Leitrim pay the penalty as New York triumph to first championship win at the 23rd attempt
April 09, 2023
New York's Jack Reilly, Tiernan Mathers and Niall Madine celebrate their team's victory in the penalty shootout ©INPHO/Emily Harney
There were jubilant scenes at Gaelic Park last night as New York recorded their first win in the Connacht senior football championship at Leitrim’s expense.
Mikey Brosnan's penalty sealed a historic moment for the Exiles after Andy Moran’s men had missed all of their spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out in the Bronx, with the game having finished 0-15 to 0-15 at the end of extra time.
This provincial opener had been airtight for large portions of the 90 minutes of play, with New York holding a 0-7 to 0-6 lead at the end of first-half normal time thanks to Shane Carthy’s point.
Top-scorer Keith Beirne would help the visitors surge two points clear 10 minutes into the second-half but Johnny Geeney’s side levelled and hit the front again through goalkeeper Michael Cunningham's free.
Beirne looked to have snatched it for Leitrim but Dublin All-Ireland winner Carthy, who was born in New York, forced extra time with a fantastic point (see it below) much to the home crowd’s delight.
The added periods wouldn’t see the teams separated and, after New York missed the first penalty in the shoot-out, Leitrim would fail to covert their next four, allowing Brosnan to step up and be the hero on an unforgettable night in the Big Apple that sees them set to travel to Sligo for a Connacht semi-final in a fortnight's time.
Sensational score from @NewYorkGAA’s Shane Carthy sends it to extra-time in New York, what a game #GAA @GAAGO pic.twitter.com/rOhQ5qCEt2
— Seán Hussey (@SeanHussey00) April 8, 2023
TweetNew York take down Leitrim and march on to the Connacht semi final
— The GAA Corner (@thegaacorner) April 9, 2023
pic.twitter.com/DgRb03UavT
