DARRAGH Culleton fired the Wicklow League into the FAI Youth Interleague last eight with a strike at the end of the first period of extra time at Bridgewater Centre Park last Saturday afternoon.

On another day the hosts would have had this match wound up well before the end of 90 minutes but the Garden County side weren't firing on all cylinders against a defensive-minded Limerick side.

Wicklow had controlled the first half and took a deserved lead through Daniel Ledwith nine minutes before the half time break. Darragh Culleton started the move with an inspired run before finding Schools International Jack Tim Murphy on the edge of the box. The Wexford man then deceived the Limerick defence with a beautifully cheeky back-heel that Daniel Ledwith burst onto before stroking the ball past Limerick custodian Shane O'Sullivan.

Brian Byrne and Darragh Murray's side played some lovely stuff throughout the match and at times threatened to tear Limerick apart but the killer ball let them down time and time again.

They took their foot of the pedal somewhat after the break and Limerick began to grow in confidence, throwing off their defensive shackles as they searched for an equalizer.

And they came extremely close to getting it on the hour mark when some sloppy defending from Wicklow allowed Tony Quaid a clear path on goal but the frontman was denied brilliantly by Arklow Town's Jason Earls.

Earls was beaten nine minutes later though when the visitors netted from a set-piece. Quaid whipped in a left wing corner that gangly Gary Shanahan headed towards goal. The striker's effort was blocked on the line, but Shanahan was quickest to react and he somehow poked the ball through a sea of bodies to draw the sides' level.

Conceding that goal refocused the hosts' efforts and it wasn't long before they were bombarding O'Sullivan's goal with efforts once more.

Jonathan Kelty and Darragh Culleton both went close with strikes from distance before Ledwith came within a few inches of restoring his team's lead when his glanced header from Ciaran Byrne's corner kick flew narrowly wide of the far post.

Wicklow substitute Peter Walker then almost netted in bizarre circumstances when his extremely optimistic volley was turned around the post in the nick of time by O'Sullivan, who had been temporarily dazzled by the sun as Walker's shot came towards him.

Both sides then had heart in mouth moments at the end of normal time when both came very close to grabbing a dramatic winner.

First Wicklow's Ciaran Byrne had to make a vital last minute tackle to deny Shanahan as the striker looked poised to try his luck from just a few yards and then at the other end Ledwith latched onto Culleton's lofted through-ball but was foiled by the fingertips of O'Sullivan as the midfielder looked to round the shot-stopper.

In the dying moments at the end of the first period of extra-time Arklow Celtic man Peter Walker found Kelty in space and the winger laid it back to Culleton, who let rip from 20 yards and his effort sailed into the top right-hand corner of the net, past the helpless O'Sullvian.

In the second period of extra time Limerick understandably poured forward in a bid to keep their FAI Youth Interleague dreams alive and this meant Wicklow had plenty of opportunities to counter attack, with Culleton and James Scallan (twice) coming close to putting the result beyond doubt. But those chances proved insignificant when referee Lee Bevans blew the final whistle and the only thing that does matter from a Wicklow point of view is that they are into the competition's quarter finals where they will face Donegal in Donegal, with the tie to be played the weekend ending Sunday, April 28.

The Wicklow and District Football League are now accepting applications for the position of Oscar Traynor Manager for 2010/2011 season. All applicants should apply in writing no later than March 31.

- DANIEL GORMAN