13-man Clonaslee/St Manman’s swept aside as Mountmellick book quarter-final spot

Mountmellick 3-18 

Clonaslee/St Manman’s 1-4 

 MOUNTMELLICK are into the quarter-finals of the Laois Shopping Centre Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship with a convincing victory over Clonaslee/St Manman’s in Rosenallis on Sunday afternoon.

It was a must-win clash for both sides, with Mountmellick and Clonaslee/St Manman’s having lost their opening two Group A games to Clonad and Camross.

That left both teams knowing that victory would secure a place in the quarter-finals, while defeat would send them into the relegation playoff against Rathdowney/Errill. Mountmellick will now face Clough/Ballacolla in the last eight.

Mountmellick made the better start despite playing against the wind in the opening half, with Pete Culleton quickly finding his range before Finn Lyons also got on the scoresheet.

Clonaslee/St Manman’s were struggling to create chances and had registered three wides inside the opening six minutes. Mountmellick also had their own opportunities, with Finn Culleton firing wide when presented with a goal chance.

Culleton added another point for Mountmellick after seven minutes before Clonaslee/St Manman’s had five wides to their name after 10 minutes, with Mountmellick having four at that stage.

Paddy Hyland eventually opened the Clonaslee/St Manman’s account from a free after 13 minutes, but Culleton responded with a free at the other end.

The Mountmellick forward then struck from his own 65, before Hyland added another free for Clonaslee/St Manman’s.

Mountmellick took complete control when Culleton pounced for the opening goal. He put pressure on a Clonaslee/St Manman’s defender, won possession back and made no mistake with the finish.

Culleton was proving almost impossible to contain and he added another free to bring his tally to 1-4 after just 26 minutes.

Mountmellick went close to a second goal when Finn Culleton found Finn Lyons, whose effort struck the post. Lyons gathered the rebound, but Paul Mulhall produced an excellent save to deny him.

Culleton added another free before Lyons and Jarlath Connolly also got on the scoresheet.

Clonaslee/St Manman’s suffered a further setback before half-time when DJ Callaghan was shown a red card, leaving them a man down.

Mountmellick led 1-7 to 0-3 at the break and continued to dominate after the restart. Culleton opened the second-half scoring with another free before Niall Corbet replied for Clonaslee/St Manman’s.

Mountmellick then extended their advantage with a well-worked second goal. Centre-back Jack Gorman embarked on a superb run before finding Jarlath Connolly, who finished the move by finding the back of the net.

Culleton added another free before Clonaslee/St Manman’s were reduced to 13 players when Cathal Lee received a red card following a wild pull on Culleton.

Despite being down to 13, Clonaslee/St Manman’s managed to find the net through Liam Senior, who converted a 21-yard free.

Mountmellick quickly restored their control as Connolly added a point before Culleton saw an effort saved by Mulhall. Connolly was quickest to react to the rebound, completing his hat-trick of goals for the afternoon.

Mountmellick continued to add to their tally late on, with Culleton, Oisín Hade, Gorman and Lyons all finding the target as they pulled further clear.

The final whistle confirmed a comprehensive victory for Mountmellick, who safely secured their place in the quarter-finals, where they’ll face Clough/Ballacolla For Clonaslee/St Manman’s, the defeat means a relegation playoff against Rathdowney/Errill now awaits, with their Premier Intermediate status on the line.

SCORERS— Mountmellick: Pete Culleton 1-10 (0-7 frees), Ja Connolly 2-2, Finn Lyons 0-3, Oisín Hade 0-2, Jack Gorman 0-. Clonaslee/St Manman’s: Liam Senior 1-0 (free), Paddy Hyland 0-2 (frees), Cian Conroy and Niall Corbet 0-1 each.

MOUNTMELLICK: James Hilliard; Rory Culleton, Redmond McEvoy, Aidan Byrne; Liam Connolly, Jack Gorman, Laurence Kenny; Jake Colbert, Jack Weston; Eli Colbert, Finn Culleton, Oisín Hade; Jarlath Connolly, Finn Lyons, Pete Culleton. Subs: Jack Mahon for Weston (44 mins), Tadhg Culleton for P Culleton (51 mins), Jordan Downey for Mahon (54 mins), Jack Weston for Hade (58 mins) CLONASLEEE ST MANMAN’S: Paul Mulhall; Daire Hogan, Ger Reilly, Diarmuid Conroy; Darragh Scully, Willie Young, Shane McCann; Liam Senior, Niall Corbet; Cathal Lee, DJ Callaghan, Shay Foynes; Bob Downey, Cian Conroy, Paddy Hyland. Subs: James Dunne for McCann (33 mins), Peter Foynes for Reilly (37 mins), Dillon Flynn for S Foynes (40 mins), Oisín Murray for D Conroy (51 mins), Michael Hyland for C Conroy (52 mins, inj) Referee: Patrick Phelan (Castletown)