Six goals for Carlow help them past Down

Brian Tracey’s goalkeeping performance was what won the game for the Barrowsiders. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Down 0-28 Carlow 6-23 

Carlow made the long trip home from Ballycran rather short, after a dominant display high in the Ards peninsula that saw them dismantle Down all afternoon.

The six goal tally will get all the headlines but Brian Tracey’s goalkeeping performance was what won the game for the Barrowsiders. At crucial times, Tracey broke Down’s heart and set up a promotional tilt against Offaly this Saturday.

Conor Kehoe opened the floodgates for Carlow as early as the third minute. Barrelling through to fire home and Chris Nolan bagged the first of his two first half goals to celebrate a fine opening quarter of an hour.

Down would respond thanks to Finn Turpin’s determined brace and, as they edged their way back into the contest, Ronan Sheehan’s side carved out goal chances. Caolan Teggart was Tracey’s most spectacular out of the three in the first half.

To compound matters further for the hosts, Carlow countered before half time with two sucker punch goals. Martin Kavanagh first and then Nolan added his second of the half rather fortuitously when James Doyle’s shot hit the upright and fell kindly to the impressive corner man.

So with the half time score 4-14 to 0-11, Down needed everything to go their way and much like this season's McDonagh campaign, it didn’t.

Firstly goalkeeper Stephen Keith slipped a ball into his own net and after conceding James Doyle's sublime sixth goal, Tracey saved a Ruairí McCrickard penalty.

Frustrations mounted for the Mourne men as Jordan Doran was sent off for his second yellow and top scorer Kavanagh added to his tally.

Down did settle though and fight back at the tail end of the game with Pearse Óg McCrickard landing some excellent free’s.

They will need all that accuracy in a survival shoot out against Kildare next weekend.

Scorers for Down: P Og McCrickard 0-10 (8f), F Turpin 0-5, O McManus, M Fisher, C Teggart (1f), R McCrickard (1f) and D Sands 0-2 each; J Doran, L Savage and M Conlon 0-1each.

Scorers for Carlow: M Kavanagh 1-11 (7f), C Nolan 2-4, J Nolan 1-2, J Doyle 1-1, C Kehoe 1-0, F Fitzpatrick 0-2, JM Nolan, K McDonald and D Byrne 0-1 each 

DOWN: S Keith; N McFarland, B Trainor, J McManus; M Fisher, C Teggart, R McCrickard; J Doran, L Savage; D Sands, P Sheehan, F Turpin; O McManus, C Egan, P Óg McCrickard.

Subs used: T Murray for Doran (blood 30-32), D Mallon for Trainor (36), M Conlon for Sheehan (41), Murray for McManus (48) J Croskery for McFarland (62).

CARLOW: B Tracey; J McCullagh, C Lawlor, P Doyle; P O’Shea, K McDonald, J Kavanagh; F Fitzpatrick, D Byrne; J Doyle, M Kavanagh, J Nolan; C Nolan, JM Nolan, C Kehoe.

Subs Used: J Tracey for JM Nolan (ht), R Coady for Kehoe (56), F O’Toole for Kavanagh (68), N Bolger for Lawlor (70) 

Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary)