Ryan Cup: Collins fires UCC to another title
January 19, 2012UCC 0-8
IT Carlow 0-7
The win was a timely boost for the 2011 Cork SFC winners ahead of their defence of the Sigerson Cup next month as well as this weekend's McGrath Cup semi-final against Cork. IT Carlow, who were controversially barred from the O'Byrne Cup, looked like causing an upset when they led by 0-7 to 0-5 with six minutes remaining, but Barry O'Driscoll and Collins levelled before the Castlehaven man landed the winner from a free on the stroke of full-time.
There was still enough time for UCC goalkeeper Darren Farry to deny IT Carlow's Laois midfielder Kevin Meaney a winning goal, while Meaney also had a point disallowed for an illegal handpass over the bar in injury-time.
Meaney, fellow Laois man Craig Rogers and Kildare's Darroch Mulhall were excellent in the first half as the underdogs built up a 0-6 to 0-4 half-time lead. However, they only managed to add a single point in the second half from Wexford's Ben Brosnan as UCC came back to take the spoils.
Scorers - UCC: M Collins 0-3 (0-1f), B O'Driscoll 0-2, M Reen, P Crowley, P Geaney 0-1 each. IT Carlow: K Meaney 0-2, S Gannon, D Mulhall (0-1f), G Seaver, C Rogers, B Brosnan (0-1f) 0-1 each.
UCC: D Farry (Cork); J O'Sullivan (Cork), E O'Mahony (Cork), S Enright (Kerry); P Crowley (Kerry), N Daly (Roscommon), B Daly (Cork); K O'Driscoll (Cork), D Nation (Cork); M Reen (Kerry), M Collins (Cork), JB Spillane (Kerry); B O'Driscoll (Cork), B Coughlan (Cork), P Geaney (Kerry). Subs: S Beston (Cork) for Coughlan (half-time) B Moran (Kerry) for Nation (48).
CARLOW IT: T Hughes (Wexford); A Nolan (Wexford), J Kinahan (Kildare), G Holmes (Kildare); P Brogan (Roscommon), C Boyle (Laois), D Hayden (Wicklow); K Meaney (Laois), R Downey (Dublin); D Foley (Carlow), G Seaver (Dublin), S Gannon (Carlow); D Mulhall (Kildare), C Reynolds (Kildare), B Brosnan (Wexford). Subs: C Rogers (Laois) for Downey (inj) (10), D Carroll (Laois) for Seaver (52).
Referee: Maurice Condon (Waterford) Tweet
