Highest scoring Goalkeeper

[Puckoon]

With Cluxton bagging 2 points at the weekend - what is the highest score by a goalkeeper in a championship match, or indeed an entire campaign?

[Donnellys Hollow]

Cake Curran got 1-1 for the Rossies a few years ago.

[JMohan]

Does Darren Hughes count?

[Azzurri]

Cake Curran got 1-1 for the Rossies a few years ago.

Correct

It was in a championship replay against Sligo. The point came from a 45 and it was right out near the sideline. An amazing score. The goal was a penalty. It wasnt the first penalty Cake had scored though. There was the one he scored as a minor which provides quite a humourous story:

Memories came flooding back for the man at the centre of one of the last great GAA controversies that resulted, eventually, in a replay.

Shane Curran was only 18-years-old when he drove a penalty to the Galway net to give Roscommon a two-point win in the dying embers of the 1989 Connacht minor final.

The problem with goalkeeper Curran's kick was that he wasn't the player who had placed the ball and that was deemed illegal.

As the referee had indicated it was the last kick of the game, Roscommon celebrated as Galway players and management surrounded the official behind the goals at McHale Park in Castlebar.

"He had told us it was the last kick," recalled Curran. "Peadar Glennon was our free-taker, but because I had missed an earlier penalty he was delegated to take the kick. He placed it but I ran in and kicked it."

At 6.0 that evening, Connacht Council officials, who had earlier presented Roscommon's captain Sean Staunton with the cup, reclaimed it on the basis that the referee was not allowing the goal and hadn't the time or the space in the ensuing madness to pronounce that. His report would reflect that.

Galway were given the trophy and for days the controversy rumbled until, finally, a meeting of the Galway Football Board concluded with the offer of a replay.

The following Sunday, Curran converted an early penalty on Roscommon's way to an extra-time win that required a dramatic injury-time goal. "The memories did come back when I saw the Leinster final on Sunday," he recalled.

"The referee hadn't a chance to make his point but the Connacht officials went ahead and awarded the cup to our captain, Sean Staunton. They took it back off us later that evening," said Curran. "In the end, common sense prevailed."

Curran now believes Meath should, as Galway did, offer a replay because it would be the "fairest thing" to do.

"The best thing would be to nail it and allow for a replay," he said.

Interesting also, Curran is the man behind the Puntee kicking tee which most keepers use today.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

I'm surprised that there's a rule stating that the person who places the ball must take the penalty.

[Lecale2]

I'm surprised that there's a rule stating that the person who places the ball must take the penalty.

Depends when the ref blows his whistle.

[Zapatista]

Davey Fitz maybe (or does he count?). Funny scene running back up the field

[spectator]

It wasnt the first penalty Cake had scored though.

Slightly off topic, but not forgetting the one he scored against Mayo to inspire an unlikely comeback in the 2001 FBD league ... what a legend

Roscommon pip Mayo in FBD league.

Roscommon 2-8, Mayo 0-13

Roscommon, the 1999 league champions, remain the only undefeated side in the Connacht FBD league. Each of the other four counties have lost a game.

Having defeated Sligo the previous week, Roscommon staged a late burst to beat the defending league champions, Mayo, on Saturday at Ballinlough, but were held to a draw on Sunday by Leitrim.

Galway defeated Leitrim on Saturday at Dunmore but bit the dust by one point against Sligo at Tuam on Sunday.

Mayo travel to Carrick-on-Shannon on Saturday for a league tie that had been originally fixed for last Sunday week but cancelled due to frost.

The holders have yet to meet heavyweights Sligo and Galway at Sligo and Ballinrobe.

For the second time in the space of seven days Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran rescued his county from imminent defeat in the F.B.D. league.

The weekend before last he pulled off a spectacular save to deny Peter Ford's Sligo of a share of the points, and last Saturday at Ballinlough he made a recording breaking sprint to the other end of the field to trigger a Roscommon recovery by blasting home a penalty past his opposite number Peter Burke.

Without authorisation from team manager John Tobin, Curran dashed from his post through the centre and must have even taken the Mayo custodian by surpise when he guided the ball into the net close to the upright from the spot.

That score turned the trend completely around and in the process dented Mayo's hopes of retaining the title.

One minute from the end Curran, now back on goalkeeping duties again, denied Mayo of a possible winnng goal when he advanced off his line to deflect a Stephen Carolan effort over the bar to narrow the gap to the minimum.

Three minutes into stoppage time Maurice Sheridan was left with just a fifty-fifty chance from a free to force stalemater but his effort went inches wide.

In what was a very competitive game, tempers flared at times with a few yellow cards shown, both Pat Holmes and John Tobin would not have learned a lot from their respective expermental lineouts.

In addition to Kieran McDonald, James Nallen, David Brady and Michael Moyles being absentees for Mayo, the only under-21 county players in the starting line-up were Marty McNicholas and Paul Coady, but James Gill and Billie Joe Paddy made appearences in the second period.

A feature of the game was the excellent placing kicking of Maurice Sheridan who account for 0-6 of Mayo's total, 0-4 from frees.

The League holders Mayo were without the services of a good number of regulars, yet look coasting to a comfortable victory when pulling clear by 0-0-9 to 0-4 at by the interval, all of the home county's four points coming from frees by Gerry Lohan.

While Rory Hannick and Colm McManamon held the edge for the league holders in the middle of the field, the Mayo attack could make very little headway against a physically stronger Roscommon defence.

In fact the visitors could only manage fromk point from play in the opening twenty minutes, that by Stephen Carolan after five minutes, but the scoring rate from direct play improved approaching the interval.

Colm McManamon, David Nestor, Sheridan and Carolan all hit the target from good possession play, particularly Carolan's score after va five move involving Fergal Costello, David McDonagh and Maurice O'Gara.

What ever slim hopes Roscommon were clinging to during the break apeared completely eroded within five minutes of the restart.

For one thing, David McDonagh had increased Mayo's advantage to six points in the 32nd minute and one minute later Gerry Lohan blazed a Roscommon penalty wide. There was further cold comfort for the homesters in a biting wind when Sheridan, from a free, and Noel Connelly, from play, topped up the visitors advantage to eight points by the 40th minute.

A Gerry Lohan point from a free in the 42nd minute ended a barren fifteen minutes period for Roscommon but at that that the league points looked safely secured by the league champions with a seven points cushion. Roscommon would need something special to ingite their flagging hopes but who would have gambled on the goalkeeper producing the inspirational spark necessary.

Curran's electrifying run from one end of the field to the other tended to only add a touch of comedy to the occasion, but when he managed to squeeze the ball into the net just inside the right post matters became more serious.

Mayo never recovered from that jolt, while an on-fire Roscommon side added on a further 1-3 to storm ahead by two points with three minutes of normal time remaining
Nigel Dinneen crashed in Roscommon's secone goal in the 55th minute separted with points by Lohan (2) and substitute Alan Nolan.

But the Roscommon goalkeeper's octopus-like save at the expense of a point and Sheridan's subsequent narrow miss from a difficult free left the 1999 league champions unbeaten after two rounds.

Roscommon: Shane Curran (1-0); Ian Daly, Ronan Ownes, Denis Gavin; Clifford McDonald, Francie Grehan, John White; John Hanley, P. Mahon; Conor Connelly, Fergal O'Donnell, David Kelly; Nigel Dineen (1-0), Lorcan Dowd, Gerry Lohan (0-7). Subs: Alan Nolan (0-1), Jason Neary.

Mayo: Fergal Kelly; Ray Connelly, Kevin Cahill, Paul Coady; Fergal Costello, Alan Roche, Noel Connelly (0-1); Colm McManamon (0-1), Rory Hannick; David Nestor (0-1), David McDonagh (0-1), Maurice Sheridan (0-6); Marty McNicholas, Maurice 0'Gara, Stephen Carolan (0-3). Subs used: Peter Burke, Gary Ruane, James Gill and Billie Joe Padden.

Ref.: Marty Duffy (Sligo).