2024 Leinster GAA U20 Football Andrew Corden Quarter Final
CARLOW 3-10
OFFALY 0-10
Perseverance was rewarded in this Andrew Corden Cup first round game this evening. After coming so close in two of their three games in the under 20 football championship group stages, Carlow finally got a win which their endeavour deserved as they proved too good for Offaly at the SETU Campus tonight.
It had been all so disappointing but hurt was salved here for the group who played some quality football and did little wrong. Three points on the trot from Kyle Nolan, Kieran Nolan and Liam Gavin set the Barrowsiders on their way.
It got better for them after that and when Offaly failed to gather a spinning ball off a block-down, Gavin scored his first of two three-pointers from close range. A Ross Kellaghan point got the visitors off the mark but they were making little headway in most areas around the field.
Gavin’s second goal was also opportunistic but John Phiri did well when he kept a high delivery in play when the ball looked to be drifting wide. The in-form corner forward was alert and found the net once more.
Liam Gavin scored two goals as Carlow U20 footballers beat Offaly this evening
Photo: Pat Ahern
While Geordi O’Meara and Robbie Gallagher landed two Offaly points, the game was all but over as Gavin and Kyle Nolan also rifled over one each to leave Carlow leading 2-6 to 0-3 at the interval.
In their first attack after the resumption, the eventual winners struck again. This time it was Cialan Brady who raised a green flag. Offaly hit back with a Cillian Foran free but the visitors needed so much more. They never looked like getting it from a determined Carlow unit. From there the home side all but sauntered through to the winning post.
Offaly were disappointing on the night and everything that they threw at Carlow was absorbed by a solid defence who were giving nothing away in what was a hugely satisfying win for the Barrowsiders.
Scorers:
Carlow: L Gavin 2-4 (3fs), K Nolan 0-3, C Brady 1-0, S Cormican, K Nolan, B Kelly 0-1 each
Offaly: M Dalton 0-3 (2fs), R Gallagher 0-2 (1f), C Melia (f), C Foran (f), R Kellaghan, S Doran, G O’Meara 0-1 each.
CARLOW: Aaron Power; Kieran Nolan, James Whelan, Shane Cormican; Mark Mullen, Alex Delaney, Tom Dillon; Kyle Nolan, Adam Burgess; Brandon Kelly, Cialan Brady, Josh Egan; Josh Brady, John Phiri, Liam Gavin. Subs: Jake Nolan for J Brady (50), Evan Corr for Egan (53), Cillian McGrath for Dillon (59), Eoin Corcoran for Kyle Nolan (61).
OFFALY: Conor Melia; Diarmaid O’Neill, Christian McKeon, Eamonn Bolger; Dylan Byrne, Geordi O’Meara, Luke Bourke; Cameron Egan, Marcas Dalton; Ross Kellaghan, Niall Furlong, Steven Doran; Sean Afolabi Joseph, Robbie Gallagher, Luke Kelly. Subs: Daragh McKeon for Egan (h/t), Cillian Foran for Kellaghan (h/t), Ben Kennedy for Kelly (48), Brian Kenny for Gallagher (52), Cian O’Reilly for Bolger (52).
Referee: D Stynes (Dublin)
By Kieran Murphy
