Two goals from substitute Decky Reilly spurred Carnaross on to qualify for a Tailteann Cup Final against St Vincents.

Carnaross 2-7 Dunsany 1-9

Tailteann Cup (Semi-Final)

Played in Athboy – 21/10/2018

Carnaross and Dunsany took to the Athboy pitch on Sunday afternoon in a repeat of the Junior A quarter final played almost two months previously in the same venue. The match itself followed a similar pattern with Carnaross emerging with a narrow victory after a tense finish. 

The first half started slowly as both sides seemed to be lacking a bit of match sharpness after lengthy post-championship lay-offs. Killian Porter broke the deadlock with a left-footed effort after cutting in from the right before Dunsany responded in kind with a pointed free. 

Carnaross then established a lead with points from Stephen Flattery and a double from Frank O’Reilly. The north Meath side had plenty of possession during this period but the rustiness in their game was evident as they squandered some promising attacks. 

Dunsany had been limited to just a handful of chances for most of the half but managed to take the lead in the closing minutes after being awarded a penalty which was calmly dispatched to the corner. They followed this up with another point to lead 1-2 to 0-4 points at the interval whistle. 

Dunsany’s purple patch continued into the second half as they hit the first three points of the half to open up a four point lead. That gap would, however, evaporate in a matter of minutes after the introduction of Carnaross substitute Declan Reilly. 

The corner forward got on the scoreboard immediately with a pointed free before getting on the end of a long ball into the box by fellow substitute Niall McDonnell and finishing low past the keeper. Reilly then found himself in the right place at the right time as he palmed a rebounded ball into an open net to take his tally to 2-01. 

Porter then added his second point to give the Ross a 4 point lead. Just as they had done in the quarter final a few weeks previously, Dunsany rallied and added three points to ensure a tense finish but Carnaross held on with some timely interventions from their defence, particularly the tenacious corner back Jack Roche. 

Cian O’Reilly settled matters when he rose highest to claim a kickout and advanced up the field before landing a long range effort. Dunsany had a late goal chance in the last play but the ball flew over the bar leaving Carnaross in front by the minimum. 

Carnaross: Shane McNiffe, Jack Roche, Peter Farrelly, Ian Donoghue, Sam Reynolds, Cian O’Reilly (0-1), Peter Carpenter, Tomás Plunkett, Thomas Nugent, Stephen Flattery (0-1), Frank O’Reilly (0-2, 1f), Killian Porter (0-2), Patrick McDermott, Ollie Murphy, Shane Casserly. Subs: Cillian Comaskey for Nugent, Niall McDonnell for Murphy, Declan Reilly (2-1, 1f) for McDermott, Cormac O’Reilly for Flattery, Stephen Dawson for Donoghue, Brian Comaskey for Casserly