AFTER EXTRA-TIME
TWO superb goals in extra-time of this riveting Division 2 final put a decisive end to a formidable Carnew Emmets challenge and anointed the Newtown men as league champions for 2018 after a humdinger of a battle.
Carnew’s full-back John Walshe must have thought he had secured victory late in normal time when he found himself high up the field in the middle of Newtown’s square and pounced on a breaking ball to fire home to the back of Ken Turner’s net with all the aplomb of a lethal full-forward to make it 2-9 to 1-11 in favour of James Hickey’s men.
However, Newtown attacked down the field and their substitute Luke Martin found space to swing over the equalising score with 61 minutes on the game clock. Carnew were left aggrieved when Martin’s shot sailed between the post due to the fact that the aforementioned John Walshe had taken a shoulder to the chest as the Magpies moved the ball into a shooting position.
From a neutral’s point of view, the fact that there would be 20 more minutes of this wholehearted battle was nothing other than wonderful news, and the hope was that the fading light wouldn’t spoil what promised to be a helter-skelter of a finish.
Newtown led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the break, Dean Odlum’s bullet to the roof of Cormac Doyle’s net the only major of the opening 30 minutes. The Magpies were looking very threatening in front of the Carnew goal and would have had three goals but for the fine goalkeeping of Doyle and the scampering heroics of corner-back Adam Hughes. Doyle pulled off a stunning reflex save from the hugely impressive Sean Gregory and two minutes later the Carnew shot stopper saved again from the boot of Gregory who had been sent through by a tasty pass from Dean Odlum. The ball broke, and Declan Doyle looked to have directed the ball towards the Carnew goal but Adam Hughes somehow managed to get back and clear the danger to allow Carnew go in trailing by just two points.
Chief tormentors for Newtown were Ross Davis and Sean Gregory with Dean Odlum looking very sharp as well. Newtown were using Odlum and Gregory up front with full-forward Cathal McNicholas working hard further out. Carnew had detailed Willie Collins to try handle the threat of Odlum and the tight-marking Collins did a reasonable job over the course of the 80 minutes.
Ross Davis opened the scoring with a free he won himself before Conal McCrea drove over a beauty from distance to level matters early on.
Gregory showed his pace and skill moments later when he fired over Cormac Doyle’s crossbar from close range.
Carnew followed up with two wides before a speculative sideline ball from Ross Davis was broken by Cathal McNicholas and there prowling was Dean Odlum who gathered and rifled home with a rocket of a shot, 1-2 to 0-1.
Points from Niall Osborne and John Kavanagh (free) clawed it back to a two-point game before lovely play from Dean Odlum set up Karl Carthy for a fine score after 17 minutes of the opening half.
The major cause in Carnew’s defeat in this game was the combination of errors and wides and they registered two before John Kavanagh turned on a sixpence and swung over a beast of a point.
Sean Gregory hit back immediately at the other end, but Kavanagh added another with 25 minutes on the clock, 1-4 to 0-5.
It would be mistakes and wides that would kill Carnew in the end, as well as a really strong Newtown performance, obviously.
Newtown recorded the first score of the second half when Dean Odlum produced a moment of magic off the outside of his left after Mark Fitzsimons had went all Dolph Lungren when ploughing through the Carnew defence to create a bit of space for the talented attacker.
Newtown were on top early in the second half; two Ross Davis points from play opening up a 1-7 to 0-5 lead before John Kavanagh and Jack Doyle pulled it back to a three-point game.
James Hickey was ringing the changes around this time, sending in Mark Collins, Drew Brennan, Seamus Osborne and John Doyle to the fray, but Ross Davis’ influence on the game was proving very beneficial for Newtown and he score to make it 1-8 to 0-7.
Newtown had what they believed was a point overruled by linesman Darragh Byrne with 46 minutes on the clock. Declan Doyle floated over the shot and the umpire reached for the flag, but Byrne, stationed in a good spot on the sideline on the bank side, communicated to Anthony Nolan that the ball had drifted wide of the upright.
Carnew upped their game from here on in. Points from John Kavanagh (two, one free) and a fine goal from substitute Seamus Osborne sandwiched a Mark Fitzsimons point for Newtown and all of a sudden, the sides were level at 1-9 apiece.
Two points from the irripressible Ross Davis pushed Newtown ahead again and then Walshe struck late for the goal and Carnew believed they had the title in the bag. Back came Newtown and Luke Martin stroked over a beauty to send the game to extra-time.
Carnew enjoyed a bright start to the extra-time with a point, but from then on it was Newtown who took control. Sean Gregory and Ross Davis (free) pointed before Davis capped a superb performance with a tasty lob of Cormac Doyle to make it 2-14 to 2-10 and Carnew also lost Jack Doyle to a black card a moment later to compound their woes.
Dean Odlum’s excellently taken goal early in the second half of extra-time killed the game as a contest. John Kavanagh completed Carnew’s scoring with a free while Luke Martin caught the eye in the closing stages with two tasty scores to round off an excellent evening for the Magpies who look to have a really strong blend of youth and maturity within their ranks and who will cause headaches left, right and center come chamiponship.
Carnew need to reduce their mistakes come championship time. James Hickey looks to have them in a really positive place. Only time will tell if they can show that positivity on the scoreboard.
Scorers – Newtown: Ross Davis 1-7 (3f), Dean Odlum 2-1, Sean Gregory 0-3, Luke Martin 0-2, Mark Fitzsimons 0-1, Karl Carthy 0-1.
Carnew Emmets: John Kavanagh 0-7 (4f), Seamus Osborne 1-0, John Walshe 1-0, Conal McCrea 0-1, Niall Osborne 0-1, Jack Doyle 0-1, Pádraig Doran 0-1,
Ken Turner; Glen Carthy, John Donohoe, Robert Greenan; Shane Mooney, Neill Martin, Karl Car- thy; Mark Fitzsimons, Paul O’Riordan; Conor Odlum, Declan Doyle, Ross Davis; Dean Odlum, Cathal McNicholas, Sean Gregory. Subs: Luke Martin for C McNicholas (50min), Darren Walsh for G Carthy (50min), Adam Heffernan for C Odlum (67min).
Cormac Doyle; Michael Rock, John Walshe, Adam Hughes; Niall Osborne, Paul Nolan, Willie Collins; Pádraig Doran, Jack Doyle; Nick Skelton, Enda Donohue, Conal McCrea; Paudi McGing, John Kavanagh, Michael Collins. Subs: Mark Collins for A Hughes (34min), inj), John Doyle for N Skelton (38min), Seamus Osborne for N Osborne (43min), Drew Brennan for P McGing (43min), Seanie Kinsella for Michael Collins (50min), Niall Osborne for J Doyle (BC, 69min), Diarmuid Doran for P Doran (75min), Joe Hughes for E Donohue (75min).
Anthony Nolan