Gary rescues point
Late free-kick earns Arklow Celtic draw against Carnew
ARKLOW CELTIC B CARNEW B 2 2
A STUNNING late Gary McLoughlin free-kick saw Arklow Celtic B rescue a point against Carnew B in an entertaining Wicklow Division 1 league fixture which finished 2-2 at Celtic Park on Sunday.
The match began under very difficult conditions for both sides, with torrential rain causing many players to lose their footing and struggle to play fluid football early on.
Despite the poor playing surface, Arklow almost grabbed the lead early on when Keane O’Brien’s goal-bound effort was headed off the line five minutes in.
The home side were unlucky not to score from the rebound but the Carnew defenders put their bodies on the line and managed to clear the danger.
As the rain started to ease off, Arklow began to dominate possession and looked the more likely to score.
David Kavanagh almost found the back of the net with a curled effort that was heading into the top left corner until goalkeeper James Joyce produced an incredible diving save to tip the ball onto the post and keep the sides level.
At the other end, Slawek Jakobczak tested Eoin Kavanagh with an effort from outside the box, but his shot was comfortably saved by the keeper.
Kavanagh released the ball quickly and set Arklow on a dangerous counter-attack that ended with Tiernan Lockhart firing just over the bar of the Carnew goal.
Craig Kinsella was next to come close for Arklow. The midfielder took control of possession just outside the area and hit a lovely floating effort that landed just over the bar onto the roof of the net.
Further attacking opportunities saw more penalty box pinball with Carnew just managing to clear their lines as the pressure began to tell.
On the half-hour mark, Arklow finally got the goal they deserved. Joyce attempted to parry an Arklow cross clear from the box, but the ball fell to the feet of McLoughlin who buried it into the roof of the net to put his team 1-0 up.
Carnew came close soon after, with Gareth Cullen’s effort breezing narrowly past the post, but Arklow remained in the driving seat until half-time, enjoying numerous opportunities on goal.
Just before the break, Jason Rowland showed great trickery to make space for himself, but his effort was matched by yet another great diving save from Joyce.
That would be the last serious piece of action before referee blew the half-time whistle and Arklow went into the break feeling they should have been two or three goals up.
Once the second half began, Carnew came out like a completely different team, immediately looking more assured in possession and showing intent to get forward.
Just minutes in, Conor Kennedy tried his luck for the away side but his long-range effort was wide of the mark.
Fifty minutes in, however, Carnew’s attacking intent paid off as Darren Jordan found himself through on goal and produced a lovely dinked finish over the keeper’s head to bring the game back to level terms.
Only seven minutes later Carnew were given a golden opportunity to take the lead when Paul Murphy was brought down going through on goal and Carnew were awarded a penalty.
Jordan stepped up and placed a coolly taken penalty into the right corner to complete his brace and give his side a 2-1 lead after an exceptional start to the second half.
The goal seemed to wake up Arklow and give the side a much-needed shot in the arm as they began to retain possession more in the opposition half.
Kavanagh looked the most likely to pull a goal back for the home team as he showed great movement to make space for himself in dangerous areas.
Despite Kavanagh’s good work, he couldn’t quite find the net as Joyce stood strong in goal to deny his headed and driven efforts as the clock began to countdown late in the second half.
Eighty-three minutes in, however, Kavanagh should have levelled the score when he found himself one on one with the keeper.
The forward looked to bury his shot inside the near post but just dragged his effort wide in what was a gilt-edged opportunity.
Despite the miss, Kavanagh didn’t let his head drop and continued to create attacking opportunities. With just two minutes to go, the number 9 earned his team a priceless chance to draw level when he won a free-kick on the edge of the Carnew box.
McLoughlin stepped up and placed a sensational curled freekick into the top left corner to give the game an unlikely 2-2 scoreline.
It was a fitting end to such a back and forth contest as the referee blew his whistle only moments later and the teams left with a share of the spoils.