Mountmellick face into semi-final second leg trailing by a goal after first-leg loss

Mountmellick United were left wondering how a 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 defeat as they slipped up away to Clara Town on Sunday morning in the 1st Leg of their Division 3 Plate Semi Final. Cathal Cleary and Jamie Sales twice put their team in front but the home side found goals from nowhere to nab a victory. 

Sales was troubling the Clara defence right from the word go as his speed and tenacity kept getting him into dangerous positions. Mountmellick were playing 4-3-2-1 and the seven men in behind their front three are a big, physical unit. They were confident in possession and created plenty of chances with some patient build-up play.

Clara Town B 3

Mountmellick Utd B 2 

CCFL Division 3 Plate Semi Final 1st Leg

Clara were playing a more direct style and trying to use their pace to hurt Mountmellick. But, their best chances of the half all fell to Michael Moran. Twice the midfielder headed just over the crossbar from corners swung in by Tommie Bracken. He went close again on the half hour mark, but failed to turn the ball home at the back post. 

Mountmellick then broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Ryan Conran whipped in a cross from the left which Cathal Cleary got on the end of and finished beautifully into the net. The goal brought the rain but no more clear-cut chances and the half ended with the visitors 1-0 up. 

Clara equalised just two minutes into the second half when David Falsey got on the end of a long ball over the top from goalkeeper, Conor Cushen to finished beyond Ben Carroll in the Mountmellick net.  

Five minutes later, Sales put the visitors back in front with a real contender for goal of the season. The striker flicked the ball over the head of both Clara centre backs before controlling the ball in the air and hitting a left-footed volley over the goalkeeper – all without the ball ever hitting the ground.

Twenty minutes later, with Mountmellick on top, there was a second contender for the CCFL’s equivalent of the Puskás Award when Bracken’s free kick sailed into the top corner from at least 30 yards out.

The equaliser came completely against the run of play, as did Clara’s winner. Carroll failed to deal with a routine ball in the box, spilling it into the path of the oncoming James Kelly. Kelly almost missed unbelievably, the ball trickled over the line. 

Mountmellick must re-group for their mid-week league-decider with Emo Celtic and then try to correct the errors made here against Clara when the Offaly side visit Conor Davis Park for the second leg.

SCORERS – Clara Town: David Falsey, Tommie Bracken, James Kelly. Mountmellick Utd: Cathal Cleary, Jamie Sales.

CLARA TOWN B: Conor Cushen; Robert Moran, James Dunne, Robert Minnock, Caolan Mannion; Michael Moran, Jack Bryant; Josh Gifford, David Falsey, Tommy Bracken; Christy Minnock. Subs: Calvin Fox for M. Moran (55), Jack Bracken and James Kelly for Gifford and C. Minnock (both 61), Stephen Beehan for Bryant (86), Deasún Baggot for Falsey (88).

MOUNTMELLICK UTD B: Ben Carroll; Gary Grehan, Jack Lith, Phil Hibbitts, Michael McDermott; Rory Culleton, Cian Thompson, Cathal Cleary; Ryan Conran, Jeff Murphy; Jamie Sales. Subs: Aaron Kilpatrick for Sales (inj) (78).