Carlow blitz too much for Longford

Carlow 4-15 Longford 1-16

That Carlow eventually won by eight-points is an injustice to a Longford side that battled gamely but paid the price for schoolboy defending.

This one was very much in the lap of the gods even after we passed the 70-minute mark. At that stage, Carlow held a three-point lead, 2-15 to 1-15, with Longford straining every last sinew to reach parity. By then, no one would have complained about a draw after such a magnificent display.

Simon Rea though had other ideas. The corner-forward finished off a swift move from midfield, palming Mark Carpenter's chest-high pass past Gavin Tonra and into the net. Cue delirium.

Rea, though, was just warming up. A minute later, referee Tom Quigley spotted a foul on a Carlow player in Longford's penalty area and Rea converted the penalty with aplomb.

Seconds later, Longford full-forward Niall Sheridan rounded off the scoring with his third point of the day, a poignant ending considering the Abbeylara man's performance.

Longford manager Denis Connerton cut a desolate figure after the thriller and rightly pointed out that any team that scores 1-16 shouldn't be the ones wearing glum expressions.

When he looks back though, he'll realise 1-16 could have been so much more. Longford played some pretty stuff in the first half but never fully utilised the powerful Sheridan in the opening 35.

The sides were on level terms, 0-7 apiece at the break after Carlow had a seemingly good point ignored by the umpires while Longford raised a white flag on the whistle.

That all changed nine minutes into the second half when an avalanche of Carlow scores opened up a six-point chasm between the teams. Longford soon forgot their intricate approach play and started raining leather down on Sheridan. Longford duly managed 1-7, Sheridan scoring three and directly setting up 1-2. Yet, even that was too little too late.

Within a minute of the restart, Trevor Smullen's point gave Longford the lead for the first time and one wondered how Luke Dempsey's men would respond.

Seven minutes later they were six points to the good. It was all as quick and remorseless as a Mike Tyson combination. First they aimed high with four quick-fire points, with Johnny Nevin's effort after a nine-man move from inside their own area the pick of the bunch.

Then they went low with Mark Carpenter beating Longford keeper Gavin Tonra to a dropping ball to notch the game's first goal. Longford were on the ropes against a side that lost to London only a month ago.

This was a different Carlow, though. 4-15 is indeed an impressive return, equally so is the fact that they shot just five wides all day.

To Longford's credit, they soon rediscovered their feet. Liam Keenan launched the first salvo of the barrage towards Sheridan who then fed the onrushing Padraic Davis to fire low into the net past James Clarke.

Game on again.

The sides traded points like jabs after that, with Longford landing two more to leave them just one in arrears with six minutes to go. Then Patrick Hickey rounded off another intricate Carlow move by shooting high into the Longford net for a four point advantage (2-15 to 1-14).

Yet Longford continued to rage against their fate.

Paul Barden hit his fourth point from play to leave a goal between them but then young Rea grabbed his crucial brace of three-pointers.

CARLOW: J Clarke; B Farrell, S O'Brien, C McCarthy; K Walker, J Hayden (0-1), J Byrne (0-1); M Brennan, T Walsh (0-1); P Hickey (1-1, 0-1f), J Nevin (0-2), M Carpenter (1-1); S Rea (2-3, 0-3f, 1-0 penalty), S Kavanagh (0-3), B Carberry (0-1). Subs: B English for K Walker 33, B Kelly for B Carberry 53, W Power for M Brennan 55.

LONGFORD: G Tonra; D Ledwith, C Conefrey, S Carroll; E Ledwith, D Hannify, A O'Connor; L Keenan (0-1), T Smullen (0-1); P O'Hara, J Kenny, P Barden (0-4); J Martin (0-1f), N Sheridan (0-3), P Davis (1-5, 3f). Subs: S Lynch for J Kenny 44, M Lennon for J Martin 52, M Kelly for S Lynch 62.

Referee: T Quigley (Wexford).