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Details

Date Time Competition Season
26 February 2023 2:00 pm NFL Division 4 2023

Match Report

NFL D4: Leitrim top league with big win over 12 man Carlow

Inspirational performances from Jack Heslin and Keith Beirne lead Leitrim to the top of the Division 4 table with a comfortable 2-22 to 0-13 victory over Carlow who finished the game with just twelve players after three late dismissals in Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada.

Keith Beirne contributed 1-11 but it was the movement and speed of Jack Heslin that caused most of the damage for the visitors as both players provided the assists for their first half goals.

Carlow drew first blood after just three minutes with a decent long range effort from Darragh Foley as Leitrim were wasteful in the opening exchanges with Keith Beirne pushing two efforts just wide of the Carlow goals.

Beirne would draw the sides level on nine minutes before another cracker from Foley put the visitors a single score ahead once again. 

Tom Prior found some space from an excellent Jack Heslin pass and he elected to fist pass the ball over the bar from an acute angle to level matters.

Leitrim finally got the reward their growing dominance deserved as Jack Heslin burst into life. A fabulous score from the right hand side edged Leitrim ahead and on the very next possession.

A swift counter attack from the spritly Gortletteragh man drew two defenders to him as he closed down quickly on goal, leaving a choice of Beirne or Prior isolated on either post. Heslin opted for Beirne with the handpass which saw Beirne palm the ball past Cunningham into the Carlow net to put Leitrim ahead.

Beirne would add a long range free moments later to put five between the sides before Aughawillan’s Mark Plunkett would stretch that lead to six points with a fine point on the run from the right hand side on his first league start of the season.

Carlow enjoyed a purple patch as Leitrim’s lack of discipline in defence saw them cough up a number of scoreable frees which Darragh Foley was more than happy to convert to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Four points sandwiched around a Jack Heslin point saw the deficit halved to three points between the sides.

Heslin would kill off the revival on thirty five minutes with an excellently worked goal. Keith Beirne turned provider as his fisted pass was perfectly into the path of Heslin who found the far corner of the net to restore the two goal lead for the home side.

Foley would strike back for Carlow with his seventh point, six from dead balls, on the stroke of half time to give Carlow some hope in the second half.

Despite Darragh Foley hitting his 8th point in the opening minute of the second period, Carlow never really got going in the second half, Keith Beirne and Ross Dunphy swapped two points each before we say the first card of the game in the 43rd minute as Ciaran Moran went into the referee's book.

Sigerson Cup finalists Paul Keaney struck from distance before another double from Beirne was pegged back by another free for the reliable free kick conversion from Darragh Foley left the gap at six points before disaster struck for Carlow and Ciaran Moran received his marching orders for a second yellow card.

Leitrim turned the screw on the visitors as Keith Beirne added two more points either side of a lovely effort from distance from subsitute Evan Sweeney.

The last ten minutes turned into a non event as within a single minutes both Jamie Clarke and Mikey Bambrick both saw red to reduce Carlow to just 12 players.

With the three extra men Leitrim opened the floodgates and unloaded the bench with Glencar / Manor youngster Barry McNulty making his point scoring league debut as his club mate Paddy Maguire made his 100th senior appearance for the county.

Beirne added his final two to bring his total to 1-11 for the afternoon as Sweeney added a second alongside scores for two former Melvin Gaels players Darragh Rooney and veteran Emlyn Mulligan who reeled back the years with a fabulous strike on the outside of his right foot from 45 yards.

Carlow's interest in the league is effectively over as Leitrim face three massive games against Wicklow, Sligo and Laois with a possible League Final place and promotion on offer for Andy Moran's men.

Leitrim

1Darren Maxwell Goalkeeper
2Paddy Maguire Defender
3Mark Diffley Defender
4Conor Reynolds 26 Defender
5Conor Farrell Defender
20Shane Quinn Forward
21Mark Plunkett 19 Forward 25'
8Aidan Flynn Defender 49'
9Donal Wrynn Midfielder
10Darragh Rooney Forward 70+4'
11Jack Heslin 24 Defender 35'
21', 32', 52'
12Paul Keaney Midfielder 43'
25Tom Prior 13 Forward 19'
14Keith Beirne Forward 22'
8', 24', 26', 39', 40', 45', 47', 56', 60', 69', 70+2'
15Jordan Reynolds 17 Forward
16Nevin O’Donnell Goalkeeper
6Domhnaill Flynn Forward
7Riordan O’Rourke Forward
13Evan Sweeney 25 Forward 60', 70+5'
17James Rooney 15 Defender
18Adam Reynolds Forward
19Emlyn Mulligan 21 Forward 70+1'
22Conor Dwyer Defender
23Diarmuid Kelleher Defender
24Barry McNulty 11 Forward 69'
26Tom Quinn 4 Forward

Carlow

1Ciaran Cunningham Goalkeeper
2Liam Roberts Defender 54'
3Mikey Bambrick Defender 65'
4Dara Curran Defender
5Seanie Bambrick Midfielder
6Jordan Morrissey Defender 54'
7Conor Doyle Defender
8Niall Hickey Midfielder
9Liam Brennan Midfielder
10Josh Moore Forward
12Jamie Clarke Forward 64'
13Ross Dunphy Forward 40', 42'
14Darragh Foley Forward 4', 14', 29', 31', 33', 34', 35+2', 37', 50'
15Conor Crowley 22 Forward
18Colm Hulton Forward
25Shane Clarke Forward
26Ciaran Moran Forward 27'
43'
50'
16Johnny Furey Goalkeeper
11Darragh O’Brien Defender
19James Whelan
20Cormac Lomax 21 Forward
21Shane O’Neill 20
22Eric Molloy 20 Forward
23Paraic Deering
24Padraig Hynes

Past Meetings

(Round 5)
1-10 2-14
NFL Division 4
Netwatch Cullen Park

(Round 3)
2-11 0-5
NFL Division 4
Netwatch Cullen Park

Ground

Pairc Sean MacDiarmada
Avant Money Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim, N41 XE89, Ireland

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