Mills to the four to claim victory

Mills to the four to claim victory

19 September 2018

THERE was great relief all around Meadowvale at the full time whistle on Saturday  when Drumaness finally got their first win of the season.

Visitors Derriaghy didn’t provide much resistance though and the victory could have been more emphatic.

The Mills almost took the lead after just four minutes when a Christian Holland corner from the right was cleared to the edge of the box. Michael McGarrity headed the ball goalward and found Mark Holland in acres of space but his first time header went just wide of the post.

Derriaghy provided a scare at the other end when Kurtis Irwin chipped a ball over the home defence to put Ethan Taggart through on goal. But ‘keeper Jim Wright and full back Ryan Fitzpatrick combined to thwart the effort and clear the danger.

Midway through the half, a two-goal burst in two minutes saw the Mills rewarded for their attacking start.

A long throw from Conall Corrigan on the left bounced over a static defence and allowed Sean Dornan to nip in and take control. As ‘keeper Lee Guy came out to block, Dornan produced a clever lob which put his side in front.

The celebrations had barely settled when Drumaness went on the attack again. Winning an important tackle in midfield, McGarrity advanced forward and played a delicate chip over the Derriaghy defence which Marc Feenan latched on to and hammered in a shot from the edge of the box, which gave Guy no chance.

Feenan almost got his second just before the break when Dornan played a neat pass inside the full back, allowing the centre forward to advance into the box. He managed to go around the ‘keeper and shoot goalwards only for Irwin to get back and clear off the line.

Drumaness almost grabbed a bizarre third right at the start of the second period. As Corrigan bombed his way down the left, an attempted cross into the box caught the wind and was heading for the top right corner of the goals with Guy completely beaten. But the ‘keepers blushes were saved when the effort missed by inches.

Derriaghy almost cut the deficit when David Elliot played a delightful chip over the home defence, putting Stuart Clarke in the clear. His powerful drive from 18 yards beat Wright, but smashed against the crossbar before being cleared.

The best move of the game came when Mark Holland broke out of defence and set Gareth McKibben clear down the right. A pinpoint cross to the near post found Dornan rushing in, but his hooked effort just missed the post.

Derriaghy wasted another good chance when Taggart dribbled his way in from the left, but a lack of support forced him to shoot across goal and wide of the post.

Just like the first half, the Mills produced another dazzling piece of attacking play which saw them score two goals in two minutes, ending the game as a contest.

McGarrity, moving forward from midfield, unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards which rattled the crossbar. The rebound cleared to McKibben on the right wing. A measured cross to the far post, saw both Dornan and Feenan rise to head the ball home, with Feenan claiming the final touch.

A minute later, Sean McQuoid fired in a free from the left which Mark Holland stooped to head goalward, but Guy managed to get a hand to it and was cleared. From the resulting throw-in, Corrigan hurled the ball to the near post, again finding Holland rushing in ahead of his marker and he made no mistake this time.

The Mills almost made it three in three minutes, when McGarrity dribbled his way through the middle and provided the perfect cutback for Corrigan to hammer in a shot from the edge of the box which was tipped over the bar by Guy. From the corner, a McKibben cross found Dornan rising at the far post and his powerful header just scraped the outside of the post.

With five minutes remaining, the visitors grabbed a consolation goal when substitute Jamie Kidd broke down the left and, cutting inside, played a neat pass to Clarke at the near post. His first-time hooked effort just about beat Wright at the far post.