Dromara advance at neighbour’s
expense in U-14 championship: Dromara
3-12 St Johns 1-05
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Dromara 3-12 v 1-05 St John’s Thu 24th
July 2008
There was more to this match
that the score-line would suggest as St John’s
gave as good as they got for three-quarters
of the game before succumbing to the hosts’
superior age and experience. Had the ref called
for time then we would be talking about a 1-5
to 0-5 result – still a victory for Dromara,
but a much fairer reflection on what had gone
on up to that point at least.
Dromara started the stronger
and were first on the scoreboard but good defending
in the opening five minutes restricted the hosts
to another couple of chances – a wide
and another chance deflected wide for a “45”.
Perhaps the rest of the team took their lead
from the resolve shown by Conor Savage, Michael
Keenan and the other backs, but soon it was
St John’s who were pushing forward as
Kevin Keenan, Colm Kelly and the midfielders
started to move the ball well. St John’s
equalised when Darren Morgan pointed a free
after Neil Savage had been pulled down after
a good run. Conor Gilmore converted a second
free to the visitors ahead.
Dromara clearly didn’t
like that situation and pushed forward again.
The drew level before Paddy Doyle made a storming
run through the middle and finished it with
a powerful shot to the net – a score from
which St John’s never fully recovered.
Neil Savage and Conor Gilmore fired wides before
Jamie McKeown got a brace of points.
St John’s then came back
into the ascendancy as they tried to peg the
difference back before the interval. A couple
of frees went narrowly wide at this crucial
time when scores were much needed. As it was
Darren Morgan got the last score of the half
to leave the scores at 1-4 to 0-3 at the turnaround.
St John’s came out fired
up in the second half and bossed the opening
exchanges. One effort from Kevin Keenan dropped
into the goalkeeper’s hands but his next
effort was a little higher – all the keeper
could do was to punch the ball over for a point.
Darren Morgan pointed to bring the deficit back
to two points – only a kick of the ball
in it now. However, the next score went to Dromara
as Jamie McKeown pointed after good work by
Brian Kelly and Paddy Doyle – that restored
the margin to three. The next score went to
Dromara as well and that proved to be the final
nail in the St John’s’ coffin for
it was a three-pointer. Gavin McIlroy played
a “45” in low towards the square
where Paddy Doyle fielded it, turned, took his
steps and rifled his shot home.
After that body-blow the St
John’s’ head began to drop –
they had battled well against a bigger, older
team but now the next six score went to the
hosts. It might have been seven but for a great
double save by Kay Langfeldt minding the St
John’s’ net. The only remaining
consolation for the visitors was the fact that
they got the last score, a goal in fact, and
that it was the best worked score of the evening.
Kevin Keenan played the ball out of defence
to Ciaran McKay. He gathered possession and
played the ball back to Colm Kelly. The ball
was moved on through the hands of Aidan O’Loan
and Neil Savage before Conor Gilmore finished
the move off by raising a green flag. A cheer
for St John’s but it is Dromara who advance
in the under-14 championship.
St John’s: Kay Langfeldt;
Aidan Morgan, Conor Savage, Patrick Keenan;
Michael Keenan, Kevin Keenan, Jerome Gordon;
Caolan Carville, Conor Gilmore; Colm Kelly,
Darren Morgan, Aidan O’Loan; Paddy O’Neill,
Neil Savage, Barry McAnulty. Sub used Ciaran
McKay for Paddy O’Neill.
