Down ACFL Division 3: Dundrum 2-13 Bredagh 3-08

Dundrum captain Kieran Walsh's last minute goal typified the spirit of his teamates in this epic encounter. When all looked lost Walsh found it within himself to perservere to the final whistle. In the end his gritty determination paid off as the Duns soared to the top of Division 3 for the first time since the Autumn of 1987.

Walsh's last gasp goal may have grasped victory from Bredagh's hands but looking back it is fair to say that on the whole Dundrum deserved the two points. They were on top throughout the 1st half and despite a fifteen minute lapse at the start of the 2nd half they were generally the more productive side.

Leading 1-07 to 1-04 at the break the Duns had Conor McShane to thank for their goal. Bredagh's netbuster came just minutes before the whistle and it was attributed to corner forward Niall Devlin. Dundrum wasted at least three goal chances in the first thirty minutes and really should have been ahead by more at the interval.

The 2nd half was a rollercoaster of a ride. Bredagh dominated the early passages with Paddy Heaney and Henry Deazley on top in midfield. The introduction of the excellent Conall Toland in to the fray added an extra buzz to the Bredagh attack. His score with his first touch was the precursor to goals from Niall Devlin and Enda Gormley which saw the Ravenhill Road side lead by four points with only thirteen minutes remaining.

Unfortunately though for Bredagh they ran out of steam and Dundrum really exploded on to the scene when it counted. Walsh and Gormley swapped scores before the Dundrum captain sailed over a 45' to leave three in it.

The Duns coolness under pressure became evident soon after as points from Martin Coughlan and Paul Rooney brought the minimum between the sides. However, the killer touch was applied in the dying seconds as Walsh fisted to the Bredagh net after a sublime pass from Marc Cunningham caught Bredagh napping.

Overall, Dundrum deservedly took the victory. Philip Shields was once again superb at the back marking Enda Gormley out of the game for long periods. Martin Melville also displayed excellent discipline in curtailing the threat of full forward Charlie Pat McCartan. John Hurley and Marc Cunningham were the pick of the half back line while Kieran Walsh was inspirational once again at midfield. The six attackers worked extremely hard and with all of them combining effectively they can be happy as a unit with their workrate throughout.

Bredagh had strong performances from Shane Donnelly and Mark Diamond at the back, Henry Deazley and Paddy Heaney in midfield and Niall Devlin and Conall Toland in the forwards.

If Bredagh had of desisted from their long ball tactic and had not let themsleves get carried away midway during the 2nd half then the result could of been very different. However, Dundrum always looked sharper and seemed to really come in to their own near the end. The healthy rivalry between the two teams continues to evolve and another cracker is surely in store for the return game in Cherryvale.

Dundrum: C.King, N.McComiskey, M.Melville, P.Shields, D.Kavanagh, J.Hurley (0-01), M.Cunningham, K.Walsh (1-04, 3F), A.Doyle (0-01), C.McShane (1-01), C.Hogg, J.McKibben, P.Rooney (0-02, 2F), C.Venney (0-02), M.Coughlan (0-02).