Dundrum 1-10
Banbridge 0-12
Lady luck shone
down on Dundrum in this one as
managerless Banbridge continued
their dismal run of defeats.
The west Down
side arrived at the coast leaderless
but they looked like taking home
the win late on. A great score by
full forward Rory Hill had give his
side a slender one point lead.
However, Dundrum's best forward on
the night Cormac Venney popped up
late on with a cheeky effort to seal
his side's first win in five games.
The 1st half was
very tight. Banbridge looked very
fit and mobile but their finishing
was woeful. Three clear cut goal
chances went amiss and they only
went in at the break leading by the
minimum.
It was Dundrum's
underage star Paul McComiskey who
got the game off to a good start for
the homeside. He slipped through the
Banbridge rearguard to fire over
from close range. Banbridge replied
shortly after when Rory Hill got out
in front of his man, turned with the
ball and hooked it over the bar with
his left boot.
After ten minutes
of action Banbridge took the lead
for the first time when Ruari Gillen
converted. However, the Duns offset
this when Kieran Walsh and Cormac
Venney scored a point apeice to
re-establish their team's advantage.
As both teams
began to settle their game it was
clear that Banbridge had the
upperhand in midfield. This allowed
for quick ball to be played in to
their nippy forwards. Scores from
Brian Og Donaghy and Rory Hill then
brought Banbridge back in to the
ascendancy.
The last eight
minutes of the 1st half saw scores
exchanged twice between the
entities. Dundrum half back Martin
Melville surged forward from his
berth and glided over a long range
effort to level the affair. Minutes
later though the away side won a
dubious penalty.The returning Johnny
Burns stepped up to the plate but
his effort scuttled wide of Colum
King's left post. This was a big let
off for the Duns.
Yet Banbridge had
the character to respond and Gillen
was to the fore again as he pointed
from wide on the right. Dundrum
captain Kieran Walsh then hit back
with a free before Banbridge's
attacking wing back Lee Rooney give
his team a half time lead when he
converted a delighful effort right
on the whistle.
Overall it was a
tightly contested 1st half but
Banbridge could have been leading by
more only for their dreadful
finishing.
The first fifteen
minutes of the 2nd half saw Dundrum
dominate their opponents. The
impressive Mickey Murray tightened
up his full back line while Kieran
Walsh and Aaron Doyle began to
battle harder around the middle.
Infact it was Walsh who opened the
half with an easy free to draw the
sides level once again.
Shortly after the
Duns tricky corner forward Cormac
Venney beat his marker to the ball
before setting off goalwards at a
searing pace. Calmly Venney opted
for a point and the homeside took
the lead for the third time in the
game.
Banbridge did
momentarilly draw level but 1-03
without reply from the hosts shocked
the travelling support. The robust
Paul McComiskey grabbed his second
of the night to get the resurgence
on the go. Substitute Jonathan
McMullan then pointed before Duns
shotstopper Colum King pulled off a
remarkable aerial save from Johnny
Burns to sustain the Dundrum purple
patch.
The homeside then
made a couple of changes. Full
forward Cathal Kielty came out to
play as a third midfielder while
Marc Cunningham was introduced in to
the backline and Chris Hogg deployed
into the forwards.
Hogg was only on
the pitch for a matter of minutes
when he became involved in the
Dundrum goal. A long searching ball
was sent in to the dangerzone. Hogg
outjumped his marker and palmed the
ball down to Cormac Venney who
picked up the ball at pace. Venney
then evaded his marker before
guiding the ball in to the top
corner. Banbridge goalkeeper Michael
McAllister made a valiant attempt to
stop it but Venney's precision made
a save near impossible.
After the goal
the game entered its last quarter.
Banbridge regrouped well after their
bad start to the half and they
preceded to lord it over the Duns
for the remainder of the game. Five
scores in succession brought them
back level. Johnny Burns long range
free taking was instrumental during
this period while Rory Hill's point
a minute before the end was the
leveller that Banbridge so
desperately needed. Despite all this
Banbridge were were guilty of yet
more wayward shooting with a couple
of more goal chances spurned.
Ironically it was
the most impressive player on the
pitch who scored the match winner.
With sixty minutes on the clock the
game loked like ending in a draw.
Step up Cormac Venney. The
industrious scoregetter got on the
end of a good pass from Neil
McComiskey. He then left his man for
dead before easily striking his
effort clean over the black spot.
Victory at last for the Duns!
Dundrum: C.King,
M.Rooney, M.Murray, P.Shields,
N.McComiskey, J.Hurley, M.Melville
(0-01), K.Walsh (0-03, 2 Frees),
A.Doyle, C.McShane, P.McComiskey
(0-02), N.McLaughlin, C.Venney
(1-03), C.Kielty, P.Rooney. Subs:
C.Hogg, M.Cunningham, J.McKibben,
J.McMullan (0-01)
