Celebrations begin as Drumaness lift title

7 May 2014

DRUMANESS Mills are the new champions of the Amateur League’s Premier Section.

A draw was good enough on Saturday to secure the Jefferson Cup for the first time after Crumlin Star, the only team who could catch the Mills, were surprisingly beaten 4-1 at home by Comber Rec.

A win against Shankill would have sealed the league title for the Mills, but the party poopers netted a last minute equaliser to cancel out Kevin Duffin’s brilliant free kick.

However, Mills’ supporters had a hot line to the Cliff in Larne where Crumlin Star where playing and they knew that a point would be enough to bring league honours to Meadowvale for the first time in 25 years.

The final whistle was greeted by Mills players and supporters with unbridled joy and the celebrations went on to the wee, small hours for managers Dessie Campbell and David Straney and their merry band.

The game had started slowly with both sides going at it cautiously, but with 10 minutes gone Paul Walsh played in Anton McGrattan. The wide man raced through on goal, but with only ‘keeper Mark Winstone to beat, he shot early and had his shot blocked by the custodian.

Duffin then warmed Winstone’s hands with a stinging free kick before Mark Picking lobbed an effort over the bar at the other end in a lightening counterattack. With 21 minutes gone Shankill thought they had broken the deadlock when a Picking shot looked to have crossed the line in a goalmouth scramble, but the referee waved play on.

Paul Walsh led the counterattack and he fed Nathan Jones in space down the right flank. Jones held the ball up long enough to enable Walsh to provide the back-up, but the midfielder’s effort from outside the box went wide.

Ten minutes later Gavin McEvoy, my man of the match, tangled with Mickey Collins in the Shankill box, but Mills’ appeal for a penalty were turned down.

As the first half drew to a close another Duffin free kick into the melting pot gave Shankill cause for concern, but Conor Walsh was just unable to get a good contact with his head on the ball.

The Mills changed their tactics somewhat at the start of the second half, squeezing Shankill into their own half and not giving Collins and Scott McMillan as much time on the ball.

Drumaness now looked a different proposition and much more dangerous when in possession with Conor Walsh playing deeper and allowing McEvoy, McGrattan, Stevie Rogan and McEvoy to push on and put extra pressure on the Shankill back four.

This worked a treat and the visitors were forced into giving away a free kick 25 yards from goal after good pressure from Rogan and Paul Walsh. The position of the free was tailor made for Duffin and he stepped up and curled one of his low, trademark set-pieces into the net.

Now having taken the lead and with word filtering through that Crumlin Star were getting beat, the Mills looked home in a boat. Duffin and Rogan went close to increasing the Mills’ lead, but in added time, Shankill broke and McMillan scored with the last kick of the game.

Some Drumaness players didn’t know the score from Larne and collapsed onto the turf in dejection on the final whistle, but those emotions were quickly discarded when the pitch became a moving sea of blue and yellow as the entire Mills bench and supporters mobbed their team-mates.

Drumaness Mills: S. Keenan, O. Wright, B. Ward, K. Duffin, G. Murdock, G. McEvoy, A. McGrattan, N. Jones, P. Walsh, C. Walsh, S. Rogan. Subs: S. Mason, N. Jones, G. Morrison.

Shankill United: M. Winstone, A. Robinson, K. Madden, S. McMillan, C. Watters, S. Garrett, M. Marshall, M. Collins, A. McCracken, J. Mahoney, M. Picking. Subs: J. Wilson, L. Briers, S. Moore.

Drumaness Mills 1

Shankill United 1

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