Kildare legend Johnny Doyle digs out Allenwood against Caragh, penos do the rest

The Auld Shebeen Athy Intermediate Football Championship Quarter Final

Allenwood 2-14

Caragh 1-11

Allenwood made the most of John Doyle’s leveller deep into injury time to eventually shake off a tenacious Caragh outfit by way of an impressive extra-time surge that booked them a place in the last four of the IFC in Clane on Saturday.

It looked like it might well be Caragh who would progress after Darragh Swords pointed a late free to nudge his side in front for the very first time in the match just after the close of regulation time.

But there was just enough left on the clock to see Doyle pluck Allenwood’s championship hopes right out of the fire with a brilliant equaliser on 65 minutes.

After Cormac Denagher opened the scoring for Allenwood with a point three minutes in, Caragh’s Kevin Campbell saw his effort on goal parried away by goalkeeper, Stephen Carey for a 45 that Swords turned just wide.

Fergal McKennedy was next to almost rattle the net for Caragh after he broke on to Ryan Burke’s pass and unloaded a shot that almost squirmed under the body of Carey, who did well to smother the threat as Jake Corrigan bore down.

Dan Murray then saw his strike charged down before Conor Sullivan fired fractionally wide of the target as the two sides headed in at the break deadlocked at four points apiece.

Allenwood, who had never fallen behind in the opening half, made the early running again in the second after Eoin Bagnall converted two frees.

And, while they remained out in front with additional scores from Rory Moran, Denagher and Judge, Caragh were always hot on their heels thanks to a second-half brace each for Eoghan O’Haire and Swords.

The latter’s second appeared to have pinched it for his side, only to see Doyle rescue it for Allenwood with five minutes of injury time played. And they quickly picked up in extra time as Rory Mohan won a penalty after we was wrestled to the floor less than a minute in. Judge stepped up to despatch the spotkick to the net, but that advantage was again wiped out in just three minutes when Ryan Burke’s brilliant run put Matthew McNally in on goal and he made no mistake.

That was a close as Caragh would come to securing further passage as Bagnall pointed twice before the break to push his side in front. Doyle landed his second point of the day before Judge was called upon to convert another penalty that helped ensure it would prove Allenwood’s day in the end.

ALLENWOOD: Stephen Carey, Fionn Moran, Sean Moran, Brendan Hanafey, Mark Delaney, Darragh Malone, Ronan Guilfoyle, John Doyle (0-2), Rory Moran (0-1), Aaron Dunne (0-2), Johnny Byrne, Cormac Denagher (0-2), Gavin Malone, Eoin Bagnall (0-6), Eric Judge. Subs: Cillian Moran for Guilfoyle (22 mins), Billy Maher for Malone & Darren Judge (2-1) for Dunne (both on 35 mins), Jack O’Brien for Moran (65 mins), Oran O’Sullivan for Judge (69 mins) and Colm Moran for Delaney (75 mins).

CARAGH: Michael Behan, Cathal McKennedy, Matthew McNally (1-0), Billy Byrne, Cian Burke, Ryan Burke, Alex Kehoe, Kevin Connor, Dan Murray, Kevin Campbell (0-2), Darragh Swords (0-4), Fergal McKennedy, Conor Sullivan, Eoghan O’Haire (0-3), Jake Corrigan (0-1). Subs: Ronan Doorey (0-1) for Fergal McKennedy (38 mins), Conor Murphy for Burke (58 mins), Emmet Donoghue for Kehoe (72 mins) and Cillian Manders for McNally (75 mins).

REFEREE: Billy O’Connell