Rathangan 3-15
Carbury 2-14
U21 B Football Championship semi-final replay
After floodlight failure a week previous called a halt to a thrilling first instalment of this game four minutes prematurely, nobody in Hawkfield on Saturday evening will have been disappointed that there was a sequel to this great battle.
For 60-plus minutes Carbury and Rathangan went at it hammer and tongs, giving as good as they got in what was a thoroughly absorbing game of football that showcased all the finest aspects of the game. It was Rathangan who gave that little bit more however, and the stirring contribution of Aran Teahan who finished the evening with 1-8 to his name was the main difference between the sides, along with the performance of midfielder Eoghan Boyle.
An excellent first half finished with Rathangan taking the narrowest of half-time advantages into the break, with the men in green enjoying the better side of a 2-7 to 1-9 scoreline.
There was less than a minute on the clock when the extremely lively Mark Cully got the game’s opening score as he nudged over a point from close range after receiving the ball from his brother Jack. Rathangan hit back with the first of their two opening half goals when a long ball from Stefan Lawler dropped in around the square, and Aran Teahan was alert enough to get on the end of it. While his first shot was saved he managed to bundle in the rebound, putting his side into the lead for the first time.
Carbury would give as good as they got however, and Shane Cummins responded with a close range point before Mark Cully cut through the Rathangan defence and curled a deft shot into the top corner of Pat Kelly’s net.
The see-saw nature of the game continued, and Teahan landed a good point at the other end before Cummins and Mark Cully raised white flags to push Carbury into a 1-5 to 1-2 lead. A splendid point from distance from Kevin Forde and a free from Teahan cut the deficit for Carbury, but Jack Cully responded with his first of the evening as he cut in from the left before dissecting the posts from a tight angle.
Rathangan then hit a purple patch where they reeled off 1-3 in comparison to Carbury’s one point, with Boyle setting them on their way by carrying powerfully before slotting a low shot into the back of Cummins’ net, regaining the lead for Rathangan. Teahan landed three frees during this spell, while Mark Cully posted Carbury’s single score.
Carbury finished the half with a bit of momentum as Gary Redmond and Stephen McGlynn fired over points, cutting the gap to the minimum at the interval.
While Carbury got the first score of the second half through a fine Jack Cully effort, it was Rathangan who got the better start as they kicked three in a row as momentum swung in their favour. Conor Jamieson slotted over a point before Boyle got his second of the evening, and Teahan added another from a free.
Carbury then seized the initiative by scoring the next two points through Mark Cully and Aaron O’Neill, but they could have had more had it not been for a brilliant diving save by Pat Kelly on a powerful Shane Cummins shot. Rathangan looked to have clocked the decisive score with 15 minutes left to play as Jamieson wriggled through to plunder his side’s third goal, pushing Brendan McMullan’s side four clear for the first time.
Carbury’s response was as brilliant as it was quick, as they netted a goal themselves within the next 30 seconds. It came from the boot of Cummins as he managed to pull the trigger under pressure from 15 metres out and find the far corner of Kelly’s net, breathing new life into the Carbury challenge. From there on it was even right until the death, but it was the free-taking of Teahan that kept Rathangan in firm control, while the probing runs and midfield dominance of Boyle was also instrumental on the run in.
Ross Teahan and Sean Gannon both landed superb points for the victors, but it could have been oh so different had it not been for a brilliant intervention from goalkeeper Kelly who saved a Stephen McGlynn penalty with eight minutes left to go. Carbury remained in contention with scores from McGlynn and O’Neill, but they also lost corner-back Michael Gill to a second yellow card, and Rathangan finished deserving four-point victors.
Scorers for Carbury: M Cully 1-4, S Cummins 1-2, J Cully, S McGlynn(1f) and A O’Neill 0-2 each, G Redmond and D Redmond 0-1 each.
Scorers for Rathangan: A Teahan 1-8(7f), E Boyle 1-2, C Jamieson 1-1, S Glennon, R Teahan and K Forde 0-1 each.
Carbury
Wayne Cummins; Justin Reilly, Josh Browne, Michael Gill; Ollie Gill(Gary Redmond 25 mins), James Carey, Adam Ryan; Alan Kearney, Aaron O’Neill; Dale Redmond, Stephen McGlynn, Shane Cummins; Cian Herbert, David Kelly, Jack Cully.
Rathangan
Pat Kelly; Craig Walsh, Tommy Ryan, Daniel Mulpeter; Shane O’Loughlin, Michael Fitzsimons, Sean Glennon; Eoghan Boyle, Aran Teahan; Tiegan Kenny, Stefan Lawler, Ross Teahan(Dillon Fox 56mins); Kevin Forde(Dean Murray 56mins), Conor Jamieson, Alan Tyrrell(Ollie Gill 40mins).
If you have a story or want to send photos or videos to us please contact the KildareNow editorial team. via our Facebook, via our email at content@kildarenow.com or on 045 409350 during office hours.