Byrne strikes late to decide seven goal game full of drama
Crettyard’s Dean Kelly flicks home but this effort was ruled out for offside. Photo: michaelorourkephotography.ie
Conor Byrne hit a late winner to send New Oak through to the next round of the FAI Junior Cup where they will face Rathnure, who were Division 2 champions in Wexford last season after they pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Crettyard.
Byrne had retired after New Oak’s second quadruple at the end of the 2022-2023 season but made the decision to come back as he missed it too much, and in his third game back, he got onto the end of a Dean Kelly ball and scored a crucial winner. This was a game that Crettyard will feel like they shouldn’t have lost; they were the better side for a lot of it and were 3-1 up at one point and speaking afterwards to the Carlow Soccer Podcast, manager Cristoir Maher admitted he was happy and disappointed with the game, admitting he hasn’t seen New Oak under so much pressure at home in a long time, that they played them off the pitch for 60 minutes.
Crettyard may have stood more of a chance if they had 11 men on the pitch, but Blake Rice saw red for a second yellow card. New Oak to their credit never gave up and sent a message for the season ahead that if anybody thought that after losing their league title last season they were going to roll over and struggle, they are mistaken.
Jamie Maher went close early on but his effort was saved by Craig Kearney in the New Oak goal, who was starting on the morning after he helped Palatine beat Eire Óg to reach the county final.
Midway through the half, Crettyard got reward for their hard work when a Anthony Fitzpatrick corner from the right found Ryan Byrne whose effort was saved but he blasted the rebound in.
Jamie Maher went close just after half an hour, hitting a long range effort wide on the left.
With four minutes to go, much against the run of play, New Oak equalised as Kyle Foley hit an effort from just inside the box into the right hand side of the goal. In injury time, Maher had an effort from the right deflected wide. The resulting corner from the right from Fitzpatrick was hit into the box, narrowly missing Purcell.
Three minutes into the second half, a Kelly corner for New Oak from the right was cleared. A minute later, Doran put Crettyard ahead again as he slotted in an effort from the left, in front of the goal, hitting into the near side of the goal. Shortly after, Blake Rice, son of Crettyard stalwart Martin saw red and Crettyard were reduced to ten men which turned the screw almost.
With nine minutes gone in the second half, a Dean Kelly free from the left was headed wide by Byrne on the far side for New Oak. Cian Cleary went close but hit an effort over the bar under pressure from Crettyard defenders. Fitzpatrick should have made it 3-1 when he skipped past two defenders down the left hand side and fired an effort towards goal but blasted it wide across the goal. Just after the hour mark, Maher made it 3-1 to Crettyard as he got onto the end of a Fitzpatrick ball slotted in from the left hand side, hitting his effort across the box into the far bottom corner. You’d have been forgiven for thinking that it was game over at this point. It was from here that the game began to change. Two minutes later, Jamie Murphy had an effort saved with a Kelly corner cleared. With 20 minutes to go, Kelly and Roy Byrne both had efforts saved. Four minutes later, Kelly was taken down in the box and a penalty awarded. Kelly put his effort into the top right hand corner to bring New Oak back into the game. With 12 minutes to go, Jack Foley had an effort from the right saved. A minute later, Fitzpatrick had a free from the left headed away by Kelly. Daryl Coleman levelled things up with seven minutes to go. Two minutes later, Kyle Foley had an effort saved. A minute later, a Kelly cross from the left was headed in at the back post by Conor Byrne. In stoppage time, Kelly could have added a fifth when his effort from the left hit off the post.
The two sides meet again on Sunday in the KCLR Carlow Shield semi-final in Crettyard at 2pm.
