Paul “Popa” Dowling took time from his busy golfing schedule to chat with KCLR Sunday Scoreling
Paul chatted about all things Carlow football. How the right callhad been made in restarting the season fresh, while giving props to fellow teams in the league Crettyard, New Oak and Slaney Rovers.
He also reminisced about Carlows 2018 victory against Kilkenny , in which Carlow defeated there southern neighbors on their home turf. Carlow won the game with a Graham Delaney (Hannover Harps) goal early in the second half, with Zak Youngram in goal receiving the man of the match award.
It was a great day for Carlow soccer and certainly contributed to the #CarlowRising movement, however it was a success that was not built upon. Kilkenny themselves got to the final again next year losing out to Clare, and this year under New manager John McClean had high hopes to win it. Carlow did not enter a side into the 2020 season, with Dowling hoping that changes for the 2021 season.
“There was a few problems with players who didn’t want to commit, we struggled for a team in 2019, and I dont know if the league just made a decision to say we are not going to do it as we struggled last year.”
He continued “Which is unfair because in my opinion because theres 25 – 30 players good enough to play. There should be an Oscar Traynor team in Carlow every year, I dont know how you can win it in 2018 and by 2020 have no team. Hopefully the powers to be makes a decision that there is a Carlow Oscar Traynor team going forward.”
For now heres to a great memory :
Oscar Traynor champions 2018 what an achievement well done lads pic.twitter.com/iSLZu89MQv
— Carlow Soccer League (@CarlowSoccer) June 3, 2018
