Culleton the match-winner as Mountmellick defeat Arles-Kilcruise to secure Laois IFC semi-final place

Mountmellick have secured a place in the semi-finals of this year’s Laois Shopping Centre Intermediate Football Championship after a late Rory Culleton point sealed a one point victory over Arles-Kilcruise in Annanough GAA on Friday evening.

Arles-Kilcruise were cruising in the game and had held a five-point advantage at one stage but Mountmellick clicked into gear and never looked back. Truth be told, they could have and should have won by more than one point in the end.

Mountmellick 1-12

Arles-Kilcruise 1-11

This Round Three contest didn’t take long to ignite as Niall Mullen opened the scoring within the first 60 seconds. David Conway got Arles-Kilcruise off the mark with his trusty right-boot. Mullen then got a second point for his side this time off his left. David Conway pointed a free after seven minutes to level the game.

Mountmellick raised two white flags in the same minute as Mullen scored a free and early substitute David Kelly pointed from play. Conway kicked his third score of the contest with his second free.

It would be Arles-Kilcruise who got the game’s first goal and it came after a quarter of an hour. Caomhan Brennan won possession off a Mountmellick kick-out and passed the ball inside to David Conway and the latter tucked the ball under the onrushing Eoghan Keogh in the Mountmellick net. Ross Munnelly got his first of the evening from a free as Arles-Kilcruise led 1-4 to 0-4. Mountmellick’s only chance for goal of the first period was superbly blocked by full-back Cialann Mulhall.

Conway took his tally to 1-4 with a third free with Mullen replying in the same way for Mountmellick. Arles-Kilcruise’s Michael O’Shea was then shown a black card after he stood in front of a Mountmellick free and prevented it being taken quickly. He wasn’t best pleased with the decision and took it up with referee Clifford Ward who in turn sent him to the line for 10 minutes. Mullen ended up pointing the free while Tom O’Connell hand-passed the ball over to cut Arles-Kilcruise’s lead to a single point. Ben Byrne Slattery kicked the final point of the half with his side ahead, 1-6 to 0-7.

Arles-Kilcruise came out flying in the second half as they kicked the first three scores of the half. Jamie Conway, Byrne Slattery and a David Conway free saw them hold a five-point lead. However, Arles-Kilcruise wouldn’t score for 11 minutes as Mountmellick took the game to their opponents with 1-3 without reply.

Finn Culleton and Jack Gorman got a point each before Mountmellick got a well-deserved goal. Finn Culleton turned over Conall Brennan close to the Arles-Kilcruise goal and he found Niall Mullen. He drilled the ball into the bottom corner to level the game at 1-9 apiece.

Mullen kicked a free four minutes after his goal to give Mountmellick the lead for the first time since they went four points to two ahead after 10 minutes. Liam Whelan came off the bench to kick a wonderful point for Arles-Kilcruise with over 10 minutes to play. Mountmellick half-back Colin McEvoy kicked his side in front but his side couldn’t get the ball between the posts as they kicked six wides on the trot to give Arles-Kilcruise a chance to level the game up and potentially force extra-time. Ross Munnelly stood up when his team needed it the most as he fisted the ball over the bar to level the game at 1-11 with 61 minutes played.

Rory Culleton popped up a minute later to win the game for Mountmellick as him and Jack Gorman worked the ball upfield after Tom O’Connell had won the ball back in defence. Culleton’s point was hand-passed over to send the travelling Mountmellick supporters home with smiles on their faces.

Mountmellick will find out their semi-final opponents on Sunday evening after the other Round 3 game between Annanough and Timahoe. Arles-Kilcruise now find themselves in the Intermediate ‘B’ Championship semi-finals which is essentially a relegation semi-final at the same time.