Éire Óg 0-12  Rathvilly 1-9

A late point from Éire Óg substitute Cormac Mullins ensured the Carlow SFC final would go to a replay, following a tense final before an attendance of 3,500 at Netwatch Cullen Park.

Rathvilly went on the attack directly from the trow-in and when Alan Kelly's lobbed effort into the Éire Óg goal area fell to Rathvilly full forward Gary Dempsey, he crashed the ball to the net. Dempsey quickly added a pointed free as the townsmen struggled to gain a foothold in the game.

Brendan Murphy, Rathvilly's star county midfielder, was hugely influential through his outstanding fielding but the north county side were guilty of some very poor shooting. Murphy himself hit three wides in the opening half.

The concession of scorable frees by Rathvilly provided Éire Óg with a pathway into the game, with Eric McCormack converting three placed balls and Eoghan Ruth pointing out of play to tie matters, 1-1 to 0-4 after 19 minutes.

In the 21st minute, at the end of Éire Óg's best move saw McCormack's shot for goal brought a fine save from Rathvilly goalie Robbie Molloy, as Rathvilly 1-3 to 0-5 at the break.

By the 41st minute Rathvilly had forged into a 1-7 to 0-6 lead, but Éire Óg gradually reduced the leeway with Seán Gannon and Derek Hayden prominent.

Subsitute Cormac Mullins also made his presence felt with a wonder point, the game's last score, to bring the sides level in a game where the 26 time champions never led.

Rathvilly's Alan Kelly, who scored 0-3 from play, was voted man of the match, although he was black carded in injury time.

Rathvilly: R Molloy; B J Molloy, C O'Brien, T Bolger; J O'Donoghue, W O'Donoghue, J B Leonard; Brendan Murphy, K Doyle; A Kelly (0-03), E Finnegan, R Ryan; Brian Murphy (0-02, 1f), G Dempsey (1-02, 1f), J J Smith (0-02).

Subs: D Molly for Ryan (41); J Moore for J O'Donoghue (injured) (50); B Smith for Doyle (59).

Éire Óg: R Moore; F O'Toole, M Fitzgerald, B Kavanagh; J Lowry, P McEligott, R Dunphy; S Gannon (0-01), K Chatten; D Hayden (0-01), E McCormack (0-03, 3f), E Ruth (0-02); D O'Brien (0-3, 2f), C Blake, M Furey.

Subs: C Mullins (0-01) for McCormack (41); N Quinlan (0-01, 1f) for Blake (45); J Morrissey for O'Brien (52).

Referee: David Hughes (Erin's Own, Bagenalstown).