WESTENRA HOTEL JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP.
Drumhowan 1-11, Currin 0-7.
With James McElroy hitting the high spots at full forward with good support from Enda McElroy, Christopher McGinnity, Gerard Duffy and Colm Lambe Drumhowan simply possessed too much firepower for Currin in this fairly low key junior football championship game that was played in splendid conditions in Gavan Duffy Park on Sunday afternoon last. McElroy was master around the small square with his excellent fielding and ability to take scores and with a little more luck might well have finished with more than the three points he registered during an impressive hour. Team captain Colm Lambe rowed in with two points while Gerard Duffy finished with a goal and three, his goal in the 20th minute of the second-half the score that killed the game off completely as a contest. Drumhowan played the more purposeful football all through and were always dangerous on counter attacks while Currin relied largely on the ability of Dick Clerkin to create from midfield and the free taking of Gerard O’Callaghan, the latter finishing with four points all from frees, although he too might have finished with a higher tally with a little more luck. Currin led only once in the entire contest and that after nine minutes play when Gerard O’Callaghan converted a free as both sides found it difficult to settle with the result that a number of chances went begging at both ends. By the halfway stage Drumhowan had opened a four points lead, those four points coming in the final 10 minutes of the first half as they began to take increasing control in most sectors. By the 20 minute mark in the second-half Drumhowan had matters more or less wrapped up when they were ahead on double scores with Gerard Duffy then striking for the only goal of the game to send Drumhowan on their way to victory. Currin finished the game with 14 players when wing half forward Stephen Smith was dismissed in the 27th minute of the second-half.
The opening eight minutes was peppered with a number of tactical fouls for over carrying by players on both sides as well as chances missed at both ends from play and frees, the most glaring being when James McElroy created an opening for himself with a great catch in the sixth minute but blasted wide from close range. Gerard O’Callaghan opened scoring with a point from a free for Currin in the ninth minute following a foul on Gareth Beattie but a minute later James McElroy brought Drumhowan level following good work by Aidan Duffy and Gerard Duffy. Ben Clerkin went on a strong run for Currin to place Gerard O’Callaghan but he was off target before Christopher McGinnity converted a free in the 13th minute for a foul on James McElroy to put Drumhowan in front for the first time. Entering the second quarter Currin drew level with an excellent long-range conversion by Dick Clerkin following a foul on Stephen Smith but that was as good as it was going to get for Currin for the remainder of the game as Drumhowan regained the lead in the 17th minute with an excellent solo point from Christopher McGinnity when he burst clear of the Currin cover. Currin levelled matters again in the 19th minute with a point from a free by Stephen Smith but Drumhowan were soon back in front through Gerard Duffy who was causing problems. Five minutes from the end of the first half Duffy capitalised on a poor free out to put Drumhowan two in front with Currin then dropping two efforts short to the keeper before James McElroy put his side three in front on 28 minutes following a good pass from Colm Lambe. McElroy could well have extended Drumhowan’s lead in the following minute but he was denied twice by the upright in quick succession with Kieran Mooney putting his side four points clear two minutes into stoppage time to leave the half-time score Drumhowan 0-7, Currin 0-3.
Within three minutes of the restart Currin had reduced the deficit to three points when Gerard O’Callaghan converted a free but he squandered another chance immediately afterwards while at the other end Colm Lambe dropped his effort short to Currin keeper Waylon McEniff. Lambe made amends in the sixth minute when he converted a free after he himself had been fouled with Currin responding well but again failing to find the target in both the seventh and eighth minutes. Those misses allied to another point by Colm Lambe in the 10th minute helped Drumhowan push the margin to five points but Drumhowan then had to be grateful to Enda Duffy twice in quick succession as Currin began to threaten. The pressure was rewarded in the 14th minute with a point by Dick Clerkin and both sides again missing chances before Gerard Duffy restored Drumhowan to a five points lead after a period of Currin pressure. Any chance Currin had of making it a close finish evaporated almost completely in the 20th minute when Aidan Duffy, substitute Dermot McDermott and James McElroy combined to create the chance for Gerard Duffy who rifled home to put Drumhowan eight points in front. From there to the finish it was more a case of missed chances by both sides as Currin put in a great effort to get back into the game with Dick Clerkin driving them forward repeatedly but Drumhowan had the scent of victory and they were able to soak up the pressure although they did concede two points from frees to Gerard O’Callaghan in the 21st and 30th minutes, those scores coming either side of a good free kick conversion by James McElroy and the dismissal of Currin’s Stephen Smith.
Teams and Scorers: Drumhowan: Enda Duffy, Darren Duffy, Liam McGuirk, Dermot Mooney, Paddy Duffy, Damien Duffy, Kevin Mooney, Enda McElroy, Christopher McGinnity 0-2 (1f), Kieran Mooney, Brendan Duffy, Gerard Duffy 1-3, Aidan Duffy, James McElroy 0-3 (1f), Colm Lambe 0-2 (1f). Subs: Dermot McDermott for B Duffy, Rodney Mooney for A Duffy, Gavin Sheridan for P Duffy.
Currin: Waylon McEniff, Sean Brady, Conor McCaffrey, Enda McCaffrey, Stephen Beattie, Ben Clerkin, Shane O’Connor, Dick Clerkin 0-2 (1f), Michael Quigley, Gareth Beattie, Francis O’Callaghan, Stephen Smyth 0-1 (f), Gerard O’Callaghan 0-4 (f’s) Paul Rudden, Philip O’Callaghan. Subs: Stephen McQuaid for S O’Connor, Aaron Jenkins for S Beattie. Referee: Donal Connolly (Scotstown).
