Drumbaragh 1-14 St.Patricks 4-09
Drumbaragh and St.Pats served up a cracker of a match on a sun-kissed Saturday evening at wonderfully presented Walterstown. With both teams already consigned to the relegation series of this years IFC, it was all about performance in this Round 3 clash. Drumbaragh got the fancy Walterstown scoreboard into moving with a Hughie Corcoran point within the first 20 seconds. Indeed it was the Drumbaragh captain who would point three on the trot as Drumbaragh controlled the opening exchanges at both ends of the field.
The Pats registered their first point at the eight minute mark. After a solid defensive showing, the Drumbaragh rearguard self-destructed to allow the Pat’s two goals in the space of thirty seconds to catapult them into the lead.
The Drums kept their heads and regained their footing in this tie, Corcoran, Paddy Murray and Liam Ward with another three points without reply, thanks to the unsung work Harry O’Higgins, Joe Carry and John D Smith.
William Carry, Shea McManus and Darragh McNamara added further points on the 25th, 26th and 27th minute. Credit to The Pats the weathered the Drum storm and the crucial score came on the stroke of half-time as the men in white hit the Drums’ net for the third time.
HT – Drumbaragh 0-10 St.Pats 3-05
St.Pats had a lead and set up in the second half to protect it and the scores dried up on both ends. Drumbaragh will rue a few scoreable wides in the early exchanges, before Hughie fired over a 45′ on the 38th minute for the first score of the half. A Drumbaragh goal from the returning Jimmy Corcoran three minutes later had us level and the momentum was fully behind the Drums.
However, that would be as close as Drumbaragh would get, as St.Pats made their opponent pay registering 1-04 without reply. The goal really killing the contest, after a lapse of concentration in the full-back left Philip McDermott stranded. Our lads pushed on with time not on our side, scoring the last three points of the evening, but it was all in vain as the men from Stamullen left Walterstown with the points and more importantly third place in the group.
As much as the defeat hurt, there was so many positives to take from the game. The Drums showed a much-improved level of performance as we move onto a clash with Duleek-Bellewstown in the relegation play-off quarter-final.
Drumbaragh scorers;
