Baltinglass Town
Form: L W L L W

Carnew Fc has yet to be beaten in this competition, having won 3 out of its last 5 games.
Form: W D D W W

A Saturday night tie took place under lights in Vale, two sides were expected to have a good battle after last years cup final. The game started with both sides battle hard physically and it was a goal fest. Vale scored first with a quick return from Baltinglass to make it equal, Vale hit ahead once more and Baltinglass equalised again. Vale in that fashion were the ones to take the lead again. Baltinglass missed a penalty chance which a send some heads down. Baltinglass failed to return any goal and with a red card left Baltinglass in trouble. Some mistakes from penalties and set pieces left Vale ahead 5-2 by the end whistle.

Best for Baltinglass were: Kevin Osborne, Mick Dowling and Vinny Byrne

The last league game of the season for both teams and both sides gave a good display and worked hard and shared possession for the first 10 minutes.

Bagenalstown took the lead after 14 minutes when John Doyle took on the defense and scored from close range. The lead was short lived when Baltinglass scored 5 minutes later.

For the rest of the first had it was 50/50 with both sides getting a couple of half chances and at half time the sides went in 1-1.

Bagenalstown started strong in the second half despite playing into the wind, and created several chances but the Baltinglass keeper stood firm. In the 65th minute Bagenalstown got a well deserved lead through a great strike from Mark Tuite.

The home side put the game to bed in the 69th minute with a great volley from Richie Kearney.

The home team win 3-1

On a windy day in Baltinglass, the home side started the strongest and scored after 10 minutes. An in-swinging corner, taken by Baltinglass's Chris Sutton, somehow found its way through Nurney goalkeeper David Murphy's hands and into the back of the net to give the home side a 1-0 lead. However, Nurney began to settle after this mistake and equalised in the 36th minute when Gary Scully scored in what could be described as a goalmouth scramble.

In the second, Nurney benefited from playing with the strong wind, which meant that Baltinglass had large amounts of defending to do. Nonetheless, to their credit, the Baltinglass defence limited Nurney to only a couple of chances within the entire second half. Baltinglass then took a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute when a corner from Ross Nolan was headed into his own net by Nurney's Ger Bonner. Nurney striker Pakie Fleming then missed a golden opportunity to level the game before Baltinglass wrapped up the game in the 89th minute. A free kick taken by Gary Carroll went through the Nurney goalkeeper's hands again to make the final score 3-1.

Best for Baltinglass - Gary Carroll, Ross Nolan, and Michael Conroy.

Best for Nurney - Rian Farrell, Joe Byrne, Thomas Murphy, and Dean Farrell.

On a wet a windy night in Baltinglass, the home side started the game on the front foot and scored after 5 minutes. A sublime long-range pass from Tom Parker fell to Gary Carroll, who made no mistake to put Baltinglass 1-0 up. However, things began to shift shortly after, and Round Tower Rovers began to dominate most of the game. With the aid of the wind, Baltinglass found it difficult to defend the constant attacking pressure put forward by Round Tower Rovers, who scored 4 goals to lead 1-4 at half time.

In the second half, Baltinglass did start the better of the two and played some nice soccer, but with an unfortunate injury to their goalkeeper, Baltinglass lost all hope of a comeback. Round Tower constantly applied the pressure on the Baltinglass defence and eventually scored 3 more goals to leave the score line as 1-7.

A beautiful day for Vale's final league game of the division two season saw them host Baltinglass at the Superbowl in Leighlinbridge. Labelled a dead rubber game; it proved far from it as both teams played out a very entertaining football game. Vale started the better of the two sides but found the Baltinglass goalkeeper Pauric Brady in fine form early on. However, they did strike mid-way through the half when a good play by Luke Bailey saw him tee up Conor Byrne. Byrnes's initial shot was blocked, but the rebound fell kindly, and he slotted home to make it 1-0. Vale looked comfortable as they soaked up anything Baltinglass offered on the attack and looked threatening on the break. However, with only minutes left in the half, a through ball from Baltinglass's Brandon O'Rourke found Chris Sutton, who finished well to level the game at halftime.

Baltinglass started the second half strongly and took a 2-1 lead early in the second half with a superb strike from Shane Travers. Vale made some changes, and the fresh legs helped as they put pressure on Baltinglass, coming close to scoring on several occasions. However, Vales’ attack caused the Baltinglass defender to panic through this pressure, and he used his hand to control the ball. Referee Joe Byrne spotted the apparent infringement and, without hesitation, pointed to the penalty spot. Lee Conran converted to the bottom corner. Both teams went at each other searching for a winner, but neither side could find one. So, a share of the spoils was a fair reflection on the game. Best for Vale Wanderers B - Geoffrey Doran, Keith Lillis, and Dean Collins. Best for Baltinglass Town - Michael Conroy, Shane Travers, and Kevin Osborne.

On a dry but windy day in Nurney, Baltinglass Town knew that they needed to pick up three points to be in with a chance of winning the division 2 title. Nurney started the better of the two teams and took a 1st-minute lead when a Rian Farrell free-kick flew to the Baltinglass net. After this, Baltinglass, playing with a strong wind, created chance after chance and eventually equalized in the 11th minute. The Nurney goalkeeper fumbled a through ball by Chris Sutton, and Gary Carroll was on hand to tap home and make it 1-1. Nurney regained the lead just before half-time when the Baltinglass goalkeeper mishandled a John Townsend free-kick, and Dean Farrell bundled the ball home to leave the half-time score 2-1.

The Baltinglass goalkeeper redeemed himself in the second half with good saves from Nurney's John Townsend and Pakie Fleming. Midway through the second half, Baltinglass dominated the play, even while playing against the wind. Their pressure on the Nurney defence eventually led to a needless handball which awarded Baltinglass a penalty kick. Gary Carroll stepped up and made no mistake scoring and making it 2-2. Baltinglass knew they needed a win and piled the pressure to score that all-important winner, but the Nurney defence held firm and the game ended as a draw. Best for Nurney Villa - Ger Bonner, Rian Farrell, Thomas Murphy and Dean Farrell. Best for Baltinglass Town - Tom Parker, Pauric Brady and Mick Dowling.

A sunny morning in Parkmore Baltinglass saw the long-awaited clash between Baltinglass Town and St. Joseph's FC. Both teams started well with some excellent phases of play, although this was limited due to some pitch conditions. Nevertheless, Baltinglass pressed hard and battled in crucial areas to pin back the St. Josephs midfield. Gary Carroll for Baltinglass then scored the game's only goal after a long ball over the top fell to Carroll, who headed past the keeper. After that, both teams battled strongly with chances at both ends, leaving both goalkeepers to make big saves for their sides.

The second half started similar to the first, with ample chances from both sides just falling short. However, Saint Joseph's then began to dominate the second half and had Baltinglass defending for the majority of it. St. Joseph's Padraig Webb came the closest to scoring when his free kick struck the crossbar. Baltinglass ground out a result with brave defending as the game ended Baltinglass Town AFC 1-0 St Joseph's FC. A crucial 3 points dropped by St. Joseph’s in this close race to the Division 2 title. Best for Baltinglass - Gary Carroll, Brandon O’Rourke, and Shane Travers. Best for Saint Joseph's - Matthew Downey, Jack Lawlor, and Evan McGuire.

Pats B 2 (6)

Baltinglass 2 (2) AET

A very windy cup tie in St pats saw Pats rush into 2-0 lead with the experienced John o Neill pouncing on two defensive errors where he calmly finished both to give pats the lead. Baltinglass battled hard and earned their way back into the game making Pats pay for taking their foot off the gas and got 2 goals of their own to make it 2 all. Baltinglass were awarded a penalty at the death but failed to score hitting the crossbar and giving St pats a chance in extra time!

The first half of extra time St Pats finally turned up for the match and in a quick ten minutess saw them put 4 past Baltingalss. Two goal from Dinny Farrell, a goal each for Lord Afrifa and Thomas sheehan with young Dean Kelly setting up 3. Best for pats were Dean Kelly, John O Neill and Dinny Farrell.

Baltinglass Town 5

Fortbarrington FC 0

On a damp Sunday morning in Parkmore, Baltinglass Town took on Fortbarrington FC in callous conditions. These conditions meant both teams relied on long balls, and both lived off trying to win the second balls. Nonetheless, Fortbarrington went down to ten men early when their player was penalised in quick succession for a late challenge and a deliberate handball, meaning two yellows were shown. However, the deadlock was broken shortly after the sending off when Baltinglass's Kevin Osborne latched on to a deflected cross and finished coolly into the bottom corner to make it 1-0. Soon after, it was 2-0 when Gary Carroll was sent through on goal, and he finished beautifully past the far post. The game played out with chances at either end, and it looked like that would be all the action for the first half, but it was not to be. Instead, Baltinglass were reduced to nine men, with two sending offs in quick succession before the half could finish.

It was nine versus ten on the field, with the second half starting. However, this disadvantage didn't stop Baltinglass from piling forward at every opportunity to try to put the game to bed. Baltinglass added to their tally early into the second half when a corner whipped in by Dylan Gately was met well by Gary Carroll, who scored his second and Baltinglass's third goal of the game. At this stage of the game, Baltinglass were cruising and added a fourth and fifth goal through the excellent Tom Parker. There was still time for the fourth sending off of the game when the Fortbarrington keeper was shown a red card for dissent. In the end, it was an entertaining game considering the conditions, and Baltinglass will be happy to come through a tricky tie by winning 5-0 to advance to the next round of the Carlow Cup. Best for Baltinglass - Tom Parker, Michael Conroy, Dylan Gateley and Gary Carroll.

A cold morning in Baltinglass saw New Oak Boys B visit Parkmore to face Baltinglass Town. It was apparent to those viewing the game that both sides were up and ready for this game as both teams battled hard, and it made for excellent viewing. Both teams created some good chances in the first half in a very evenly contested game, but a mixture of wasteful finishing and good goalkeeping kept the score at 0-0 at the break.

The second half was more of the same, with both teams going for the three points, and it was Baltinglass who made the breakthrough after sixty minutes through some lovely build-up play. Gary Carroll met a cross from the right-wing at the back post and produced a stunning finish to make it 1-0. After this, New Oak pushed more players into the attack, searching for an equalizer which left them open to the counterattack. Then, after eighty minutes, New Oak were awarded an indirect free kick inside the box, which Ben Dorgan scored to make it 1-1. Neither team was willing to settle for a point, and both teams had chances to win the game. Then with time running out, New Oaks Evan Ingram found himself in space after a defensive mix-up in the Baltinglass defence and finished coolly to give New Oak all three points. Best for New Oak - Pa Kavanagh, Callum Carter, and Stephen Lacey. Best for Baltinglass - Kevin Osbourne, Tom Parker, and Peter Wall.

At the end of the first half, a six-minute spell would be the decisive moment in this encounter in the plots on Sunday afternoon. Baltinglass started this game at an incredible pace, and we're moving the ball well, which quickly caused problems for Hanover. Baltinglass then went 1-0 up when Kevin Osbourne squared the ball to Shane Travers to tap home. However, Hanover kept in the game through hard work and some good possession play by Dillon Murphy and Dylan Twohig, who caused Baltinglass all kinds of trouble with their pace. They deservedly levelled on 40 mins when a Pa Carr corner found Murphy at the near post; his sublime first touch and swivel allowed him to fire home from 8 yards. Then in an eight-minute spell, Baltinglass went 4-1 up through two goals from Kevin Osbourne and one from Gary Carroll. This left the half-time score as Hanover Harps B 1-4 Baltinglass.

Baltinglass slowed the game down in the second half, controlled the possession, and got a fifth goal through Gary Carroll, assisted by Chris Sutton and the sixth goal that Caoilin Goetelen scored. However, they still had no answer to Hanover's Murphy and Twohig without fouling them, which would lead to a red late on. Nevertheless, Baltinglass played the rest of the game comfortably, leaving the final score as Hanover Harps B 1 - 6 Baltinglass. Best for Baltinglass - Brandon O' Rourke, Gary Carroll and Mick Dowling. Best for Hanover - Dylan Twohig, Dillon Murphy, Eric Dowling and Darragh Brennan.

On a lovely Saturday evening in Ballon, Burrin Celtic and Baltinglass Town pushed for 3 points to keep tabs with St. Joseph's at the top of the Division 2 table. Indeed, it was a crucial game for both sides that could have seen six or seven goals. Regardless, after twenty-five minutes, Sean Tracey put Burrin 1-0 up with a lovely low driven shot into the corner of the net. Both teams played some great football, and there were several chances for both sides, with both goalkeepers making some excellent saves. In the second half, Baltinglass started the strongest and began to control the ball in the midfield and create chances. This passage of play saw Burrin mainly relying on hitting Baltinglass on the break.

The game then changed when Baltinglass brought on substitute Gary Carroll who made an immediate impact when he scored with his first touch. A superb cross from Declan Faulkner saw the ball fall to his feet, and he coolly finished the ball into the net to make it 1-1. The game could have been won when Baltinglass' Gary Carroll crossed the ball to his teammate Declan Faulkner. However, his header somehow didn't hit the back of the net due to an incredible save by Craig Doyle in the Burrin Celtic goal. The game ended as a 1-1 draw, which seemed a fair result in the end. Best for Burrin - Josh Fernandez, Kevin Murphy, and Donnacha Murphy. Best for Baltinglass - Tom Parker, Kevin Osbourne, and Mick Dowling.

In this 11 o'clock kick-off, Fortbarrington came out at first whistle all guns blazing, kept possession well and had chances to take the lead but never made the opposition keeper work. Chasing St. Josephs at the top of the table, Baltinglass knew nothing less than 3 points were needed from today's result. From the start of the game, Baltinglass pushed Fortbarrington deep into their own half and, after 20 minutes, won a penalty through Gary Carroll. Carroll stepped up to take the penalty, but the Fortbarrington keeper Jack Brennan made a brilliant save to keep the score level. Baltinglass then scored their first through Gary Carroll when a pass from Mick Dowling found him at the back post, and he tapped home. Baltinglass then got their second goal a few minutes later when a through ball from Chris Sutton found Gary Carroll, and he shot home from the tight angle. Gary Carroll then completed his hat-trick just before halftime when he beat the offside trap and the keeper one-on-one. Halftime, and it was Baltinglass Town 3-0 Fortbarrington FC.

The second half started well with both teams fighting in the midfield battles; again, Fortbarrington had their chances but never took them.

Baltinglass controlled the half and scored their fourth goal when a corner from Chris Sutton found Gary Carroll at the back post to head home. They then got their 5th goal when Mick Dowling beat three opposition players and shot home from a tight angle. The final whistle was heard, and the home side got a truly deserved win. Still, Fortbarrington were unlucky not to take their chances which would have made it a different game altogether.

Final Score - Baltinglass 5 Fortbarrington 0

Best for Baltinglass were Mick Dowling, Chris Sutton and Brandon O'Rourke.

Best for Fortbarrington were Jack Brennan, Joseph Brennan, Liam Moloney, Russel Perse and Brandon Brennan.

Baltinglass Town 4 – 2 Nurney Villa

After an adamant performance last week against league leaders St. Joseph's, Baltinglass Town were hoping for a simpler game but got anything but an easy game against the visiting Nurney Villa.

Baltinglass started the better of the two teams, and after some good play, Chris Sutton was fouled on the edge of the box. Gary Carroll stepped up to score the free kick with a powerful shot placed in the right top corner of the net, 1-0. Ten minutes later, Baltinglass were awarded another free kick, this time from the right-hand side. After an excellent delivery, Gary Carroll made no mistake from close range to give Baltinglass a 2-0 lead. However, one minute later, Joe Byrne pulled a goal back for the Nurney. Baltinglass then scored a third when a knockdown by Mick Dowling fell to Chris Sutton, who volleyed home from the edge of the box. However, Nurney did protest an offside within the build-up of Baltinglass's third goal. Nurney responded again when Rian Farrell headed in from a Thomas Murphy corner kick to leave the score 3-2 to Baltinglass at half-time.

Nurney pushed hard in the second half, but a lack of a cutting edge in front of the goal let them down, and Baltinglass looked happy to play on the break. Then in the 77th minute, Gary Carroll beat the offside trap from a great pass and squared the ball to Chris Sutton, who made no mistake and finished to put Baltinglass 4-2 ahead. Nurney pushed to get back into the game, but Baltinglass defended well to see out the game, leaving the final score as Baltinglass Town 4 Nurney Villa 2. Best for Baltinglass was Michael Convoy, Chris Redmond, Lee furlong and Mick Dowling. Best for Nurney were Jamie McCabe, Andy O'Brien, Thomas Murphy and Rian Farrell.

New Oak Boys B 2-3 Baltinglass Town

On a crisp Autumn Day in Carlow, New Oak Boys B met Baltinglass Town, with both teams attempting to keep the pressure on St. Joseph's at the top of the Division 2 table. Both teams seemed evenly matched from the get-go, with both sets of players applying pressure on the ball and defending well. With thirty minutes played in the first half, Baltinglass took the lead after the New Oak defence's mistake was punished; Declan Faulkner was on hand to tap home and score the opening goal. Five minutes later, Baltinglass were reduced to ten players, leaving them to change their shape. However, the change worked and did not stop Baltinglass from doubling their lead through a Gary Carroll header and another lapse in the New Oak defence. Baltinglass then got a quick third goal when Chris Sutton ran onto a ball from Kevin Osbourne, who lobbed the onrushing New Oak keeper with a fine finish. Credit to New Oak, they did not let their heads drop, and fifteen minutes of the second half, Pa Kavanagh reduced the deficit with a fine header. New Oak continued pushing forward and created some chances, but Baltinglass were a constant threat on the break. Midway through the half, New Oak was then also reduced to ten players. With ten minutes remaining, Robert Purcell set up an exciting finish when he pulled another goal back for New Oak. The game was end-to-end for the final ten minutes, but Baltinglass showed resilience and held out for the three points. Best for New Oak were Cian Maddock, Daniel Hayden, and Keenan Geoghegan. Best for Baltinglass were Kevin Osbourne, Tom Parker, and Chris Sutton

Baltinglass Town 4-0 Slaney Rovers B

On a nice dry day in Baltinglass, Baltinglass dominated the game early by playing some excellent quick soccer in this local derby. It was 1-0 in favour of Baltinglass after 10-minutes. Gary Carroll was fouled on the edge of the box up, leaving Chris Sutton to step up to the free-kick and score. Later in the half, a long ball from Chris Sutton was run onto by Gary Carroll. Carroll made no mistake from a tight angle and finished the ball into the top corner and left the half-time score as Baltinglass 2 Slaney 0.

The second half played out the same, with Baltinglass pushing Slaney's attack back on every occasion. And when another Baltinglass through ball found Kevin Osbourne on the edge of the box, Osbourne made no mistake to put the ball into the bottom corner and make the score 3-0. Then, despite the best efforts of Kyle Bryne, Luke Byrne, and Paddy Kelly, Baltinglass made it 4-0 when a cross from Mick Dowling found the head of Chris Sutton, who made the final score 4-0. Best for Baltinglass was Peter Wall, Morgan Thackaberry and Kevin Osbourne.

Fortbarrington FC 1 - 2 Baltinglass

The game at the Etex sports ground kicked off with both teams getting a feel for each other. Fortbarrington came into the game lacking some players due to injuries and quarantine guidelines, which was a real challenge for them. After an opening 20 minutes of tight football, Baltinglass broke the deadlock when a shot from Tom Parker found the bottom corner of the net. Fortbarrington tried to bounce back after going 1-0 down; With some great play, a lovely ball was played into Brandon Brennan, who thought he was in to equalise. However, he was called for offside instead. The rest of the half was a tight affair, with both defences playing well to keep the score at 0-1.

With the second half now underway, Fortbarrington began looking to get back into the game, and after some great plays, they were unlucky not to score. Fortbarrington were then awarded a free-kick 35 yards from goal. Up stepped Brandon Brennan, who produced a marvellous strike from distance. Fortbarrington FC 1 - 1 Baltinglass. However, Baltinglass began to grab a footing in the game and piled on the pressure. They took the lead late in the game when a through ball from Chris Sutton found Declan Faulkner, who squared it to Caoilin Goetelen to tap home from close range, leaving the final score Fortbarrington FC 1 Baltinglass 2.