Full Time in Corrigan Park and it’s the home side Antrim who progress to the Tailteann Cup Semi-Finals after beating Carlow 1-19 to 1-15 in what was a thrilling encounter.

Antrim began the game slowly, registering three wides early into the game. Carlow capitalised on their opponents’ wastefulness as they took the lead in the third minute through Ross Dunphy and an excellent score from open play.

Carlow looked sharp in the opening ten minutes, limiting Antrim’s chances and keeping their score tally at nil.

In the 10th minute, however, Antrim began to revive their half through the boot of Dominic McEnhill who scored four points from frees in as many minutes to turn the game on its head. McEnhill’s points came at a crucial time, as Carlow dominated possession.

Carlow let their indiscipline get the better of them, giving the home side far too many easy chances. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that Carlow were able to register their second point of the game, to reduce the deficit to three points, such was Antrim’s mid-half dominance.

Three scores from Darragh Foley, broken up by a score from Antrim’s Cathal Hynds, saw the momentum of the game shift significantly. The travelling Carlow fans were in full voice as they watched their side claw back a foothold in the game after making the near three-hour trip up North.

With just minutes until half-time however, the home side came again and produced a score that would prove pivotal to the game’s result. A Ruairi McCann goal in the 32nd minute was hugely significant, the forward scoring his fifth goal of the Tailteann Cup.

He followed up his brilliant score with another point to increase Antrim’s advantage to six points as the Half-Time Whistle blew.

Antrim continued to control the opening minutes of the second half thanks to scores from the goalscorer McCann, Marc Jordan, and the ever-reliable Dominic McEnhill who would finish the game having scored nine points, 3 from open play.

Carlow were soon faced with an eight-point deficit to try to overturn, and fought back brilliantly for the rest of the second-half. Scores from Ross Dunphy, Darragh Foley and Conor Crowley prevented Antrim from running away with the victory, but it was a 58th minute goal from Mikey Bambrick that got the Carlow fans hoping for an unprecedented comeback.

The two sides traded cards, as Antrim’s Eoghan McCabe and Ronan Boyle were shown black cards in the 64th and 72nd minute, whilst Carlow’s Jamie Clarke was also shown black in the 64th.

Three late scores from Darragh Foley made it a three point game with just minutes remaining, but Carlow let their discipline slip in the dying seconds. Antrim’s Dominic McEnhill was awarded a free, and converted his 6th of the game to bring the game out of Carlow’s reach.

Carlow fought to the end, but ultimately it just wasn’t quite enough.

Having lost this match up in last year’s edition of the Tailteann Cup, Antrim produced a massive turnaround to defeat Leitrim with ten points to spare as Adam Loughran hit 2-3 to inspire the saffron’s to opening day victory.

In a mirror image of their New York defeat Andy Moran’s charges will rue a number of early goal chances that went to waste but they did manage to reach half time just two points behind the northerners despite having played the entire opening period into the wind.

Antrim had their own plans and hit a purple patch early in the second half tacking on 2-2 in seven minutes to open a gap that Leitrim just weren’t able to close despite an impressive cameo from substitute Paul Keaney who contributed four late points.

Leitrim had started with a dream start as Barry McNulty making his first championship start goaled within the first four minutes of the game before Loughran and Pearce Dolan swapped points. 

In an ominous sign Antrim then hit four unanswered points to take the lead through Conor Steward, Ruairí McCann (2) and goalkeeper Michael Byrne before Mark Plunkett drew the visitors level on the quarter hour mark.

The rest of the first half proved to be nip and tuck as Dominic McEnhill and Darragh Rooney traded a couple of points before a strangely subdued Keith Beirne hit his solitary point of the day. Points from McEnhill and Ronan Boyle in the closing stages would give the home side a two point lead into the break.

Antrim threatened to open up a gap when Loughran and McEnhill scored in the opening minutes of the second half but Jack Heslin palmed the ball to the Antrim net to reduce the deficit to a single score in the fifth minute of the second half.

Ruairi McCann & James Rooney’s points would cancel each other out before another placed ball from Byrne and Rooney traded scores once more to leave the Saffron’s one point ahead.

The game was effectively over in the next seven minutes as first Loughran burst through to find the net, tacking on a point alongside full back Peter Healy but when Ruairi McCann goaled just shy of the hour mark the game was secured for the home side.

Keaney was introduced as Beirne left the game and the St. Mary’s clubman would hit four points in the last quarter hour but another Antrim goal from Adam Loughran killed any hope Andy Moran’s side had of a comeback in Corrigan Park.

Dominic McEnhill and Jack Heslin would also trade scores but as the benches were emptied for both teams the game petered out into a comfortable win for the home side which now set’s them up for a decent campaign ahead of their trip to Wexford next week. Leitrim will host Fermanagh on Saturday in what has become a key game for Moran’s men.