REPORT: Stradbally hold on to senior status with hard fought win

Stradbally have secured their senior football status for 2021 after they got the better of Arles Kilcruise in O'Moore Park on Saturday afternoon.

In a teak tough battle right the way through, Stradbally pulled away in the second half with a fortuitous goal from Garry Comerford 10 minutes after the restart giving them the impetus to kick on.

Laois Senior Football Championship Relegation Semi Final

Stradbally 2-9

Arles Kilcruise 1-6

Arles Kilcruise now must dust themselves down for a relegation final with Courtwood in what has been a year to forget for them so far.

Arles Kilcruise had the aid of a massive breeze in the first half blowing straight down to the Abbeyleix end and they were first off the mark when David Conway slotted over.

Stradbally were extremely patient in the first half and wasted very little ball against the wind and they got back on level terms on six minutes when Garry Comerford kicked a super point off balance and off his weaker right foot.

David Conway was certainly making hay in the full forward line for Kilcruise in the early stages and he sneaked in behind the full back on eight minutes to latch onto a ball and coolly dispatch to the net to give Kilcruise a cushion.

Conway brought his total to 1-2 three minutes later with a superb point as they led by four points.

Stradbally then began to slowly claw their way back into the game and it was their calmness on the ball that stood to them.

Garry Comerford was in at full forward and it was clear that he was the first point of attack should the chance be on to pick him out.

After a Jody Dillon free, Comerford kicked three more frees and after 20 minutes the sides were level at 1-2 to 0-5.

Colm Begley then snuck Stradbally ahead on 25 minutes but two quick fire points from Ross Munnelly and the man in form –David Conway put Kilcruise back in front 1-4 to 0-6 with two minutes to go until the break.

It stayed thay way until half time and while Stradbally would have been happy enough that they had the wind to come in the second half, they did lose Jody Dillon late on in the half to injury.

The second half proved to a low scoring and a war of attrition of sorts. Despite now playing against the gale, Kilcruise got the opening score of the half when Chris Conway curled a free between the posts.

They were two points up but all that was about to change with 40 minutes on the clock. Colm Begley's shot came back off the post and into the path of Garry Comerford. Comerford made some room for himself and let fly with a rocket to the roof of the net from close range to put Stradbally 1-6 to 1-5 in front.

Kilcruise were now struggling to get any forward momentum as Stradbally began to kick on. Garry Comerford landed another superb point from play, quickly followed by one from a free while substitute Ciaran Lawlor tagged on another to leave them 1-9 to 1-5 ahead with three minutes of normal time to play.

The score of the game was reserved for injury time as Darragh Carolan went on a run a good 50 metres from goals, beat a couple of defenders and struck to the net to put the icing on the cake for Stradbally as they maintained their senior status.

STRADBALLY

Scorers: Garry Comerford 1-6 (0-4 frees), Darragh Carolan 1-0, Jody Dillon (free), Colm Begley, Ciaran O’Neill 0-1 each

Team: Wayne Comerford; Conor Goode, Damien Murphy, Liam Knowles; Paul Begley, Eamon Delaney, Darragh Carolan; Killian McGannon, Colm Begley; Padraig Fitzpatrick, Tom Shiel, James Kavanagh; Brendan Lawlor, Garry Comerford, Jody Dillon. Subs: Ciaran Lawlor for Jody Dillon inj (27m), Eoin Buggie for Padraig Fitzpatrick (42m), Daren Maher for Killian McGannon (59m)

 ARLES KILCRUISE

Scorers: David Conway 1-3, Ross Munnelly 0-2 frees and Chris Conway 0-1 free

Team: Dermot Nolan; PJ Lawlor, Ciaran Lawlor, Cialann Mulhall; Caomhan Brennan, Conall Brennan, Alan McLoughlin; Kevin Meaney, Mark Wall; John P Conway, Liam Whelan, Francis Egan; Ross Munnelly, David Conway, Chris Conway. Subs: Anthony McElroy for Ciaran Lawlor (39m), Aaron Moore for Caomhan Brennan (53m), Dylan Waters for Liam Whelan (53m), Kevin O’Neill for John P Conway (60m).

Referee: J Flynn