Crettyard's title hopes suffer big blow
Burrin Celtic are anxiously looking over their shoulder near the foot of the Nationalist Premier Division table after defeat to Parkville
Killeshin and Crettyard played out a draw in Killeshin on Friday night as Crettyard’s efforts to try and chase down Bagenalstown and New Oak suffered a big blow as they were pegged back twice after taking the lead.
Killeshin went closest early on when Jeff Mannion’s free was headed wide on the right by Patrick Roberts.
Crettyard took the lead after 16 minutes when a Mark Fitzgerald corner from the left found Dylan Waters whose effort was forced in across the line. A Mannion corner from the right found Andrew Leavy at the back post who headed in for a second week in a row with nine minutes to go until the half-time break. Four minutes later, Waters found himself in down the right but miscontrolled the ball and blasted his effort over the bar. Two minutes before the break, FitzGerald was only denied by a great save from Daire Phelan in the Killeshin goal who leapt up high to palm his superb effort from distance away from the top left hand corner. Just before the half-time break, Anthony Fitzpatrick flicked on a Fitzgerald ball into the back of the net as Crettyard retook the lead.
Four minutes into the second half, an Adam Farrell corner from the left was headed over by Xoli Stafford.
With 20 minutes to go, a corner from the left was headed in at the back post by Ricardo Maranhao as the hosts equalised. Ten minutes later, the ball fell to Riogan Doran and only for a last gasp tackle, he’d have put it in the back of the net. With four minutes to go, a Mannion free found Maranhao but he could only steer his effort to the ‘keeper. In the dying moments, Killeshin hit the post, ultimately settling for a draw.
There was a good tempo displayed by both sides in the opening stages, but clear chances were limited early on in testing conditions. The deadlock was broken in the 28th minute when Slaney Rovers struck first, Jake Elliott cut inside and fired a superb shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors the lead.
Slaney built on that momentum and doubled their advantage five minutes later, a pass from Owen Curran picked out Dylan Mahoney, who calmly slotted home to leave St Patrick’s facing a 2-0 deficit at half-time.
St Patrick’s emerged for the second half determined to respond, but Slaney continued to pose a threat on the break. Ten minutes after the restart, Kyle Byrne weaved past two defenders before finishing confidently to make it 3-0. Slaney capped off a strong performance late on when Adam Lawlor finished at the back post after a delivery from Daniel O’Brien, with the ball deflecting off a St Patrick’s defender.
St Patrick’s never stopped working and were rewarded for their persistence late in the game when a well-worked move saw Tom Mitchell provide the assist for Radek Brzezinski, who finished neatly to pull one back for the hosts.
Standouts for Slaney Rovers were Tom Pilkington, Luke Byrne and Cormac Byrne.
Third time proved lucky as this much-delayed Carlow cup tie finally got over the line on a clear, crisp evening, played at an impressive tempo by both sides. With no game the previous week, St Fiacc’s showed sharpness from the first whistle, moving the ball with purpose and exploiting the wings early on. Daniel Murphy set the tone in midfield, dictating play and helping Fiacc’s to establish early control.
Sustained pressure paid off after ten minutes when Fiacc’s won a free kick just outside the box. In-form Ivan Murphy stepped up and produced a moment of real quality, curling a superb strike over the wall and into the left corner, leaving the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Baltinglass responded well and enjoyed a strong spell between 15 and 25 minutes, but Fiacc’s defence, marshalled well by Murphy and supported by Lucas O’Neill’s workrate, held firm.
On the half-hour, a Balto corner was cleared to the edge of the area and a powerful effort narrowly missed the post.
Fiacc’s pressed on for a second, with Brian dos Santos covering every blade of grass. He went close after excellent link-up play with Ross Hennessy and Adam Farrell before delivering a perfect ball for Ivan Murphy, who should have doubled his tally from close range.
Baltinglass struck immediately after the restart, equalising within seconds to make it 1-1. The response by Fiacc’s was impressive. Brian dos Santos again drove forward down the wing, linking up with Dan Nolan, before Ross Hennessy unleashed a stunning 25-yard strike into the bottom corner to restore the home team’s advantage. As Fiacc’s pushed to put the game to bed, Daniel Murphy continued to anchor midfield, while Lucas O’Neill’s intelligent movement caused constant problems.
With ten minutes remaining, goalkeeper Cody Tucker produced a vital one-on-one save to deny a Balto counterattack. Late on, Ross Hennessy intercepted and released O’Neill, who showed great awareness to square for Ivan Murphy to finish calmly and secure his second of the night.
The game began at a steady pace, with Burrin creating the early chances but were unable to make the breakthrough. After the interval, the match opened up as both teams looked to counter quickly and commit bodies forward.
Burrin pushed hard for a winner in the closing stages, sending numbers forward in search of a decisive goal. Instead, the decisive moment fell to Bagenalstown in the final minute when a break up the pitch led to the only goal of the game, giving the visitors the win.
Best for Burrin Celtic were Eddie Tobin, Dylan Halligan and Andy O’Brien.
