Garvan delights as IT Carlow reach cup semi-final
When UL full-forward Gearóid Hegarty kicked wide as the clock spilled into time added on, the hosts trailing by the minimum, IT Carlow were within touching distance of a shock, though fully merited victory.
An injury to UL substitute Michael Flannery in the subsequent action, however, delayed this quarter-final by half an hour as an ambulance was called to remove the Kerry student from the field – Flannery landed awkwardly on his shoulder when colliding with an IT Carlow defender.
The contest resumed shortly after 5pm, UL frantic in their search for an equaliser. Anthony Forde fed Daniel McLaughlin, the Donegal forward unable to steer his effort on target.
The visitors failed to win the resulting kick-out and UL laid siege once again. McLaughlin employed the left boot from distance, his effort superbly fetched by midfielder Eoin Carroll on the edge of the square. Five IT Carlow shirts swarmed to close attention, Carroll still managing to get his kick away. The umpire in question hesitated momentarily before signalling wide. The full-time whistle ensued, the travelling contingent ecstatic.
“We are delighted, and surprised at the same time,” said winning manager Noel Garvan. “As the game wore on, we knew we really had a chance. We did put ourselves in a good position at the break. Once we are in the game, we will fight hard and we do have good finishers. We’ve great heart and we showed that. It would have been nice to have built up an advantage of greater than one-point in the final quarter, it certainly would have been easier on the heart. ”
The underdogs, although facing into a strong gale in the opening period, returned to the dressing room ahead 0-7 to 0-6. Corner-forward Barry McHugh notched six first-half points, five from the placed ball, as UL indiscipline was punished at every turn. Liam Kearns’ charges struggled to capitalise on the elements and would have trailed by more had it not been for two huge Denis Daly kicks, the first a sublime sideline effort with the outside of the right boot. Twice McHugh and Liam Boland stretched the IT Carlow advantage out to two points at the changes of ends, but no further was the noose tightened. Three Niall McDermott frees kept UL in close contention, but only one white flag from play in the entire second half, McLaughlin the provider, highlighted their attacking woes — black cards to Hegarty and Aidan Rowan not exactly helping their cause either.
Added Garvan: “It serves us no purpose to go down to Cork and treat it as bonus territory. Definitely everyone will think we are going down there with that mindset, we certainly won’t.”
Scorers for IT Carlow: B McHugh (0-8, 0-6 frees); L Boland (0-2, 0-1 free); S Murphy (0-1, 0-1 free).
Scorers for UL: N McDermott (0-3 frees), D McLaughlin (0-3 each); D Daly (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 sc), S Killoran (0-2 each).
IT CARLOW: S Murphy (Kerry); T O’Connell (Kildare), C Lawlor (Carlow), D Smyth (Meath); E Lynch (Meath), T Featherson (Roscommon), E Walsh (Moycullen); W Young (Laois), M Sherry (Kildare); K Ryan (Meath), A Dever (Mayo), A Forde (Mayo); L Boland (Tipperary), K Mulvany (Cavan), B McHugh (Galway).
Subs: T Shiels (Laois) for Mulvany (40 mins), R O’Ceallaigh (Waterford) for Dever (59), R O’Brien (Carlow) for Lynch (60, bc).
UL: R Lavelle (Galway); P O’Connor (Kerry), C Long (Kerry), F Boland (Mayo); A Rowan (Longford), D Daly (Kerry), D Larkin (Wexford); C McNamee (Offaly), E Carroll (Offaly); A McFadden (Donegal), N McDermott (Cavan), S Killoran (Roscommon); C O’Brien (Clare), G Hegarty (Limerick), D McLaughlin (Donegal).
Subs: F McHugh (Leitrim) for McNamee (20 mins), D McLoughlin (Cork) for O’Brien (HT), B O’Shea (Kerry) for Hegarty (47, bc), M Flannery (Kerry) for Rowan (55,bc), C Hussey (Roscommon) for Flannery (60, inj).
Referee: C Lane (Cork).
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