GAA: Laois beat Carlow 2-14 to 1-16 in preliminary round

The 14-men of Laois bounced back from their Leinster collapse at the hands of Wexford to register a thrilling 2-14 to 1-16 victory over Carlow and reach the All-Ireland SHC qualifiers at O'Moore Park in Portlaoise.

After firing five goals against Antrim in their last game Martin Kavanagh scored Carlow's goal in the opening-half, but their shooting was erratic after the break and goals from Sean Downey and Neil Foyle sealed Laois' place in the draw on Monday morning.

Carlow held a narrow 1-8 to 0-9 half-time lead and Ross King's first-half red card could have been a turning point in the game. Martin Kavanagh scored his goal shortly after and Carlow were in charge until the final quarter, but Martin Kavanagh was then sent off and Foyle's 73rd minute point was the difference.

Brian Tracey was a late replacement in goals for the visitors and he pulled off a stunning save from Foyle in the second minute. It was an inspirational stop and despite falling behind to a King free in the fifth minute, Carlow went in front thanks to two points from free-taker Denis Murphy and Paul Coady.

After their provincial loss, Laois were decimated by injury coming into this game and they were rocked even further when King clashed with Richard Coady off the ball and got a straight red card in the 14th minute.

Carlow had all the momentum and they scored a goal just two minutes later when James Doyle exploited the wide-open space in front of the Laois goalmouth and Martin Kavanagh finished his shot, first time, to the net.

Paul Coady quickly doubled his tally but Laois showed resolve to score four unanswered points, and when Downey slotted his point they were only 1-4 to 0-5 in arrears after 22 minutes.

Martin Kavanagh re-opened Carlow's account with a point in the 23rd minute and his side had the better of the closing exchanges in the first-half.

He continued to add to his tally with some pieces of individual brilliance while Paddy Purcell was the focal point of the Laois attack.

It was 1-8 to 0-9 in favour of Carlow at half-time and Martin Kavanagh had a massive chance for a second goal just one minute after the break but Enda Rowland saved well.

Denis Murphy got Carlow back on track and his substitute Chris Nolan extended their lead further in the 44th minute.

But Laois were level just three minutes later - Stephen Maher brought them to within a goal and then Downey glided through the heart of the Carlow defence to finish past Tracey.

It was 1-10 to 1-10 at that stage, and Carlow had to dig deep to regain the lead through Diarmuid Byrne. But Laois goalkeeper Rowland tied the game up again.

The decisive score came with 13 minutes remaining when Jack Kelly's long ball was gathered by Foyle and he finished emphatically. Carlow battled hard and Chris Nolan scored three more points but Foyle's point secured a famous Laois win.

Laois: E Rowland (0-2, 0-2f); D Palmer, L Bergin, L Cleere; E Killeen, M Whelan, C Collier; P Purcell (0-2), J Kelly; S Downey (1-1), C Healy (0-2), S Maher (0-3, 0-2f); M Kavanagh (0-1), N Foyle (1-1), R King (0-1, 0-1f).

Subs: D Hartnett for Palmer (35), A Dunphy for Kavanagh (43), C Taylor (0-1) for Maher (52), A Corby for Collier (61), S Bergin for Downey (68)

Carlow: B Tracey; A Corcoran, P Doyle, G Bennett; R Coady, D English, R Kelly; D Byrne (0-2), J Murphy; J M Nolan (0-1), P Coady (0-3, 0-1f), D Murphy (0-2, 0-2f); M Kavanagh (1-2), J Doyle (0-1), E Byrne (0-1).

Subs: D Wall for P Doyle (28), C Nolan (0-4, 0-2f) for D Murphy (41), J Kavanagh for J Murphy (58), K McDonald for P Coady (64)

Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan (Cork).