Drumkeerin overcome bad start to storm to U-16 title
They say a good start is half the battle but Drumkeerin proved that one wrong last Sunday in the splendid Shane McGettigan Park, Drumshanbo when they recovered from a seven point deficit to defeat Glencar/Manor by five points in the Under 16 Championship 15-a-side Final.
U-16 15-A-SIDE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
DRUMKEERIN 3-9
GLENCAR/MANORHAMILTON 2-7
Drumkeerin got a terrible start, conceding 2-3 to a rampant Glencar/Manor in the first 12 minutes and looking completely at sea against the movement, speed and skill of a blistering Manorhamilton side.
But showing great courage and an ability to pounce on chances when they present themselves, Drumkeerin blitzed their north Leitrim rivals for 2-1 in the space of a minute in the first half and from then on, they never looked back in a very entertaining Final.
Given the difficult and wet conditions that made ball handling extremely difficult, both teams produced some wonderful fluent football, with players from both sides grabbing the attention with stand-out displays.
But once Drumkeerin got a grip on this game, they refused to let go and despite the odd bout of inaccuracy, something that cost them the Under 16 League crown earlier this year, Drumkeerin were well worth their win.
Picking one player out is almost impossible as Drumkeerin produced a great team display, with players working their socks off for each other. But you have to highlight the contributions of James Gallagher & Conor O'Donnell in midfield who recovered from a dodgy start to dominate the sector.
In defence, Felim McHugh was a rock at centre-back and as the game progressed, Declan Daly & John Woods helped close down a dangerous Manor attack. Drumkeerin's attack also came up with the goods as Ciaran Hickey. Patrick McHugh and Jamie Langan were always a serious threat.
Glencar/Manor must wonder if their blistering start lulled them into a false sense of security – you couldn't fault the work of Killian McGriskin & Mark Fox while Cian McManus, Patrick Loughlin and Dylan McWilliams also stood out. Upfront, David Brick probably didn't get the service he needed but he, Ronan Flynn & Niall Brady looked dangerous when they got on the ball.
Glencar/Manor started like trains – Patrick Loughlin scored a great point from the right wing before setting up Dylan McWilliams for another long range point two minutes later. Ronan Flynn added a point as Manor raced into a three point lead.
That lead was doubled on seven minutes when James Rooney & Niall Brady combined down the wing and released David Brick for a great goal as a shell-shocked Drumkeerin struggled.
They did lift the siege temporarily on ten minutes when Patrick McHugh made a great catch from a free and turned sharply to score. But it was short-lived as a free was spilled by keeper Adam Woods and David Brick showed a predator's reaction to force the ball home.
However, Drumkeerin were started to get a grip on the game but a fine Langan point their only return on 17 minutes from five attempts.
But the game changed completely on 22 minutes. A Glencar/Manor kickout was knocked on towards Patrick McHugh. He fisted the ball first time over his head and then ran on to take the return from Langan as he drilled the ball to the Manor net.
Langan then went into scoring mode himself, pointing after a one-two with James Gallagher before pouncing on a loose ball after Ciaran Hickey’s run through the centre of the Manor defence, side-footing the ball to the net.
Patrick McHugh was inches away from a third Drumkeerin goal in less than two minutes but when James Gallagher pointed, it put them into the lead after being eight points down after 12 minutes.
Dylan McWilliams pointed a fine effort to level the scores at 2-4 apiece at the break but Manor had a lucky escape when keeper Patrick Clancy stopped Conor O’Donnell’s effort from entering the net after an injury time free spilled in front of the goal.
Drumkeerin took up in the second half where they had let off with O’Donnell hitting the post, the ball rebounding to Jamie Langan who crashed a powerful shot off the crossbar.
Ronan Flynn edged Manor back in front with a free but James Gallagher levelled four minutes later, a score quickly wiped out when Flynn scored a lovely effort from the right corner.
Glencar/Manor held their lead for eight minutes but it was Drumkeerin who were pressing only for wides to hurt them. But two James Gallagher points, one from a free, suddenly propelled Drumkeerin in front midway through the second half.
Drumkeerin continued to miss chances before Ciaran Hickey’s point put them two clear with 12 minutes to go. Wides started to mount as both sides missed two chances each.
Manor kept the pressure on when Killian McGriskin, relocated from full-back, played a one-two to point with less than six minutes to go. The pressure was really on but Drumkeerin’s disciplined defence never gave up too many scoring opportunities.
With Glencar/Manor pushing hard for victory, Drumkeerin sealed the win when Jamie Langan robbed a Manor defender trying to come out with the ball. His pass found Ciaran Hickey completely unmarked and a cool finish settled the game.
Langan made completely sure when Hickey returned the favour by setting him up after a great run in injury time as the final whistle brought scenes of wild delight from Drumkeerin players and supporters.
Drumkeerin
Adam Woods, Declan Daly, Diarmuid Horan, Aaron Wynne, John Woods, Felim McHugh, James Hazlette, James Gallagher (0-4), Conor O’Donnell, Cathal McCauley, Ciaran Hickey (1-1), Glen Kavanagh, Jamie Langan (1-3), Patrick McHugh (1-1), Adrian Forde.
Glencar/Manorhamilton
Patrick Clancy, Andrew Gilligan, Killian McGriskin (0-1), Brendan Byrne, Niall McLoughlin, Mark Fox, Cian McManus, Patrick Loughlin (0-1), Dylan McWilliams (0-2), James Rooney, Ronan Flynn (0-3), Alan Curran, Niall Brady, David Brick (2-0), Killian Kerrigan. Sub: Paul Hazlette for Gilligan (43 mins).
Referee: Kieran Moran.
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Weather for Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
