J Wolohan 0-3, H Butler 0-2, L Reid 0-1, C O’Toole 0-1.
Ryan Gordon; Paddy Nolan, Conor Stanley, Alex Donnelly Finn; Ronan Dooley, Leon Fitzgerald, Darragh Casey; Ben Curry, Mikey Byrne; John Hendricken, Jacob Curran, Fiach Byrne; Alan Fitzgerald, Luke Byrne, Mark Buggy. Subs: Edward O’Byrne for Curran (37), Shane Gurhy for L Byrne (49), Sean Hourihane for Nolan (53), Alex Doyle for Fitzgerald (57).
Ryan Sargent; Enda Leacy, Myron Davidson, James McCarney; Aaron Kenna, Simon O’Brien, Chris O’Toole; Jack O’Leary, Conor Coffey; Harry Butler, Pat Kehoe, Odhran Cullen; Jack Wolohan, Oisin Dignam, Lucas Reid. Subs: Sean O’Brien for McCarney (h/t), Jack Murray for Dignam (h/t), Conor Fitzgerald for Reid (40), Sam Behan for Butler (47), Ruairi Kavanagh Flood for Leacy (47).
Paddy McDermott (Kildare).
