Allianz NFL Div 4 - Round 4
Carlow 2-14
Leitrim 1-16
There are certain moments in life when time seems to stand still. Having received an opportunist volleyball type hand off from Eric Molloy, Colm Hulton set his sights on goal. The defenders probably thought their job was done when he was forced on to his unfavoured left foot. Little did they know that it wasn't just for standing on.
Having taken one last glance at the target, he delicately dropped the ball left hand to left foot like all good coaches would tell you and it was in this very moment that time stood still.
Looking on from the terrace press box you were almost directly in line with the flight of the ball. Your mind goes to super slow motion. The ball is curling. Curling. Curling. The keeper's wing span is needing maximum capacity extension to get across. But it might not be enough.
Hands are on heads in anticipation of a bulging net which will induce a state of agony for some and ecstasy for others. The top left corner is greeted by the sweetly struck O'Neills size 5.
Let the chaos ensue!
The press box is rattling, the away day brigade are falling and the outnumbered home fans are bouncing. There's even a die hard Laois man jumping around in the middle of them!
The job is not done yet. There's a second ball on the pitch. Ronan Joyce gets the p45. Cynicism? If it's good for the goose it's good for the gander. More on that one later.
Carlow turn it over. Is it that man Hulton again?! The final whistle goes and Carlow are back in the promotion shake up!
I could pretty much leave it at that for this report, but there is an awful lot to digest in this one.
Before the game starts I've been reliably informed that Leitrim have become very good acquaintances with the GAA's unpopular but frequently visiting friend - Mr Cynicism.
From the get go you could see the pulling and dragging off the ball. You get a little bit of that every day of course, but Jordan Morrissey in particular was tumbled almost a handful of occasions in the first half and was also halted on route to goal in the 30th minute, in a carbon copy moment to last weeks one with Laois and somehow once again, no action in that particular incident was taken by the match official.
Late hits flying in after the ball was released, a relentless attempt to take Conor Doyle's jersey off his back approaching full time and a goalkeeper recovering miraculously after being shot by the imaginary sniper late into injury time when Leitrim were two points up.
In fairness his powers of recovery were incredible as his full length dive to try halt Hulton's haymaker was of Olympic standard and he wasn't too slow to get up and pick the ball out of the net either.
Let's put perspective on this. There is no team that doesn't engage in some sort of cynicism from time to time. Carlow themselves show it on occasions also but there comes a time when enough is enough and if all this is going to be let go then why wouldn't they just meet fire with fire?
Two wrongs don't make a right of course.
But lets borrow and old cliché. This wasn't just a win for Carlow yesterday. It was a win for football.
Now to the game itself. And a general note on Leitrim. They kicked some fabulous scores when they did focus on playing the game right and they were worked very well. Ryan O'Rourke, Barry McNulty and sub Paul Keaney all garnering cracking scores over the contest.
Carlow were 6-4 up at half time. It wasn't a hectic half. But scoring 2-8 after half time was a nice return and Leitrim's 1-12 wasn't too shabby either. In fact those scores would win you a Division 4 game on some days.
Colm Hulton was excellent throughout. He cleared a goalbound effort off the line in the 5th minute and cut out several attacks, which along with the goal late on, without doubt made him The Left Wing Back of the week!
Johnny Furey took a lot of stick after the Laois game but he redeemed himself massively in this contest. He was super under the most dangerous of high looping balls in the first half and the kickouts were on point throughout.
Darragh Foley knocked over three frees in the first half while Josh Moore, Hulton and livewire Paddy McDonnell notched the others in great fashion.
The second half was as entertaining as they come. The only pity from a Carlow point of view was the fact that Leitrim appeared to outnumber Carlow in their own ground by at least 2 to 1 but it may not be inaccurate to suggest 3 to 1. It was a performance worthy of a larger backing.
Conor Crowley was another standout player on the day and he popped a super score just after the break. Darragh Foley's long range free after a foul on Ross Dunphy was another great score. Crowley played a neat 1-2 with Jamie Clarke on 47 minutes which was excellently saved in fairness. The quality of the save matched only by the move.
O'Rourke, McNulty (2) and a few Darragh Rooney frees meant we were 0-9 each at this stage before a period of madness transpired.
In the space of 60 seconds or so Carlow turned over two short kick outs. Dunphy white flagged the first. Then Jamie Clarke snuffed out the next kickout and soccer styled it back into the empty net. 1-10 to 0-9 now and Carlow looking good.
But the cough was softened fairly abruptly. From the resultant kickout, Ryan O'Rourke found himself in on goal and he duly obliged with Furey not standing a chance.
Keaney and Rooney then nudged the away side ahead and when Niall Walsh put them two up on 63 minutes Carlow looked in bother.
But they stuck at it and after Foley and Rooney exchanged scores, sub Niall Hickey and the rampaging Mark Furey boxed over points to level it up on 68 minutes.
Barry McNulty then perhaps thought he might have won it for Leitrim and Jack Gilheaney's subsequent effort 3 minutes into added time had all of them believing it.
Conor Reynolds even ended up trying to take Conor Doyle's jersey off him before full time but had to settle for a second yellow card and a long spin home with the tail between the legs as it was to transpire.
Then came the moment in time. A superbly constructed move. Lomax to Dunphy, over to Molloy, helped on to Hulton. The rest as they say is history!
Carlow welcome Wexford to Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday at 7pm. Please get out and support these lads and our hurlers. They offer some bang for the buck each time!
Carlow: Johnny Furey; Mikey Bambrick, Mark Furey (0-1), Paddy McDonnell (0-1); Shane Clarke, Josh Moore (0-1), Colm Hulton (1-1); Jordan Morrissey, Conor Doyle; Aaron Amond, Darragh Foley (0-6, 5f), Jamie Clarke (1-1); Conor Crowley (0-1), Ross Dunphy (0-1), Colin Byrne (plus one).
Subs: Niall Hickey (0-1) for S Clarke (61 mins), Cormac Lomax for Amond (66 mins), Eric Molloy for J Clarke (71 mins).
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