Fermanagh Ladies lose out to late late Carlow goal

Agony and ecstasy were in full view in Dundalk on Sunday afternoon as a goal with the last kick of the game broke the hearts of Fermanagh Ladies and sent Carlow players, management and supporters into raptures.

The goal, scored by Maeve O'Neill well past the 60 minutes meant Carlow qualified for the final of the Lidl Ladies Division Four and also secured promotion.

For Fermanagh, it means another season in Division One despite them having topped the league tables and going through the league unbeaten until last Sunday.

It makes the defeat harder to take as Division Four is the only one of the four leagues in ladies' football that has a semi-final and Carlow finished eight points behind Fermanagh.

The game was cagey for the most part with so much on the line with Fermanagh forcing it at times.

But they led at half-time and were in the ascendancy following a yellow card for Carlow captain Ruth Bermingham in the second half before the sucker punch goal at the death.

Carlow started the livelier of the sides but it was Fermanagh who led 0-02 to 0-01 after eight minutes.

Rachel Sawyer opened the scoring for Carlow but Fermanagh responded with fine scores from Danielle McBrien and Bláithín Bogue.

Sar Doyle levelled matter before Fermanagh found the net on 18 minutes.

A well-worked move put Bogue through and she fired to the net.

Doyle got her second point for Carlow in response capitalising on a poor pass out from the Fermanagh defence.

But a fine score from Bogue off her left and an Eimear Smyth free meant Fermanagh led 1-04 to 0-03 at the break.

It was a five-point lead 30 seconds after the restart as Fermanagh won the throw-in and worked the ball forward with Smyth playing in McBrien and she added her second point of the afternoon.

But Carlow 1-04 without reply to move into a two-point lead by the 40th minute.

Clíodhna Ní Shé popped over a free before Bronagh Nolan fired over on the run.

Then calamity for Fermanagh as a short kick out went wrong and Sawyer gathered the ball before kicking it over the retreating Roisin Gleeson and into the empty net to level matters.

Straight from the resulting kick-out Doyle intercepted the ball and fired over followed by Sawyer and it was now 1-07 to 1-05 in Carlow's favour. 

But Bermingham's yellow card for a high tackle from which Smyth scored the free gave Fermanagh an extra player and they upped the intensity and they continuously pinned Carlow in their half.

The high press yielded another free for Smyth to score and she had her first score from play after a good ball from McBrien and Fermanagh were back in front 1-08 to 1-07 with 10 to play.

Half-back Sarah McCarville drove through the centre of the Carlow defence to fire over after patient play and make it a two-point game.

Carlow's first real attack on 54 minutes saw Sawyer in on goal but her shot a saved by Gleeson with the ball going over the bar.

With the hour played, Smyth looked to have got the securing score but there was to be more drama.

Fermanagh's defence looked like they had managed to keep Carlow at bay but conceded a free in front of goals.

Ní Shé sent a high ball into the Fermanagh box with Gleeson coming out to try and clear but the ball evaded the players to fall to O'Neill and she had the simplest task of firing to the net and send the Carlow contingent wild and the Fermanagh ones to their knees as the full-time whistle sounded shortly after.