WHEN you lose an important match by a solitary point the tendency is to focus on the one's that got away, every missed opportunity haunting the vanquished. In the wake of Carlow's heartbreaking first round NHL Division 2 defeat in Casement Park, Belfast we too will analyse the 'what ifs' of a hard fought contest but first let's focus on the positives.

Top of that list would have to be the visitors second goal, as good a team score as the red, yellow and green have ever concocted.

It came fourteen minutes into the second half when trailing by three points, Craig Doyle won possession on half way, close to the stand wing side-line.

'Styler' delivered a long ball down on the Andersonstown Road end posts where Damien Roberts caught the dropping ball on the 20m line. 'Lester' quickly slipped a handpass to the supporting Andrew Gaul to his left and the 'Duke', in turn, hand-passed across goal to the lurking Paudie Kehoe who first timed to the net from the edge of the small square.

Considering a tentative Carlow had trailed 1-4 to 0-1 after 13 minutes and looked set for a bit of a hiding, that goal which levelled proceedings with 20 minutes to go was just reward for the brave manner in which the visitors battled their way back into contention.

Carlow finished the 'hour' with 12 wides, exactly half of which came from placed balls, Paudie Kehoe wayward with three mid-distance frees, Shane Kavanagh winging a long range effort the wrong side of the posts while Mark Brennan and Damien Roberts, from either wing, saw well cut line-balls sail tantalizingly over the end-line.

Hasty shooting accounted for five of the six wides from play while Carlow's only non-shot wide arose when an Eddie Byrne hand-pass to Paudie Kehoe might have yielded a goal only for the heavy sod to the bounce out of the sliotar which rolled over the endline.

That was in the 6th minute of the second half, a minute later Paudie Kehoe saw his overhead flick on a Craig Doyle cross canon off the upright low down.

While admittedly that was a half-chance, the same could be said of Antrim's lone goal, a 12th minute major that bolstered the home county's early dominance.

Unsure first touch on the stand side conceded a 45m line-ball that Neil McManus cut immaculately into the goalmouth, where a ground schemozzle at the far post ended with the sliotar somehow trickling over the line.

That goal supplemented a brace of early points from Neil McManus (a superb long range strike from play) and Shane McNaughton while McManus had also converted a 65. Carlow's lone reply had been an excellent Mark Brennan point from the left wing after Eddie Byrne had fashioned the opening but when within a minute of the goal McNaughton rifled over a sweet point to put the Glensmen 1-4 to 0-1 clear Carlow looked in big trouble.

However Andrew Gaul, in the 15th minute, turned a Mark Brennan hand-pass into a 40m right wing point, his delightful strike off the stick without handling; then Gaul and Byrne won a brace of 45m frees that Paudie Kehoe pointed the margin was down to three.

Carlow survived a double scare in the 23rd minute, captain Eddie Coady preventing an almost certain 'goal' with a crucial intercept and within seconds Craig Doyle got in a vital hook to baulk another shot.

Five minutes later the Carlow backs crowded out the impressive Neil McManus after a loose defensive pass had created the danger though Simon McCrory popped over a point from the resultant short clearance.

With the electronic scoreboard flashing 35 minutes, Carlow won a free on their own 65 which centre half back Eoin Nolan landed down on Antrim square, the sliotar breaking slightly to the right of goal from where Craig Doyle, that opportunist supreme, rattled the net with a rising first time pull.

Liam Watson, in stoppage time, pointed a close range free to give the hosts a 1-6 to 1-4 interval advantage.

Those hopes rose considerably when Paudie Kehoe's well-worked 49th minute goal levelled proceedings, that after he had opened the second half scoring with a point from a 50m free only to see Simon McCrory and Liam Watson (a smashing point from a narrow angle) tack on Antrim scores.

If Carlow could have had two goals in those early second half exchanges, it must be conceded that so too could Antrim, Dessie Shaw taking a rolling ball off the line in the 44rd minute, then getting in an important block when his clearance returned.

Though Carlow's goal tied the sides, Antrim, from the puck-out, won a 60m free that Neil McManus slotted, then Liam Watson from close range restored put the hosts two-up. Great work by Colin Hughes set up Andrew Gaul for a lovely left hand point before the sides were level for the second time in the 63rd minute, the 'Duke' winning a free that Shane Kavanagh, from half way, close to the side-line, arrowed straight between the posts.

It was helter-skelter from there to the finish, Damien Robert's line-cut for the lead drifting wide of the far post, Neil McManus putting an Antrim free wide before a Simon McCrory shot that looked to be dipping over the bar was brought down by Carlow goalkeeper David Miley. Just as a draw was being accepted all round as a fair result Carlow full-back Shane Kavanagh was blown for charging as he attempted to clear from the 20m line. The resultant free in front of the posts was tapped over by Liam Watson. Two minutes of normal time and a further minutes injury time was played but the valiant visitors were unable to get within striking distance of the opposition posts.

- LEO McGOUGH