Carlow, though, rallied admirably and while it took as late as the 22nd minute for the Barrowsiders to register their first score, a Brian Kelly point from a free, Mickser Condon’s charges had struck the upright on three occasions while Ken Doyle saw a rising shot canon off the crossbar, Offaly keeper Colm McNamara preventing ‘Skeagh’ from netting the rebound.

Mind you, but for two brilliant early saves by Carlow net guardian James Clarke the Midlanders could have been out of sight by the time Kelly got Carlow off the mark.

That four point margin still separated the sides 20 minutes into the second half, both sharing eight points during the period with Johnny Nevin’s early point bringing Carlow to within the three of Offaly, the closest they came all afternoon.

Offaly, to all intents and purposes, killed off the game a four point scoring salvo in a productive four minute period from the 21st to the 25th, impressive wing-back Karl Slattery romping up field to account for two, while Roy Malone and Ciaran Reilly also found the target.

James Clarke again saved his side from a heavier defeat with some remarkable goalkeeping but the Carlow defence, with the exception the battling John Hayden, encountered many problems. Ken Doyle, despite the after effects of a nose injury picked up on Friday against Tralee IT, put in a very industrious showing at mid-field, apart altogether from going forward to score 1-1, while Mark Carpenter finished the ‘hour’ with 0-4 to his credit, three of them grand scores from play. Veteran Johnny Nevin has enrolled for yet another season and he displayed his undoubted class on many occasions.

CARLOW - James Clarke (St. Patrick’s); Richie Burke (Old Leighlin), Barry English (O’Hanrahan’s), Cormac McCarthy (Eire Og); Johnny Kavanagh (Leighlinbridge) 0-1; Peter Kiernan (Clonmore) , Ken Doyle (Rathvilly) 1-1; Willie Minchin (Old Leighlin), Mark Carpenter (O’Hanrahan’s) 0-4 (1 free), Gary Morrissey; Brian Kelly (Palatine) 0-2 (frees), John McGrath (Clonmore), Johnny Nevin (Old Leighlin) 0-1. Subs - Damien Power (Tinryland), Daragh Coffey (Eire Og), David Nolan (Rathvilly) 0-1, Richard Synott (Kildavin-Clonegal), David Byrne (Kildavin-Clonegal) 0-1.

OFFALY - Colm McNamara; Cathal Daly, Martin Garvan, Barry Mooney; John Hurst, Martin Mitchell, Karl Slattery 0-2; Ciaran McManus, Alan McNamee; Colm Quinn 0-5, Paschal Kelleghan 0-1, Paudge Mulhaire 0-1; Basil Malone 0-1, Roy Malone 0-3, Ciaran Reilly 1-4. Subs: Shane Sullivan, Nigel Minnock.

Referee - Mick Lillis (Clare/Laois/Carlow!)

Tralee IT 1-9 Carlow 0-11

THE gloom that descended on Carlow football following the previous Sunday’s hammering by Laois was lifted a little in Pairc Ui Bhrian on Friday when under Eire Og’s floodlights the county senior team played with a spirit that suggested there by just be a glimmer of hope for 2003.

Alright, defeat was again their lot, but the Kerry visitors, powered by three Kingdom panellists - Donal Daly, Mike Finn and Declan Quill - were a well organised unit.

Carlow started and finished well, full-back Brian Farrell scoring the opening point after a rousing move and with 12 minutes played the home side, backed by a stiff wind, were 0-3 to 0-0 to the good.

However, a minute later Tralee opened up the Carlow defence with relative ease to score the only goal of the game and Quill put the Kerry boys in front with a neat point at the end of the third quarter.

Come half-time Carlow had inched 0-6 to 1-1 in front thanks to points from Brian Kelly (2) and Mark Carpenter. Tralee, though, dominated proceedings on the change-over and kicked seven good points in succession to give the College a 1-8 to 0-6 advantage after 20 minutes.

This was a strongly contested ‘hour’, the Kerry men playing a hard hitting game, moving the ball well while also tactically very aware.

Carlow, ironically, began this game at the home of Eire Og without a single player from the host club, though Cormac McCarthy and Daragh Coffey did enter the fray. Impressive in the Carlow backs were Barry English, he read the play well, Brian Farrell, though up against a tricky opponent, and durable John Hayden who took over at centre-half-back early in proceedings after John Kehoe was forced off with a hand injury.

Indeed Carlow had lost mid-fielder Ken Doyle to a facial injury before that, an injury inflicted by an offence that should have earned a red card for the Tralee forward. That said Doyle, too, if this had been a competitive fixture, could have been in trouble for a later ‘pitch incursion’.

Carlow struggled at mid-field for long periods and the selectors tried a number of combinations in this sector while up front Mark Carpenter was a probing centre-half-forward with Brian Kelly, on occasion, David Nolan, scorer of two good points, and Gary Morrissey, if only for his steady free-taking, deserving of mention.

CARLOW - Paudge McGrath (Clonmore); Richie Burke (Old Leighlin), Brian Farrell (Palatine) 0-1, Barry English (O’Hanrahan’s); Johnny Kavanagh (Leighlinbridge), John Kehoe (Rathvilly), John Hayden (Old Leighlin); Ken Doyle (Rathvilly), Peter Kiernan (Clonmore); John McGrath (Clonmore) 0-1, Mark Carpenter (O’Hanrahan’s) 0-1, Willie Minchin (Old Leighlin); Gary Morrissey (Tinryland) 0-4 (frees), Brian Kelly 0-2 (1 free0, David Nolan 0-2. Subs - David Byrne (Kildavin-Clonegal), Cormac McCarthy (Eire Og), Willie Power (Tinryland), Daragh Coffey (Eire Og), Damien Power (Tinryland).

 

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