Stunning second half comeback sees Mountmellick Community school advance to final
The Mountmellick Community School team which advanced to the Leinster PPS South Leinster Senior Football 'D' final at the expense of Cross & Passion Kilcullen Photo: Denis Byrne
MOUNTMELLICK Community School have a South Leinster Senior Football ‘D’ final to look ahead to after overcoming Cross & Passion Kilcullen in a bruising encounter in Mountmellick on Friday morning.
This semi-final was definitely a story of two halves as the Kilcullen school built up a six-point lead by half time and it looked like for everyone’s money that they were on course to advance to the final.
But the home side came storming back in the second half and produced a brilliant comeback to win by four points and to advance to the final.
The first half was a low scoring one with both teams amassing 17 wides between them as the home side were guilty of the bulk of them.
It was the away side that got the scoring underway from a point from Eoin Dowling with a fine point while Daniel Young doubled their lead in the seventh minute.
It took another 15 minutes of the half for another score but in that time Mountmellick CS were unlucky not to get a goal as they were denied by the post and the cross bar.
Young would hit his second of the game to open up a three-point gap for the visitors in the 22nd minute of the half.
The Laois school finally got off the mark in the 25th minute with a brilliant point from midfielder Oisin Hade.
It was the Kildare team that finished the half the stronger by scoring 1-2 without reply with Young and Josh Kelly adding the points for their team.
The goal came soon after with Josh Finn finding space in the full forward line and finished brilliantly into the far top corner of the net.
Aidan Byrne replied for Mountmellick CS with a fine point, but the visitors were in full control at the break leading 1-5 to 0-2 at half time.
Mountmellick CS came out a different animal in the second half and upped the intensity all over the field. They also got on top around the middle of the field with Oisin Hade and Eoghan Lalor which laid the foundations to the comeback.
Lalor got the scoring under way which sparked a purple patch as his team would kick the next 1-3 to turn the half time deficit into a one-point lead.
Points from Dylan Cronin, Shane Conran and Sean Lalor reduced the gap even further before they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Tadgh Hughes. Aidan Byrne stepped up and dispatched the penalty into the net to give them the lead.
The away side continued to battle, and Jack Cronin drew the team’s level again, but it was the home side that finished the stronger with two points from Shane Conran and a two pointed free from Hade which saw them over the line.
Aidan Byrne 1-1 (1-0 pen), Oisin Hade 0-3 (1tpf), Shane Conran 0-3 (0-2fs), Sean Lalor, Eoghan Lalor, Dylan Cronin 0-1 each.
Daniel Young 0-3, Josh Finn 1-0, Jack Cronin, Eoin Dowling, Josh Kelly 0-1 each.
Senan O’Mahony; Ryan Doogan, Cillin Hoey; Frank Delaney, Aidan Byrne, Scott Kelly; Oisin Hade, Eoghan Lalor; Oisin Dunne, Tadgh Hughes, Lorcan White; Sean Lalor, Oisin McRedmond, Shane Conran.
Dylan Cronin for McRedmond (20m).
Dan Shaw; John Bisset, Myles McNamara, Fionn O’Brien; Jack Cronin, Conor Clarke, Corey Coyne; Conor Roche, Tiarnan Donnelly; Eoin Dowling, Conor Duggan, Josh Kelly; Daniel Young, Michael Behan, Josh Finn.
Tom Ryan for Dowling (40m), Jack Lawler for Finn (42m).
JJ Kirby (The Heath)
