SIGERSON CUP – ROUND 1: ST MARYS 0-14 SETU CARLOW 0-8

SETU Carlow’s Conor Doyle with Macdarragh Hynes of St Mary’s Belfast
Photo: ©INPHO/Evan Treacy

SETU Carlow fell to defeat in their first game of this year’s Sigerson Cup after they were a distant second best in the second half of the game played on their home pitch on Tuesday evening.

The opening half had been closely contested, indeed, Carlow held a one point lead when they lost a player to a black card in the 20^th minute and ended up conceding the last three points of the half while down a man.

However, they could have no complaints about the result given the dominance their Ulster rivals enjoyed in the second, particularly in the last 20 minutes.

Intercounty forwards, Carlow’s Colm Hulton and Offaly’s Cian Farrell, scored the first two points of the game but St Marys quickly levelled the game with two points of their own.

Farrell, from a free, and Eoin Murtagh then scored to put Carlow back into the led by the midway point of half.

A huge moment in the game arrived in the 20^th minute when a poor short kick out by Carlow goalkeeper Matthew Byron was intercepted, leaving corner back Paraic Deering with little option other than to make a lunging tackle, resulting in a black card and leaving Carlow down a man.

Despite that, Murtagh’s second point of the half left Carlow 0-6 to 0-4 ahead in the 24^th minute but after that, St Marys rattled off three points.

Carlow did a have the game’s best chance of goal once back to 15 men, in first half injury time. Daragh Galvin did superbly well to pick up a loose ball in midfield and feed it forward to Adam Steed. The Kildare man made great ground inside the St Marys 45 but as he bore down on goal, the excellent Charlie Smyth stood big in goal and narrowed the angle and Steed’s shot could only hit the side netting.

St Marys went 0-8 to 0-6 ahead early in the second half but Carlow were able to rally and pulled level with points from Hulton and Farrell.

That pair was to be their last scores of the game however and St Marys gradually pulled away in the last 20 minutes, in the end scoring the last six points of the game.

SETU Carlow now await to see who loses Wednesday evening’s game between MTU Kerry and ATU Sligo to see who they will play next in the competition.

Scorers St Marys: Sean Rock 0-4 (2fs), Conor McConville 0-3(fs), Danny Magee, Cormac Murphy 0-2 each, Michael McCarville, Shane Donnelly, Matt Og McGleenan 0-1 each.

Scorers for SETU Carlow: Cian Farrell 0-4 (3fs), Eoin Murtagh, Colm Hulton 0-2 each.

ST MARYS: Charlie Smyth (Mayobridge St Patricks Down), Conan Milne (Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Derry), Darragh Trainor (Tyholland Monaghan), McDarragh Hynes (Kilcoo Eoghan Rua Down), Cormac McGettigan (O’Donovan Ross Belfast Antrim), Michael McCallan (Carrickmore Naomh Colmcille Tyrone), Danny Magee (Clann Eireann Armagh), Michael McCarville (Scotstown Monaghan), Cormac Smyth (Mullaghbawn Cuchullains Armagh), Sean Rock (Silverbridge Harps Armagh), Matt Og McGleenan (Eglish St Patricks Tyrone), Conor McConville (Clann Eireann Armagh), Dara O’Callaghan (Crossmaglen Rangers Armagh), Cormac Murphy (O’Donovan Rossa Magherfelt Derry), Jude Campbell (Pomeroy Plunkett’s Tyrone). Subs: Ronan McGrath (Burren St Mary’s Down) for O’Callaghan (38), Sean Quigley (Clonmore Robert Emmetts Armagh) for Campbell (50), Louis Hughes (Granemore St Marys Armagh) for Magee (53), Shane Donnelly (Collegeland O’Rahillys Armagh) for Cormac Smyth (58), Dara Joe Martin (Loup St Patricks Derry) for McGettigan (60)

SETU CARLOW: Matthew Byron (Courtwood Laois), Padraig O’Shea (Liscarroll Churchtown Gael Cork), Jack Donoghue (Bannow Ballymitty Wexford), Paraic Deering (Rathvilly Carlow), Sean Cassidy (Sean O’Mahonys Louth), Eoin Murtagh (Dunlavin Wicklow), Conor Doyle (Rathvilly Carlow), Eoin Hackett (St Fechins Louth), Darren McDermott (Leixlip Kildare), Josh Moore (Rathvilly Carlow), Cian Farrell (Edenderry Offaly), Daragh Galvin (Portarlington Laois), Michael Lynam (St Joseph’s Westmeath), Adam Steed (St Laurences Kildare), Colm Hulton (Éire Óg Carlow). Subs: Michael Staunton (St Josephs Louth) for O’Shea (36), Peter O’Driscoll (Ilen Rovers Cork) for Galvin (45), Cian Maher (Carrickmacross Emmets Monaghan) for Cassidy (54), Olin Barry (Carrigaline Cork) for McDermott (56).

REFEREE: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)