Carlow Junior 'A' Football Championship Semi Final
Fighting Cocks 5-6 (21)
Ballon 2-13 (19)
The brackets tell it all. You'd need to be on your toes here from word go and some!
Local derby, a place in the JFC final at stake - a stake that Liam Brennan put in the heart of the Fighting Cocks' defence with his pinpoint through ball in the first minute, finding the inrushing Shane Duffy. The low finish complimenting the pass and like last week against The Blues, the Ballon men were out of the blocks like a shot, a dominant early start added to with Peter Zerafa and Brennan nailing brilliant points from distance in the 7th and 8th min.
Both werequality scores complimenting their workrate, which even at this early stage saw them turnover The Cocks on numerous occasions. The ball living in the Dublin Rd end, it seemed at this juncture. A couple more efforts dropping short, the absent Sean O'Brien wouldn't have mattered as the ball wasn't going up that far at this stage anyway.
A rare Cocks foray ended up with a sideline on the 21 at the tunnel side. Matty Dowling turns into Matty Forde, outside of the right, what a score! 1-2 to 0-1 on 11 mins. That very corner of NCP would also provide the game's next score on 13 mins. Billy Nolan's mazy run saw him come in along the endline, his fisted pass across the square was for a split second in the hands of Cian Byrne. Alan Quigley takes a chance and gets the a fist to divert it to the net for a one-point game, a stat that would have a short lifespan.
Glen O'Rourke, their other wing forward, finding room on the 45, a straight run at goal and a finish in keeping with the quality on show so far saw a complete turnaround, 2-1 to 1-2. Quigley with a brace from play and a free on 17 and 19 mins amazingly had the Cocks 4 to the good. Liam Brennan's replied from a poor angle for a citóg on 23 mins before Quigley gets another, the advancing Byrne the main reason it wasn't another green flag to his name. The impressive Evan Corr effortlessly kicks a 45, and sub Kevin Maher makes it 2-4 to 1-5 at the break. The first half was even enough. Could the 2nd be even better?
A pair of Corr frees from close range on 33 and 34 mins had the sides level. Billy Nolan soon restoring the advantage for the first Cocks score for what seemed an eternity from a Matthew English Hayden punt pass before Liam Brennan showed his right boot is not too shabby either, level once more, 2-5 to 1-8 on 37 mins.
Walking into the game alongside Liam Sheppard, the ex-county man still using a gearbag from his time on Carlow duty, that experience plain for all to see on 38 mins. His driving run and offload, a quick free finding him unmarked, cool as a cucumber, buried to the Ballon net, 3-5 to 1-8. Sheppard's ball retention and distribution from here on more than vital in the eventual outcome of the game.
Ballon, to their credit, drove on regardless of this latest setback. The upright for the 3rd time on the night not being their friend, but the young guns of Duffy, Corr (another 45), and a fine Jimmy Carroll point from a Shane Duffy run from deep had us level on the 46 min.
The roar from the stand on 50 mins suggested Peter Zerafa had secured the lead for Ballon, 1-12 to 3-5, the first time since the 13 min they were in front, in keeping with the game you knew twists and turns were still available. Quigley's left foot dink off the ground 20m out, offload pass to Billy Nolan, turn and shot all in one, another goal, another cracking one at that, 4-5 to 1-12 on 52 mins.
2 mins later we had a bizarre sight with Cian Byrne being brave, earning a free out near his 21, quickly taken by Ballon driving forward, with Byrne still receiving attention the attack breaks down on halfway with the ball ending with Alan Quigley, spotting the empty goal has a go but to no avail, unfortunately for Ballon their no 1 unable to continue, Colm Barry the replacement, a mad 30 seconds or so!
Logic had almost left the building at this stage. Sheppard makes another lung-bursting run, the ball eventually finds its way to Quigley, guess what, another goal, 5-5 to 1-12, 56 mins on the clock, their 3rd successive score to be a goal, could Ballon react? Yes indeed.
For 57 mins (see min 13), the other goalie named Byrne, Darragh, this time dispossessed by Zerafa similar to Quigley's first to net, identical even, 5-5 to 2-12, the last 3 scores all goals. Try calling it now!
Fighting Cocks draw a free through Nolan which Quigley points for 5-6 to 2-12 in added time, replied to by Brennan from a free which made it 5-6 to 2-13 deep in additional time. It was too close to lob in, the right option was taken and the resultant kickout leads to the ball fisted in diagonally to the Fighting Cocks square in one last throw of the dice.
Was there one last twist? After what seemed an eternity, the ball breaks out, Paud O Dwyer calls a halt to one of the most exciting, positive, quality-laden games you'd care to see played in any grade, Fighting Cocks final bound with Ballon left to wonder what could have been.
It was a mad day for Ballon's Paddy Byrne. He had listened to the first half of our commentary on his way to the game from the hospital where his partner Antoinette had just given birth to a baby girl Éala. After the game he still took time to chat to us. He may have been the disappointed to lose the game, but he was still the happiest man in the world. A timely reminder of whats important in life.
Fighting Cocks: Darragh Byrne, Sean McGrath, Eoin O'Byrne, Tom Eustace, Matthew English Hayden, Gary Nolan, James Hickey, Aaron Bolger, Trevor Watchorn, Alan Quigley (2-4, 0-2f), Dylan Townsend, Glen O'Rourke (1-0), Billy Nolan (1-1), Liam Sheppard (1-0), Matty Dowling (0-1sl). Subs - Cian O Byrne, Emmet Moran
Ballon: Cian Byrne, Conor Bolger, Lorcan Doyle, Josh Fernandez, Jimmy Carroll (0-1), Conor Kearney, Donncha Murphy, Brendan Fanning, Fionn McCaffrey, Myles Hutton, Sean Tracey, Evan Corr (0-4, 0-2 f, 0-2 45), Liam Brennan (0-4, 0-1f), Peter Zerafa (1-2), Shane Duffy (1-1. )Subs - Kevin Maher (0-1), John Gittens, Colm Barry, Paddy Byrne
Referee: Paud O'Dwyer
Listen back to the commentary below
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