First league win on the board as Laois see off Sligo in Portlaoise

Laois have their first win in this year's Allianz Football League Division 3 after they had seven points to spare over Sligo in Portlaoise on Saturday evening.

The conditions in Portlaoise weren't ideal for football with sleet falling just before throw-in and it continued for the whole game, which made it tricky for both sides especially if the ball bounced or the passes didn't go to hands. 

Laois came into the game knowing that anything but a win would put them in real danger of potentially facing the drop to Division 4, having not won against Limerick or Wexford.

Sligo kicked into a strong wind that was blowing from the Abbeyleix end and actually went three points to no score ahead with six minutes played. Pat Spillane, Canice Mulligan and Jack Lavin all raised white flags before Laois took over and scored 12 points on the trot to take full advantage of the breeze.

Rioghan Murphy cut Sligo's lead to a single point when he raised an orange flag for what was Laois' first score after seven minutes. Darragh Galvin was the scorer of Laois' second point and was fouled for Laois' third point after Evan O'Carroll pointed a free. O'Carroll had a shot at goal, but his pop shot was saved by Aidan Devaney. Galvin added a second point to his name before O'Carroll raised a second orange flag for Laois.

Murphy and a third two-pointer this time from captain Brian Byrne put Laois 0-10 to 0-3 ahead after 21 minutes. Murphy took his tally to four points in the first half when he pointed off his right after having a shot off his left blocked. His Portarlington club mate Galvin then got his third point of the half. Mikie Dempsey almost got a goal for Laois, but his deft flick from a shot from O'Carroll hit the post.

Sligo made Laois pay down the other end no more than 60 seconds later as Josh Hogan spilled the ball on his own 14-metre line and it left Luke Casserly with an easy chance of smashing the ball past Killian Roche. Just before half-time, Laois were given a golden opportunity of their own to get a goal when Murphy was fouled in the square. O'Carroll stepped up from the spot, but saw his penalty hit the post and go wide. Laois led 0-12 to 1-3 at the break as the hooter signaled the end of the first half.

The second half took its time to get going with eight minutes going by before the first score courtesy of Mulligan as he hand-passed the ball over. Portlaoise's Kevin Swayne almost got a goal for Laois, but Aidan Devaney saved his soccer-style effort. Jack Lavin pointed from outside the arc and suddenly Laois' lead was reduced to three points. Laois' first point of the second period didn't arrive until minute 47 as Murphy added to his tally.

Joshua Flynn came off the bench to put it back to three points again, but Laois took full control against the wind as they scored four points in a row. O'Carroll put the ball between the posts in what was a shot to nothing as referee Thomas Murphy was playing advantage after Sligo had breached the three-up. There was another Sligo breach a minute later with O'Carroll tapping over the free. Murphy and O'Carroll both finished the game with six points each as they added a score apiece.

The game ended with Niall Murphy (free) and Paul Kingston traded scores as Laois won by seven points in the end, in what was a superb performance from the seventh minute onwards.

Laois will travel to Ennis to face Clare next Sunday, February 22 at 2pm.

FINAL SCORE

LAOIS 0-18

SLIGO 1-8

SCORERS — Laois: Rioghan Murphy (one two pointer, 0-1 free) and Evan O’Carroll (one two pointer, 0-2 frees) 0-6 each, Darragh Galvin 0-3, Brian Byrne 0-2 (one two pointer), Paul Kingston 0-1. Sligo: Luke Casserly 1-0, Jack Lavin 0-3 (one two pointer), Canice Mulligan 0-2, Niall Murphy (free), Joshua Flynn, and Pat Spillane 0-1 each. 

LAOIS: Killian Roche (Killeshin); Ben Dempsey (Portlaoise), Trevor Collins (Graiguecullen), Jack Lacey (St Joseph's); Paddy O’Sullivan (Portarlington), Simon Fingleton (Park-Ratheniska), Kevin Swayne (Portlaoise); Rob Tyrrell (Courtwood), Conor Heffernan (Killeshin); Mikie Dempsey (St Joseph's), Brian Byrne (Captain, Graiguecullen), Josh Hogan (Portlaoise); Rioghan Murphy (Portarlington), Daragh Galvin (Portarlington), Evan O’Carroll (Crettyard). Subs: Darren Brennan (Portlaoise) for Hogan (40 mins), Paul Kingston (Arles-Killeen) for M Dempsey (47 mins), Jake Darcy (Annanough) for Lacey (55 mins), Ciaran Burke (Crettyard) for Tyrrell (68 mins), Alex Mohan (Portarlington) for B Dempsey (70 mins)

SLIGO: Aidan Devaney; Tommy Ross, Evan Lyons, Luke Casserly; Ross Doherty, Paul Kilcoyne, Jack Lavin; Canice Mulligan, Luke Towey; James Donlon, Niall Murphy, Cian Lally; Alan McLoughlin, Lee Deignan, Pat Spillane. Subs: Conor Sheridan for Kilcoyne (HT), Joshua Flynn for McLoughlin (43 mins), Dillon Walsh for Spillane and Patrick O'Connor for Doherty (Both 47 mins), David Quinn for Deignan (54 mins)

Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway)