Dromahair edge epic encounter
After a pulsating final that twisted one way and then the other, St. Patrick's Dromahair emerged with a three point victory over neighbours and great rivals Drumkeerin after an epic Minor Championship 13-a-side Final in Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada last Friday.
You’d have got long odds on Dromahair emerging with the victory after the first five minutes in which Drumkeerin looked a class apart, ripping apart their neighbours with precision movement and some marvellous long range shooting that put the Men in Maroon four points clear.
Yet within eight minutes, Dromahair were in front in as dramatic a turn-around as you could hope to see and a goal that came with a slice of good fortune as a long range Fergal McMorrow shot went into the net off the hands of the keeper Thomas McPartlan.
From then on, we had a game that swung wildly from side to side, the teams twice drawing level as both Dromahair and Drumkeerin went on scoring runs that ended eventually with a last minute goal for Drumkeerin’s John Gallagher that wasn’t quite enough to rescue a draw.
Dromahair’s strength around the middle of the field was crucial as was their ability to withstand whatever a younger Drumkeerin side threw at them in a game that certainly deserves a lot of praise for the approach of both teams.
There were quite a few stand-out performances on either side – Dromahair’s Enda Fowley was immense in the back-line, Fergal McMorrow and Rory Kelly stood out while the midfield pairing of Jamie Conlan & Martin Clancy landed six points between, Conlan in particular standing out with an end to end display.
Upfront, Martin Kelly and Killian Torsney were always a handful and even if they struggled against a tight marking Drumkeerin defence, they made life difficult for their neighbours.
For Drumkeerin, Declan Daly & Felim McHugh were quite outstanding in the rear-guard, cutting out attacks and driving their team on. James Gallagher covered acres in the middle of the field while Patrick McPartlin, Jamie Langan and Cathal McCauley looked like forwards who are real prospects for the future, their pace and accuracy causing real problems for Dromahair.
Drumkeerin started like a whirlwind with four points in the first five minutes – Jamie Langan fired over in the first minute before Cathal McCauley scored a lovely point on the turn.
A minute later, Seamus McNama fought his way through two tackles to point on the run in a fantastic score for the Drumkeerin men.
Drumkeerin’s lead stretched to four points when Dromahair’s Enda Fowley lost the ball in attempting to clear it and, pouncing quikcly, Cathal McCauley swept over a point.
Yet once Patrick McPartlin hit Drumkeerin’s first wide a minute later, it seemed to wake up Dromahair as Jamie Conlan and Martin Clancy combined to set up Mark Kelly for a lovely point on six minutes. Conlan then drew on a loose ball coming out of the Drumkeerin defence, first timing it over the bar on 11 minutes.
A Niall Hopper free left just a point in it but, 13 minutes in, Dromahair were dramatically in front but with a large slice of luck. Fergal McMorrow’s shot appeared to be going over the bar but dipped at the last moment. Keeper Thomas McPartlan seemed to have the ball covered but the ball bounced off his hands, went over his head and into the net.
Drumkeerin hit back six minutes later with Patrick McPartlan’s first point but Dromahair went three points clear when Hopper put over a free and a great run from Conlan set up Mark Kelly for another point.
Drumkeerin showed they weren’t going to lie down as Glen Kavanagh and McPartlan both scored great points in the space of a minute. Dromahair, however, responded with Rory Kelly raiding from defence to score while Conlan, after good work from Fergal McMorrow and Mark Kelly, pointed to leave the halftime score at 1-7 to 0-7 in favour of Dromahair at the break.
Martin Clancy extended Dromahair’s lead to four points after four minutes but Drumkeerin reacted in fantastic fashion, hitting four unanswered points in the next eight minutes. Jamie Langan and Patrick McPartlan both fired over excellent points before James Gallagher’s free on nine minutes left just a point in it.
Three minutes later, Cathal McCauley showed incredible poise under pressure when he juggled the ball, swinging on it as he appeared to lose control, scoring a wonderful equalising point.
Crucially, Drumkeerin missed a chance to go in front and points from Martin Clancy and Cian Clinton (free) within a minute had Dromahair back in control. Conlan then thumped a massive 55-yard effort from play over the bar and Dromahair certainly seemed to be on the road to victory when Martin Clancy hooked over a point.
Then we had the score of the day – Killian Torsney won the ball on the left wing along the sideline and inside the 13 metre line, swinging an almost unreal shot over the Drumkeerin bar in what must rank as one of the best points scored in Pairc Sean in this, or any other, year.
With four minutes to go, good work from Torsney resulted in Cian Clinton pointing but Drumkeerin were not going to lie down and throwing everything at their neighbours in the final minutes. Sub Diarmuid Horan set up John Gallagher for a great low finish to the Dromahair net in the last seconds of normal time.
That goal gave Drumkeerin a glimmer of hope but Dromahair ensured there was no way back as they scored an impressive win.
St. Patrick’s Dromahair
Michael O’Hara, Caolan McDermott, Enda Fowley, Fergal McMorrow (1-0), Rory Kelly (0-1), Kevin Vesey, Jamie Conlan (0-3), Martin Clancy (0-3), Cian Clinton (0-2), Mark Kelly (0-2), Colin Hamilton, Killian Torsney (0-1), Niall Hopper (0-2). Subs: Terry O’Brien for Hamilton (19 mins).
Drumkeerin
Thomas McPartlan, Ciaran Clancy, Conor Hickey, Declan Daly, Felim McHugh, James Hazlette, John Gallagher (1-0), James Gallagher (0-1), Glen Kavanagh (0-1), Seamus McNama (0-1), Patrick McPartlan (0-3), Jamie Langan (0-2), Cathal McCauley (0-3). Subs: Conor O’Donnell for Kavanagh (46 mins), Ciaran Hickey for McNama (50 mins), Diarmuid Horan for McCauley (55 mins).
Referee: Pat Flanagan.
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Weather for Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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