Goals the difference as Killeshin crowned ACFL Division 3 champions over Mountmellick

Killeshin have won the Laois Shopping Centre ACFL Division 3 title after a high-scoring victory over Mountmellick in the LOETB Centre of Excellence on Wednesday evening.

All three Killeshin goals came from Mountmellick mistakes, with Adam Deering raising two green flags in the opening ten minutes before Evan Lowry put the game to bed with a third goal late on.

Killeshin 3-14

Mountmellick 0-15

Mountmellick beat Portlaoise in the semi-finals to maintain their unbeaten start to the season as they finished top of the table, while Killeshin finished in second, beating St Joseph's in the other semi-final. Mountmellick had a narrow win when they and Killeshin met in May, but a ruthless Killeshin side took their scores well here to run out eight-point victors.

Mountmellick shot themselves in the foot early on, coughing up two soft goals, with the first coming after just two minutes. Killeshin won a short Mountmellick kick-out, a theme of the first half, with Deering on hand to raise a green flag. The second goal came thanks to some unbelievable interplay between Deering and Evan English, cutting Mountmellick to pieces as Deering practically walked the ball into the net.

Mountmellick managed three points throughout the first quarter, two from Colm Coss and one from Aidan Byrne, but scores from English and Conor Heffernan left Killeshin five points up after 15 minutes.

Killeshin were extremely comfortable in possession and punished Mountmellick for their mistakes, edging further in front as Lowry pointed a pair of frees and Mick Doran added two beauties from wide out on the left. Mountmellick were erratic on both sides of the ball but kept the scoreboard moving through Coss, a '45 from Eoghan Keogh and a two-point free from Niall Mullen.

Doran and a free from Killian Roche right at the end of the first half left Killeshin seven points ahead at the break, up by 2-8 to 0-7.

Mountmellick kicked four scores after the restart, including one each from wing backs Byrne and Jack Gorman, and a free each from Mullen and Jim Scully. Lowry added one for Killeshin in the midst of all that before a two-point free from Roche left six points between the sides approaching the final quarter.

Keogh responded with a two-point free of his own and another free from Mullen left Mountmellick trailing by just three points. But a Killeshin flurry late on saw Lowry point two frees before capitalising on another misplaced short kick-out to take the ball around Keogh and score into an empty net.

Killeshin win the title but both sides have been promoted and will play Division 2 football in 2026.

SCORERS - Killeshin: Evan Lowry 1-5 (0-4 frees), Adam Deering 2-0, Killian Roche (frees) and Mick Doran 0-3 each, Conor Heffernan 0-2, Evan English 0-1. Mountmellick: Niall Mullen 0-4 (all frees), Colm Coss (one free) and Eoghan Keogh (all frees) 0-3 each, Aidan Byrne 0-2, Jack Gorman, Jim Scully (free) and Callum Smith 0-1 each.

KILLESHIN: Killian Roche; Pa Fitzgerald, Darragh McDonald, Jack Brennan; Leeson Hughes; James Davis, Paddy Doyle; Cathal Byrne, Conor Heffernan; Jack Milton, Evan Lowry, Mick Doran; Kaelum Hand, Adam Deering, Evan English. Subs: Jeremy Mahon for Hand (40), James Doogue for Byrne (52), Eoin Brennan and Ben Fitzgerald for Milton and Doyle (both 56).

MOUNTMELLICK: Eoghan Keogh; Ethan Lawlor, Cian Thompson, Robbie McEvoy; Aidan Byrne, Rory Culleton, Jack Gorman; Tadgh Culliton, Ja Connolly; Tom O’Connell; Colm Coss, Ryan Conron; Oisin Hade, Jim Scully, Niall Mullen. Subs: Conn Maher for Thompson (HT), Eoin George for Conron (46), Corey Holohan for Scully (52), James Culliton and Callum Smith for T Culliton and Mullen (both 57).

REFEREE: Eric Ward (Portarlington)