Drumaness put on the style to stay top

25 June 2014

DYNAMIC Drumaness went three points clear at the top of the table following this energetic victory over second-placed Dromara.

Drumaness went into this clash without 10 players, who were away on Gary Murdock’s ‘stag weekend’ in Prague, but you would never have thought it as the home side played with poise, style and conviction throughout.

When they got their passing game going, they were like a purring Rolls Royce and central to their attacking forays was the ageless Neil Stranney who gave an imperious display from his centre half forward berth.

The game was less than a minute old when Conor Walsh won the ball in the middle of the filed and launched a long pass in the direction of Patrick Rice.

The warrior of many a Drumaness battle won possession and released Donal Kennedy and he duly lofted the ball over the bar for the game’s opening score.

A minute later the impressive and hard working Paul Gilchrist combined with Philip Rogan before he extended Drumaness’ lead with another well taken score.

Dromara just couldn’t get settled and with five minutes gone Gilchrist converted a free to give Drumaness a 0-3 to 0-0 lead.

Colm Kelly finally got Dromara off and running when he split the posts in the sixth minute from a free, but Drumaness responded well and with 16 minutes gone yet another flowing move saw Rogan carve out a goal chance for Shane Melville, but he opted to drill the ball over the bar.

Dromara should have been put out of sight by this stage, but they weren’t and driven forward by Colm Kelly and Ritchie Gilmore they seized a foothold in the game and started to put the Drumaness defence under pressure.

Conor Burns reduced the arrears to two points when he scored from play after good work from Kieran Kelly and with 24 minutes gone Brendan McNeill made it 0-4 to 0-3 with another excellent score from play. Dromara now had their tails up and wagging fiercely after Burns brought the sides level with a well-worked score from play. With the 30 minutes up, Aaron Strain, who had just replaced the injured Sean McNally, lofted Dromara into a 0-5 to 0-4 lead, but Stranney burst through the Dromara cover to negate that score and send the teams in level at the break.

Strain, a big target man who looked a handful, picked up the first score of the second half when he plucked the ball out of the air, turned and fired over a delightful score to send Dromara back in front.

Rogan and Colm Kelly exchanged points before a Stranney free brought the sides level again at seven points each.

Brian McGivern, who bombed forward from centre half back, pointed Drumaness in front after 40 minutes, but that man Strain converted a free to bring parity to the score yet again. It was now a question of who wanted victory most and it was Drumaness who answered that with positive conviction.

Stranney turned his marker and a few other defenders inside out with his tasty turn of foot before pointing and his leadership was quickly followed by scores from Nathan Jones, a persistent and highly impressive Ryan Connolly and another from Stranney.

Dromara’s goose looked cooked, but they showed their resilience and with 50 minutes gone Drumaness ‘keeper Gary O’Hare earned his corn with a brilliant save to deny Brendan McNeill a certain goal. O’Hare’s save rebounded back out to McNeill, but he was denied again by a superb goal line clearance from an alert Connolly.

John Fegan did manage to reduced the leeway with a point for Dromara in the 55th minute, but Drumaness answered with similar scores from Kennedy and Gavin McEvoy. A converted Strain free ensured a frenetic finish to the game, but Stranney used all his guile to break on the counterattack and point with an effortless finish.

The last score of the game went to Dromara’s Colm Kelly, but it was never going to be enough to topple a well drilled and highly motivated Drumaness side.

Drumaness: G. O’Hare, B. McGivern (0-1), R. Walsh, P. Cassidy, S. Carville, R. Connolly (0-1), R. Murdock, P. Gilchrist (0-2), C. Walsh, P. Rogan (0-1), N.

Stranney (0-5), J. Barlow, S. Melville (0-1), D. Kennedy (0-2), P. Rice. Subs: N. Jones (0-1) for Barlow, G. McEvoy (0-1) for Melville, M. Fox for Rice, P. Bell for Carville.

Dromara: P. Rice, F. Kelly, V. Lavery, D. Drake, S. McNally, S. Austin, G. McIlroy, C. Kelly (0-2), R. Gilmore, C. Burns (0-2), G. Burns, J. Fegan (0-1), G. Drake, K. Kelly, B. McNeill (0-2). Subs: A. Strain (0-4) for McNally, McNally for G. Drake, E. Kelly for D. Drake, P. Doyle for G. Burns.

Drumaness 0-15

Dromara 0-11

ACFL DIVISION 3

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