Mountmellick lift Division 4 hurling honours after Hilliard's injury-time heroics

Mountmellick and Clonad clashed in the Laois Shopping Centre ACHL Division 4 final on Friday evening. The match took place in the LOETB Centre of Excellence and proved to be a real humdinger of a contest between these two Intermediate outfits.

Laois Shopping Centre ACHL Division 4 Final

Mountmellick 3-10

Clonad 0-17

Clonad had edged this same fixture in the regular league meeting by just a single point, so this one was always going to be tight. In truth, there was very little between the pair for the entire sixty minutes or so of action.

However, Mountmellick grabbed some crucial goals at important times. The most important of course came in the injury-time phase, as full-forward Jimmy Hilliard hit the winning goal late on for Mountmellick.

The men wearing blue went in search of goals right from the off. Jarlath Connolly played it inside to Jimmy Hilliard but the big man was denied on this occasion by Clonad captain and goalkeeper Jimmy Farrell.

It was Mountmellick who landed the first score though. Finn Culleton cracked over a fine point for them but that was swiftly cancelled out by an effort from Clonad’s Shane Cahill.

Michael Bermingham struck over a 65’ to edge Mountmellick ahead again before Damien Carter’s men did strike for goal number one of their three on the evening.

Jimmy Hilliard’s effort from distance fell well short but Michael Bermingham was alive to collect the sliotar inside. Bermingham took one look before burying the ball past Jimmy Farrell in the Clonad goals.

Clonad replied through wing-back Patrick Callaghan. While Jimmy Hilliard briefly pushed Mountmellick’s lead back out to four, Clonad quickly cut into that deficit.

John Onions landed two on the trot for Clonad, with both of his efforts coming from placed balls. Then PJ Daly added another from play to leave a single point between the teams.

Jimmy Hilliard replied for Mountmellick but Clonad would grab the next two. John Onions and Barry Cormack raised white flags to level this Division 4 league final.

Michael Bermingham hit two frees over the bar for Mountmellick but Clonad would make sure this one would remain level at half-time. PJ Daly and Barry Cormack cracked over points from play to leave it deadlocked, 0-9 to 1-6, at the interval.

The key to this match was that Mountmellick grabbed crucial goals at crucial periods in the affair and one of those arrived upon the restart. Jimmy Hilliard’s effort from distance dropped short but ended up in the back of the net following a mix up in the Clonad defence.

Barry Cormack attempted to settle Clonad back down by planting over a free for them. However, Mountmellick would register the next two scores to regain control of this final.

Michael Bermingham (free) and midfielder Jack Gorman both raised a white flag each for the Mountmellick men. They led by four points after fourty minutes of action in Portlaoise.

John Onions replied for Clonad with a free of his own but that was swiftly cancelled out by the lively Hilliard. However, Clonad showed that they had another gear in them and upped the tempo in the final quarter.

Clonad put Mountmellick under enormous pressure with their workrate and that resulted in Mountmellick giving away some soft frees. Midfielder Barry Cormack would go on to place over five points from placed balls and put Clonad up by one.

Mountmellick looked a bit stunned but Michael Bermingham did manage to get them back on level terms at least from a free. Clonad looked the more confident team now though, as substitute Dan McCormack booted the sliotar over football-style over the bar from close range.

That put Clonad ahead once more by a single point as we headed for injury-time. There proved to be enough time for one more piece of drama this evening and it went in Mountmellick’s favour.

Hilliard had been causing Clonad’s defence all sorts of problems all evening. Another long, hopeful ball was sent into Hilliard who managed to break it down for himself and fire one into the back of the net.

Mountmellick would hold off Clonad in the last few moments them to seal a Division 4 title. Both sides must now prepare for their Intermediate campaigns, with their being a high probability that they will both see each other again.