Leinster Under 20 Football Championship
LAOIS 1-12
CARLOW 1-10
CARLOW pushed Laois all the way as two neighbouring counties produced a quality first round Leinster Under 20 Football Championship tie at Netwatch Cullen Park last night. Long before the ball was thrown in, the rain had fallen and for the entire game players had to contend with conditions which were far from ideal. Yet they went about their business with a heart and a half. If the home side had got a break or two they could well have caused a major surprise.
They ran at Laois from the very start. Evan Corr and Bryan McMahon (free) knocked over a point a piece. Oisin Hooney replied for Laois from play. Carlow attacked down the left which put Eoghan Byrne clear and his low shot beat Conor Brown in the Laois goal.
Eoghan Byrne scores Carlow’s goal in the Leinster U20 Championship game against Laois
Photo: Pat Ahern
The visitors hit back and having already converted a free, David Costello coolly stroked a penalty to the net.
Carlow keeper, Ben McCarron, did well when he saved at the foot of his left-hand post as Laois threatened to take over. That may have acted as a lift for the home side who recovered from conceding 1-3 in a matter of minutes.
Kieran Nolan scores a point for Carlow
Photo: Pat Ahern
The game was finely balanced and with Shaun Fitzpatrick scoring three points from play Laois led 1-7 to 1-4 at the interval.
In both scoring terms and the possession stakes Carlow edged the second half. Bryan McMahon was deadly accurate from frees but Oisin Hooney and Colin Dunne scored quality points for Laois.
With time ebbing away, there was only one between them but a Laois attack produced a free which Dunne converted. An unlucky Carlow eventually ran out of time in what was a game of inches.
Evan Corr of Carlow is shadowed by Conor Heffernan of Laois
Photo: Pat Ahern
Scorers
Laois: S Fitzpatrick 0-4, D Costello 1-1 (1-0 pen 1f), C Dunne 0-3 (1f), O Hooney 0-2, C Browne 0-1 (45), C Kelly 0-1(f).
Carlow: E Byrne 1-2, B McMahon 0-4 (fs), E Corr 0-2, K Nolan, C Healy 0-1each
LAOIS: C Brown, J Darcy, B Dempsey, S McGrath, C McWey, S Fingleton, D Slevin, B Reddin, C Heffernan, J Hogan, O Hooney, S Fitzpatrick, D Costello, J Byrne, C Kelly. Subs: J Brennan for Hogan (h/t), S Lennon for Darcy (37), C Dunne for Kelly (37), J Kelly for Byrne (51), T Fennelly for Reddin (55).
CARLOW: Ben McCarron (Éire Óg), James Whelan (Clonmore), Alex Delaney (Éire Óg), Luke Coleman (Rathvilly), Cathal Healy (St Patrick’s), Evan Corr (Ballon), Jack Deacy (Palatine), Dara Curran (Rathvilly), John Phiri (Asca), Kieran Nolan (Éire Óg), Shane Cormican (Grange), Eoghan Byrne (Éire Óg), Tom Behan (Éire Óg), Bryan McMahon (Rathvilly), Joshua Egan (Palatine). Subs: Liam Gavin (Rathvilly) for Nolan (46), Cillian McGrath (Éire Óg) for Healy (57), Conor O’Neill for Egan (61).
REFEREE: D Byrne (Wicklow).
By Kieran Murphy
