Late Torpey goal secures dramatic victory for TUS Midlands

Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup Round 1

TUS Midlands 3-11 SETU Carlow 2-13

By Ger McNally

Jack Torpey scored a dramatic last minute winning goal for TUS Midlands versus SETU Carlow in this Sigerson Cup clash last Wednesday evening.

A 60th-minute winning goal would be cause for celebration in any Sigerson Cup tie but there was even more significance on this one as it ensures that TUS Midlands remain in the top tier competition next year and it set up a meeting with Queen's University, Belfast in Round 2A. The game versus Queen's will now be played at Páirc Esler, Newry on Tuesday, January 16 at 7pm.

On the other hand, SETU Carlow face DCU away from home in Round 2B in a game that doubles up as a relegation play-off.

Torpey’s goal crowned an amazing comeback for the Athlone side after they found themselves five points down with 15 minutes to go after an extremely slack third quarter. But they rallied to score the last 1-3 of the game to steal the game away from their hosts.

It wasn’t the first time they had to recover from adversity in the game because they were also slow out of the blocks as well. The visitors found themselves 1-1 to 0-1 behind after seven minutes when Wicklow’s Oisin McGraynor found the net at the second attempt after his first effort was saved by Jake Shiels.

However, a black card shown to Carlow corner-back Paraic Deering gave TUS a way back into the game and they quickly took it. Luke Marren scored his second free of the game and that was followed in the 11th minute by a goal from Mark Gibbons when he pounced on the rebound after John Ball pushed Torpey’s shot back into the danger zone.

Marren and Carlow’s Cian Farrell kept the scoreboard ticking over at both ends before TUS had a slice of luck in the 18th minute. Matthew Whittaker’s attempt at a point dropped short and it should have been a routine catch for Ball but he took his eye off it and the shot squirmed through his hands into the net to leave the score at 2-3 to 1-4.

With Shane Farrell and Aaron Hughes joining Marren on the scoresheet, there was still two points between the teams at half-time, 2-7 to 1-8.

Farrell, joint captain of Kildare’s U20 All-Ireland winning team last year, was on target from a long range free kick in the opening minutes of the second half to push TUS three points clear. But the game looked like it was slipping away from them when the hosts scored 1-5 without reply in the space of eight minutes.

Local player Colm Hulton was at the heart of that scoring burst with a goal and two points and at that stage of the game it was hard to see a way back into game for TUS but David Martin's charges kept plugging away and got their reward.

Farrell kicked a brilliant effort either side of a mark and a free by Marren to leave a point between the teams but their progress stalled with a couple of wides.

Time was running out when Westmeath's Torpey picked up the loose ball in midfield after a Carlow kickout. He played a quick give-and-go with substitute Brandon Kelly and when he received the return pass, rather than take the easy option of an equalising point, Torpey sensed the chance to win the game and surged past a couple of defenders before beating Ball with a powerful shot and from there they saw out the win.

TUS will now travel to Newry for their second round game against Queen's this Tuesday, January 16 (7pm) – a fixture which surely felt very much like bonus territory after making sure they avoided the relegation final.

Strong local presence

There were plenty of local players on the TUS Midlands team with players from clubs such as Padraig Pearses, Ballymahon, Tubberclair and Ferbane involved. On the SETU Carlow side, Mikey Lynam of Westmeath club St Joseph's was part of the starting line-up.

SCORERS - TUS Midlands: L Marren 0-6 (3fs, 1 mark), S Farrell 0-3 (1f), J Torpey 1-0, M Whittaker 1-0, M Gibbons 1-0, J Dowd 0-1, A Hughes 0-1. SETU Carlow: C Hulton 1-3, O McGraynor 1-3, C Farrell 0-5 (3fs, 1m), A Steed 0-1, F Cooke 0-1.

TUS Midlands: Jake Shiels (Bornacoola, Leitrim); David Dempsey (Clonbullogue, Offaly), Daniel Farrell (Padraig Pearses, Roscommon), Daragh Finlass (Ballymahon, Longford); Cormac Delaney (Clara, Offaly), Daragh McVann (Summerhill, Meath), Declan Kenny (Padraig Pearses, Roscommon); Aaron Hughes (Garrymore, Mayo), Shane Farrell (Kilcock, Kildare); Jack Dowd (Annaghdown, Galway), Mark Gibbons (Garrymore, Mayo), Jack Torpey (Coralstown/Kinnegad, Westmeath); Matthew Whittaker (Tubberclair, Westmeath), Shane Fleming (Coralstown/Kinnegad, Westmeath), Luke Marren (Bunninadeen, Sligo). Subs used: Daragh Flynn (Ferbane, Offaly) for Kenny (40 mins); Brandon Kelly (Milltownpass, Westmeath) for Whittaker (49); Brendan Killian (Shandonagh, Westmeath) for Flynn (59).

SETU Carlow: John Ball (Kildare); Paraic Deering (Carlow), Mark Furey (Carlow), Ethan Mountaine (Kildare); Conor McWey (Laois), Eoin Hackett (Louth), Daniel Wyer (Offaly); Kevin Swayne (Laois), Darren McDermott (Kildare); Adam Steed (Kildare), Oisin McGraynor (Wicklow), Colm Hulton (Carlow), Mikey Lynam (Westmeath), Cian Farrell (Offaly), Aidan Lillis (Carlow). Subs used: Tiaran McHugh (Derry) for Lillis (h-t;) Fionn Cooke (Kildare) for Lynam (41 mins).

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare).