Carlow Clinch London Clash in Allianz League Division 4 Finale

Carlow Clinch London Clash in Allianz League Division 4 Finale

A late goal saw Carlow clutch victory from defeat, 1-18-1-17, against a brave London side

By Charlie Moody-Stuart

Carlow edged London in a tightly fought fixture at the McGovern Park on Sunday.

With less than five minutes on the clock, wing-forward Conor Doyle drilled a low strike into the bottom left corner of the goal to put Carlow ahead – a lead they did not relinquish for what little remained of the game.

For London, it will be a blow all the more galling as it was the first time since the third minute that The Barrowsiders had led all game. However, it was fitting that Rathvilly man Doyle was the scorer. For the score crowned a talismanic performance for his county in which he finished with figures of 1-06.

London knew that a win here could lift them to fourth in the Allianz Football League Division 4, leapfrogging Carlow in fifth. 

They certainly started the brighter of the two sides; whilst Carlow had the bulk of possession, London’s cutting edge meant they were a constant threat on the counter, a pattern which set the tone for the half. 

For the first 10 minutes both teams traded scores – midfielder Liam Gallagher was particularly potent in this period, scoring twice and assisting another – and indeed it was London who engineered the game’s first deficit. 

A free launched into the box was fumbled by the Carlow backs, though London’s Matty Walsh ought to take some credit for the carnage. Ruairi Rafferty duly emerged with the ball and buried it from close range to the right side of the goal, opening a 1-05 to 0-03 lead.

Buoyed by this The Exiles proceeded to score fairly freely, playing some slick football in the process. Wing-forward Kristian Healy was a handful on the left and Matt Moynihan proved disruptive in the middle of the park. 

One move of note saw Round Towers’ Healy link nicely with both the bustling Rafferty and centre-forward Daniel Clarke before bisecting the posts with his prolific left boot.

However, Carlow continued to accumulate points of their own, with Doyle the conductor throughout. 

Praise also ought to be reserved for midfielder Sean Murphy, a bullish force in the midfield. Neither his strength nor his tenacity dropped, his rampaging runs a hallmark of the game. Frequent were the scenes of him shrugging off London players as he seized the ball in his own half before surging deep inside London territory.

22 minutes in Murphy muscled his way through the London traffic and uncorked a looping effort which looked goal bound – only for goalkeeper Andy Walsh to tip it behind. However, Doyle struck the resulting 45 for a point in a passage of play which encapsulated the Carlow pair’s significance in the match.

London’s left flank continued to threaten – the dynamic Gallagher and Healy again the catalysts here. But, as manager Michael Maher himself bellowed from the sideline, the home side were also often guilty of taking too many touches.

Carlow finished the half stronger and London may have felt fortunate going in 1-08 0-10 ahead.

Whatever they felt, they re-emerged with renewed vigour. Fulham Irish full-forward Matty Walsh was particularly industrious, winning frees and curling a score of his own as the game approached the 45th minute mark, London leading 1-11 to 0-11.

Their intent did not diminish even when said Walsh limped off hurt, not least because Sean Tucker proved an able replacement. However, as with the first half, Carlow’s confidence grew as the clock ticked on. A couple more Gallagher scores were negated by a Doyle double as both sides continued to cancel each other out.

Forward Aaron Amond’s introduction was arguably catalytic in the pendulum swinging Carlow’s way. He injected power and pace down the left and through the middle, squaring the posts with a lovely 2 pointer as his county, 1-16 - 0-17 down, pressed for a lead. 

And then it came. Amond charged through the tiring London backs and it looked like he had squeezed a shot in for what would have been a deserved goal. Instead, he fed the galloping Doyle who drilled his strike low pass Walsh into the bottom left corner.

Muffling the McGovern masses as it did, one got the impression that the goal was a decisive moment. And as Doyle raised a long limb aloft in celebration, one also got the sense that the significance of the moment was not lost on the players either. 

Each side scored a point a piece in what was left of the game, but it appeared as though both were bedraggled by their full-blooded efforts over the 70 minutes.

The result means London finish the league in seventh while Carlow finish fourth.

Next up, London are back in Ruislip for Roscommon in the quarter-final of the Connacht Senior Football Championship on 5 April. 

Carlow meanwhile meet Meath at Páirc Tailteann on 6 April for their Leinster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Final.