UNIVERSAL GRAPHICS JUNIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.
Drumhowan 1-11, Emyvale 3-4.
Ulster and Monaghan club junior football club champions for 2008, Drumhowan, are back on the provincial scene again after they held out for the narrowest of victories over Emyvale in this pulsating junior football championship final that built to a nerve tingling finish in Scotstown on Sunday last. Overall Drumhowan were worthy winners as they battled for everything and showed the greater degree of hunger at vital times. Those qualities were seen to best effect in the final quarter after they had been rocked by two Emyvale goals within a minute midway through the second-half but they recovered to hold Emyvale scoreless for the remainder of the game while picking off three points, all from frees by man of the match Colm Lambe, to record the narrowest of victories. For Emyvale it was a day when things just didn’t gel but their decision making at times was flawed, their handling looked nervous and their shot options not what was required. They got off to a dream start with a goal and a point in the opening six minutes but from there to the halfway stage they found themselves on the back foot as Drumhowan dug in, defending in numbers when necessary, winning the vital break ball in midfield and then driving forward in numbers when the occasion arose with a goal by Colm Lambe helping them to a three points lead at half-time. They went through a difficult patch after conceding the goals but recovered and then went on to hold out for victory in a nail biting finish although they did enjoy a modicum of good fortune as Emyvale squandered at least four good chances that could have at least put the issue to a replay.
Ground conditions were greasy and there was quite a strong breeze which favoured Drumhowan in the first half, but it was Emyvale who made most of the early running and opened the scoring with a point by Martin McAree in the fourth minute following good work by Darren McKernan and Robbie McHugh. Two minutes later things looked to be going according to plan and predictions when Daniel McMahon and John Thomas Treanor came on the attack with Gavin McKernan getting a deft flick to Treanor’s centre but to put the ball into the path of Martin McAree and he gave Enda Duffy in the Drumhowan goal no chance to put Emyvale four points in front. Darren McKernan had a chance from a free to extend their lead two minutes later but was off target with Drumhowan then opening their account with a point from a free by Colm Lambe in the ninth minute after a foul on David Millar. Two minutes later Millar sent another free in to Colm Lambe who in turn placed Kieran Mooney and Drumhowan had halved the deficit. Entering the second quarter points by Michael Atkinson and David Millar following good work by Ciaran McElroy, Ciaran Deery and Anthony Mulligan brought Drumhowan level with both sides then missing chances at either end before Drumhowan took the lead for the first time when David Millar collected a loose ball and parted quickly to Kevin Mooney who did the rest. Entering the final 10 minutes of normal time in the first half Darren Duffy, whose battle with Ryan McAnespie was one of the features of the game, won possession and got the ball in long to Kieran Mooney who in turn placed Michael Atkinson and he put Drumhowan two points in front. Emyvale had been playing second fiddle for quite a spell at this stage but James Bellew sent in a good ball to Martin McAree who was fouled and Daniel McMahon converted the free to reduce the deficit to the minimum. McMahon had a chance a minute later to bring his side level when he was well placed at the end of a great run by Ryan McAnespie but was off target. Another Emyvale attack was repulsed with Drumhowan then coming on a counter attack through Darren Duffy, Kevin Mooney and Ciaran McElroy who spotted Colm Lambe in behind the Emyvale cover and picked him out with an accurate pass with Lambe then driving forward and giving Emyvale keeper Matthew McAree no chance to put his side four points in front. Emyvale’s Ryan McAnespie and James McAllister were both off target immediately afterwards but a point by James Bellew two minutes into stoppage time left Drumhowan three points ahead at the break on a half-time score of Drumhowan 1-6, Emyvale 1-3.
Emyvale started the second half with promise but squandered the advantage of a free by playing it short and the move then broke down with Martin McAree converting a free after five minutes following a foul on Daniel McMahon to reduce the deficit to two. Two minutes later Drumhowan responded through Ciaran Deery to reopen a three points lead and it was now their turn to be wasteful with two bad wides in quick succession from very scoreable positions although at the other end their defence stood tall with Ryan McAnespie dispossessed in a dangerous looking attack. John Paul O’Neill started the counter-attack down the right wing that was carried on by Dermot Mooney who got the ball in to Ciaran Deery who was fouled and Colm Lambe converted the free to put Drumhowan four points in front 11 minutes into the second half. Emyvale were now showing greater promise going forward and Ryan McAnespie looked to have a goal at his mercy when he brought through in the 12th minute but he blasted wide. He made amends a minute later when he won a difficult ball out field and broke clear before placing Martin McAree who netted his second goal to reduce Drumhowan’s lead to the minimum. McAnespie was again central to a similar move a minute later when he won possession and got a good ball in to Daniel McMahon who spotted wingback Robbie McHugh coming forward, McHugh collected McMahon’s cross and blasted home to put Emyvale back in front for the second time in the match. It should have been a defining moment and most in the good attendance in Scotstown felt that the goals would be the catalyst for Emyvale to drive on but they had underestimated Drumhowan and their determination and hunger as they again dug deep into their reserves of strength, courage and commitment to turn the game in their favour yet again. A full ten minutes had elapsed though during which time they had squandered a couple of chances before Drumhowan brought the margin down to the minimum with a point from a free by Colm Lambe. Emyvale also lost the advantage of a line ball over their delay in taking it and the referee Martin McNally threw the ball up with Drumhowan winning possession. A point from a free by Colm Lambe with four minutes of normal time remaining levelled matters again and two minutes late he fired over a magnificent point from a long-range free following a foul on Kieran McElroy to put his side back in front. In the final two minutes and the three minutes of stoppage time that were played Emyvale threw everything into attack in an effort to salvage the situation but both Daniel McMahon and Darren McKernan were off target from long-range frees while another effort came back off the upright and a deft flick by James Bellew from the edge of the Drumhowan square was just narrowly wide as time ran out and Drumhowan were crowned champions by the narrowest of margins.
Teams and Scorers: Drumhowan: Enda Duffy, Martin McElroy, John Paul O’Neill, Niall Mooney, Darren Duffy, Patrick Mulligan, Dermot Mooney, Kieran McElroy, Anthony Mulligan, David Millar 0-1, Kevin Mooney 0-1, Michael Atkinson 0-2, Ciaran Deery 0-1, Kieran Mooney 0-1, Colm Lambe 1-5 (0-5f). Subs: Aidan Duffy for M Atkinson.
Emyvale: Matthew McAree, Sean McMeel, Colin Hughes, Greg Devlin, Robbie McHugh 1-0, Jonathan Morrough, John Thomas Treanor, James Bellew 0-1, Darren McKernan, Brendan O’Neill, Daniel McMahon1-1 (0-1f), Ryan McAnespie, Martin McAree 1-2 (0-1f), Gavin McKernan, James McAllister. Subs: Gareth McQuaid for J McAllister, Michael Flannery for J Morrough, Brendan Askin for G McQuaid, Donal McAreavey for D McKernan. Referee: Martin McNally (Corduff).
REACTION.
It was understandable that there would be contrasting emotions in the two camps at the end of last Sunday’s final, Drumhowan celebrating a hard earned victory while the Emyvale faces were reflecting the pain of defeat and the disappointment of not having done themselves justice. The Drumhowan manager Gerry Quinn acknowledged that his side had enjoyed a little bit of good luck in the closing stages but Emyvale manager Declan Brennan acknowledged that Drumhowan were the better team on the day and that Emyvale really could offer no excuses. Drumhowan manager Gerry Quinn could not hide his delight, first of all at the victory but also at how his team had performed with a battling display of great guts and courage. “That was an unbelievable display after giving three goals away, one in the first half and two in the second half, and still came back to win it. We were maybe a little lucky at the finish because Emyvale I think were very unlucky not to score a point or maybe even a goal at the very end but the way it worked out we are just delighted”.
The manager acknowledged that Emyvale had got off to the better start and that his side perhaps took a little while to settle but once they found their feet they dug in. “We actually have been doing that from the start of the year because we got off to a bad start to the year so we just dug in and pushed on. We also dug a few men out as well when we coaxed a couple back who had retired and that made an awful difference”.
The Drumhowan manager was very happy with the work rate as he saw his side win most of the break ball around midfield and using it to good effect. “Yes the boys worked hard but I have to say after they (Emyvale) scored the two goals we got a bit panicky and started going for goals but we got them settled and pointed out that we only needed two points so the boys just kept plugging away and we got a point from a free and then we got another one and then the winner and it was that spirit that won it”. So for Drumhowan its on now to the Ulster club championship and the club has been there before and were successful. “Yes we’ve been there before, we won it in 2008 but this is a whole new team, there are 10 of the boys from the last team that won it not playing any more so we don’t know what to expect but all I can say is that Drumhowan will represent Monaghan to the best of their ability but we’ll also do a little bit celebrating now before we start thinking about that”.
EMYVALE MANAGER Declan Brennan readily agreed that he was disappointed and not just with the outcome of the match but equally disappointed at certain aspects of Emyvale’s performance. “No the boys did not do themselves justice today and I have to say straightaway that the better team won on the day and if we had got a goal there at the very end and snatched it, it would have been an injustice to Drumhowan. We didn’t play well, we scored two goals midway through the second-half and we should have kicked on from there but we didn’t. There’s no point in saying anything else although I have to say we also showed a little bit of indiscipline as well giving away a couple of unnecessary frees and some of them being made easier being moved for dissent from a not scoreable position to a scoreable position and that proved critical at the end”.
Emyvale had got off to an ideal start with a goal and a point in the opening six minutes but they did not keep that momentum going and Declan Brennan was in no mood to make excuses. “That’s true, we started well but from there on the stats speak for themselves because we lost a lot of ball out around midfield, breaking ball that Drumhowan exploited. I have to say I thought Drumhowan were very manly today, they went for the ball, they were very hungry and they just simply got the better of us in certain positions and we just didn’t do enough to win it”. So did the manager feels that perhaps there was an element of nervousness in Emyvale’s play. “No, absolutely not, we have no excuses, everything had gone well in training and as far as we were concerned we were ready. We were beaten by the better team on the day. People will be looking at Emyvale in junior football and saying they have a big panel of players and we have but we put in a massive effort and I want to thank the players for that. We applied ourselves very well but things just didn’t come together today for us. At the end of the day it’s the manager’s job to do that and we just didn’t do it”. So as far as Emyvale gaining promotion is concerned its now concentration on the league as they are already through to the semi-final. “Yes it is and that’s where it is now and we would like to be getting promoted because that was the goal at the start of the year, but at the end of the day you want to win the championship and there’s no point in saying anything else, you want to win the championship. Yes of course we will now be going for the league but the championship was our main priority”.
HOW THEY PLAYED.
Fortune favours the brave is often a term that is used to describe an outstanding performance where individuals or a team go beyond the ordinary and take victory possibly slightly against the odds. For Drumhowan last Sunday’s victory in the junior football championship was a tactical one but also one that was based on hard work, commitment and a willingness by everyone to put in the hard yards throughout, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Goalkeeper Enda Duffy could do little about either of the three shots that beat him but those goals by Emyvale were just momentary lapses in a very well-organised Drumhowan defence. John Paul O’Neill and Patrick Mulligan shored up the central positions while corner backs Martin McElroy and Niall Mooney both worked hard as did Dermot Mooney at left halfback and Darren Duffy whose pace and ball carrying ability was central to Drumhowan’s counter-attacking strategy. He was delegated a man marking job on Ryan McAnespie and held the young minor star scoreless. Midfield and their ability to pick up on broken play was a central plank of this Drumhowan victory with Kieran McElroy and Anthony Mulligan working tirelessly throughout, McElroy in particular getting on the ball repeatedly to good effect. The Drumhowan attack also delivered with all six starting forwards getting on the score sheet and with a slightly more clinical approach could well have registered a few more points. David Millar, Kevin Mooney, Ciaran Deery and captain Kieran Mooney hit points apiece, Michael Atkinson rowed in with two and Colm Lambe completed the scoring with 1-5, all five points coming from frees as he repeatedly punished touches of indiscipline in the Emyvale defence. All in all, a commanding performance where commitment and concentration were paramount.
For Emyvale this was one that they will probably prefer to forget as very little went either the way they had planned or the way they wanted. Matthew McAree on goals was a good last line but possibly the enforced changes that they made prior to the start led to a degree off unsettlement and nervousness in their defence as they were repeatedly turned over too easily. James Bellew started in midfield but later moved to the edge of the square and was unlucky not to get a late goal when his flick-on to a high centre was just outside the post. All in all Emyvale were out of things in midfield although Michael Flannery did make a difference when introduced in the second half and their attack had one of the toughest days they experience in the championship as Drumhowan afforded them very little time or space on the ball. Ryan McAnespie and Daniel McMahon combined very effectively at times and Marty McAree was always dangerous but too often the supply in to the inside men was not of the quality or the quantity that was needed. Team manager Declan Brennan did ring the changes as the game went on and Emyvale looked poised to push on for victory when they struck two goals inside a minute midway through the second half but they were unable to capitalise as Drumhowan regrouped to effectively close the game out with three points, all from frees and it was a shattered Emyvale who were left to ponder just what might have been at the finish.
