Darragh Cross defeat Dundrum in Championship
By
Daniel Murray
Darragh
Cross 0-9 Dundrum 0-8
A
win is a win will be Darragh Cross'
analysis of this game, after a single
point victory despite not being at
their best against a determined Dundrum
side in the Intermediate Championship
on Thursday evening. A perfect pitch
at St Johns was the venue for this
quarter final tie, and Darragh were
pushed all the way by their Division
3 opponents. The sides were level
five times during the game, in what
was generally a stop-start match.
There were far too many hold-ups for
officials consulting with eachother,
despite there hardly being a bad challenge
in the whole game. Dundrum played
for more than half of the game with
14 men after influential midfielder
Kieran Walsh was sent off for two
bookable offences, and deserve great
credit for showing great hunger and
spirit to provide an exciting finish.
Tom
McMahon took a pass from Eoin Mageean
and hooked over the opening score
for Darragh, but county stay Paul
McComiskey fisted over an equaliser
in Dundrum's first attack. Mark McMahon
curled over from the right, before
a 45 from Eoin Mageean gave Darragh
a two-point lead. Mageean had a fine
opening to the game, and his next
score was impressive, beating his
man to the ball and lofting a high
shot over the bar from distance. Chris
Hogg pulled a point back for Dundrum,
before Mark McMahon restored the three
point advantage for Darragh with a
close range point. Dundrum finished
the half strongly, with McComiskey
scoring all three of their points,
two from frees, to leave the sides
level at the break, this despite the
fact that they had lost Walsh to that
red card. Darragh also had a goal
disallowed in the closing stages of
the half when a ball in from Peter
Swail went straight to the net but
a square ball was given.
Marcus
Miskelly and Paul McComiskey scored
frees at either end at the start of
the second half, before Eoin Mageean
pointed a free to put Darragh ahead
by the minimum. Dundrum had their
keeper to thank in Darragh's next
attack, when firstly Gerard Gelston
smashed a shot off the crossbar, and
from the rebound Colum King produced
a supeb save from Mark McMahon's goalbound
effort. John Hurley hooked over a
leveller at the other end to give
the Dundrum fans in the large crowd
hope, and a McComiskey free put them
in the lead for the first time in
the game minutes later. Darragh won
a free at the other end and Hugh Murray
curled over to level the game again,
and with two minutes of normal time
left good work from Dermot Timoney
released Marcus Miskelly to curl over
Darragh's winner. Darragh will need
to improve for the semi-final, but
had good performances from Paddy Murray,
Sean Timoney, Fintan Murray and Eoin
Mageean. McComiskey was Dundrum's
main dangerman, with Marty Coughlan
and John Hurley also having solid
performances.
Darragh
Cross - G Marks, S Timoney, F Murray,
D McGreevy, P Murray, E Murray, N
McGreevy, T McMahon (0-1), P Swail,
D Timoney, M Miskelly (0-2), P McMahon,
M McMahon (0-2), H Murray (0-1), E
Mageean (0-3)
Sub used - G Gelston
