Sweet Sixteen

The senior football team suffered another heavy defeat in their league campaign at home to bottom of the table strugglers Greenlough. The visitors ran out winners by sixteen points on a score line of 2-09 to 7-10 (seven).

This defeat delivered a hammer blow to any hopes we had of avoiding the drop or being involved in a play off match. With three games left to play in this year's campaign things look very bad for the seniors and their third division status. Nothing short of a miracle is now required to offer any hope of survival.

Greenlough scored 2-02 within the first ten minutes to Drumsurn's single point (courtesy of Ronan McNickle). Points from Stephen Harbinson and Pierce McNickle reduced the gap to five points but another Greenlough goal and point knocked the stuffing out of Drumsurn with only sixteen minutes of football played (0-03 to 3-03).

Ciaran Mullan converted a 45 yard kick to reduce the gap to eight points, but up popped Greenlough again to kick two consecutive points from play and then in the twenty fifth minute of the half their fourth goal of the game to complete their first half scoring.

In the final two minutes of the half Stephen Harbinson and then Ryan Mullan kicked two short range Drumsurn points to register a half time score line of 0-06 to 4-05 in favour of Greenlough.

Any hope of a second half comeback by Drumsurn was dealt a cruel blow in the fourth minute when Greenlough scored their fifth goal of the game. A speculative high ball into the Drumsurn goal mouth ended up striking the upright first then the ground. The back spin on the ball was heavy enough to carry it into the back of the net past the out stretched arm of Dane Mullan.

Over the next five minutes Drumsurn scored two goals of their own. Ryan Mullan unleashed a superb right footed shot, while Ronan McNickle had the simplest of tap-ins.

Greenlough then scored three unanswered points from play to leave the score at (2-06 to 5-08) with fifteen minutes of the match left to play.Greenlough then scored three unanswered points from play to leave the score at (2-06 to 5-08) with fifteen minutes of the match left to play.

Drumsurn registered another three points before the final whistle courtesy of Ciaran Mullan, Dean O'Neill and Ciaran Ferris. In the final 5 minutes Greenlough added another 1-02 to their tally of scores before Gavin Diamond brought proceedings to a close.

This was an unchanged team that had played ever so well against Ballymaguigan six days previous. Who knows what went wrong on the day !!!!

It's not over until it's over

Drumsurn
Francis Chivers; Dane Mullan, Christopher Harbinson, Michéal Archibald; Ciaran Ferris (0-01), Paul Butcher, Mark McLaughlin; Damian Canning, Dean O’Neill (0-01); Ronan McNickle (1-01), Ciaran Mullan (0-02), Pearse McNickle (0-01); Danny O’Connor , Ryan Mullan (1-01), Stephen Harbinson (0-02)

Subs
Colm Feeney for Ciaran Ferris, Barry Moore for Mark McLaughlin, Eamon Ferris for Danny O'Connor