Extra time heartbreak for Lisbellaw as they make their exit from Ulster
Carrickmore Eire Og 2-23 Lisbellaw St. Patrick’s 2-18 (aet)
LISBELLAW’S Ulster title hopes were ended on Saturday in Carrickmore as they lost out to the home side by five points after extra time.
The Fermanagh side had appeared to be on their way to the victory as they led by three points as the game moved into added-on time at the end of normal time, but a Justin Kelly long-range effort dropped into the net to see Carrickmore level up matters.
It was the Tyrone men who had the better of the exchanges in extra time to secure their berth in the last four of the competition.
Carrickmore had started the game the brighter of the sides as they forged an early 0-04 to 0-01 lead.
Aidan Kelly, Oisin Daly, Liam Armstrong and Dean Rafferty were all among the points after Luca Mccusker had opened the scoring from a free for Lisbellaw.
Mccusker and Bryan Mcgurk then traded points before Lisbellaw hit something of a purple patch as they turned the three-point deficit into a three-point advantage.
Sean Corrigan got on the end of a Mccusker delivery to flick to the net to level things up before he and Mccusker then tagged on points.
Kelly did answer with a point for Carrickmore, but with Daniel Teague and Ciaran Corrigan on target for Lisbellaw, it put them into a 1-06 to 0-06 lead.
Dermot Begley closed the gap back to two, and it remained a two-point game at the break after Mccusker and Kelly swapped points to leave it 1-07 to 0-08.
A Begley point left the minimum between the sides early in the second half, but Lisbellaw responded in a positive manner as they rattled off the next three points from John Paul Mcgarry, Caolan Duffy and Mccusker to make it 1-10 to 0-09.
However, in a tie that went one way then the other, Carrickmore hit back with a goal from Cormac Monroe and when Begley followed up with two points, it put Carrickmore a point to the good.
Back again though came the ’Law and Caolan Duffy fired over an equalising point before Ciaran Corrigan fired home a cracking goal to make it 2-11 to 1-11 in Lisbellaw’s favour.
Indeed, the lead was out to four when Sean Corrigan slotted over, and although Monroe answered with a point for the home side, it looked as if it would be Lisbellaw’s day as Carrickmore were reduced to 14 players with the dismissal of Oisin Daly.
But there was to be a late twist as Kelly’s effort evaded everybody and ended up in the back of the net to force extra time.
And Carrickmore were to get their noses into a lead they would never relinquish early in the first period, with Begley and Sloan among the scorers.
Mccusker and Caolan Duffy did land points for Lisbellaw, but at half time in extra time, Carrickmore led 2-17 to 2-14.
Armstrong then rattled off four points for the home side in the second period while Begley was also on target and although Mccusker, Teague, Mcgarry and Ben Corrigan notched points for Lisbellaw, it was not enough as Carrickmore finished up five-point winners.