Maintaining status
November 27, 2011Since their superb facilities were opened in May 2006, Drumlane GAA, for the most part, has been living up to the expectations that have come with it. A conveyor-belt of promising underage stars, ladies football success and two promotions to Division One of the All County Football League are just some of the positives the small west Cavan club have boasted over the last five years.
However, after their stellar year the season previous, 2011 would prove a struggle for the senior footballers of Drumlane, whom lost key players in Daryl McConnell and JP Kelly through emigration, as they ended up battling relegation on both fronts of the league and championship.
At the start of the year, Ballyhaise native and former Cavan Gaels trainer Aidan Watters was brought in to succeed Ollie Fay as manager, with devoted clubman Malachy O'Reilly coming in as team selector. The club would also welcome former Killygarry midfielder Ciaran Crowe to their senior team, after his request for a transfer from the Crubany outfit went through towards the end of January, while the return of defender Stephen Connolly, who had featured in many crucial games in the past for senior side, from New Zealand would also be a welcome boost for the Sons of O'Connell.
Training had an earlier start that the previous season and challenge matches came thick and fast as Watters primed his new side for life in the ACFL Division One, where safety would be first priority.
Things would get off to a shaky start though as defeats to Killygarry (0-10 to 1-4) and SFC champions Kingscourt (1-16 to 1-5) left Drumlane at the foot of the table after two games. A hard earned 0-14 apiece draw against Lavey in the New Inns, where Darragh Seagrave's frees would prove crucial, earned Drumlane their first point of the season as they aimed to gain some momentum coming into May.
However, defeats to Mullahoran (0-11 to 0-7) and Ramor (1-18 to 3-3) would make the prospect of relegation a grim reality as Drumlane hovered in the bottom three of the top tier, along with neighbour rivals Belturbet and Declan Rowley's Lacken. A hard fought 1-7 to 0-7 win over the latter in Milltown, where Fergal Brady's superb goal and late points Ciaran O'Reilly, Gareth Corrigan and Barry Cunningham were key, would register the team's first victory of 2011, and in their next outing Ballyhaise would be put the sword on a 0-15 to 0-11 score-line to help lift spirits going into what was seen as a 'do-or-die' clash with fellow strugglers Belturbet at O'Connell Park.
On a hot run of form, Watters' side would be minus the services of midfield ace Dane O'Dowd, due to commitments with the county team, for the big derby at the start of June. With pride and crucial points at stake, the game, predictably, was played at a high intensity and saw the visitors get off the better start by shooting themselves into a 0-6 to 0-3 lead at half-time, with the Drumlane scores coming from Barry Cunningham and Barry Corrigan (2). Determined not to whiter away, the home side raced out of the traps for the second-half and stunned their opponents by landing unanswered points via Corrigan, Ciaran Crowe, John Fitzpatrick, Cunningham, Ciaran O'Reilly and Stephen McCann to move into a five-point lead coming towards the closing stages. Victory looked secured, but a Brendan Fitzpatrick goal offered the defiant Rories hope and two late scores salvaged a 0-11 to 1-8 draw from the jaws of defeat for the town side.
In their next outing, the Sons of O'Connell would give their safety hopes a major boost when they recorded the result of their season in the form of a 0-11 to 0-10 win over Castlerahan in Ballyjamesduff. Drumlane stunned their opponents, who had defeated champions Cavan Gaels four days pervious, with a sizzling start and opened up a six-point lead coming towards the closing stages when team captain John O'Dowd, Glenn Fitzpatrick, Paul Kelly and Brendan O'Reilly were all brilliant at the back to help the visitors hang on for the third win of their season.
While defeats to Cavan Gaels (1-16 to 0-7) and Redhills (0-15 to 0-11) ensured, Drumlane went into their intermediate championship campaign quietly that they would be able to repeat the feat of 2010 and get themselves into another final.
They couldn't have asked for a tougher opening test than Ballyhaise at Kingspan Breffni Park, where Watters' men would get off to a disastrous start by experiencing a 2-10 to 0-6 defeat and losing marksman Barry Corrigan for the remainder of their season to a shoulder injury. The veteran forward's loss was a hammer blow and while Gary Tubman, who enjoyed an Ulster minor championship triumph with Cavan in July, would take over the free-taking duties, Corrigan's abscense on the field was felt in narrow defeats to Drumgoon (3-9 to 0-12) and Cavan Gaels (0-15 to 0-13) which sent Drumlane crashing out of the championship and into a relegation play-off with Killinkere.
After making a promising start at Crubany through some early score from Gary Tubman, Drumlane were rocked by a Anthony Brady goal in the 23rd minute which sent Killinkere in with the 1-3 to 0-4 half-time lead. Tubman narrowed the deficit to a point early on in the resumption before Dane O'Dowd rifled over the levelling score and midfield partner Ciaran Crowe shot the lead point moments later. Killinkere struggled to hit back and two frees from the accurate Tubman saw Drumlane widen the gap before surviving a late rally which secured their intermediate status for 2012.
Drumlane (IFC relegation play-off v Killinkere): J Donohoe; R Smith, J O'Dowd, N McCann; C Fitzpatrick, P Kelly, B O'Reilly; Dane O'Dowd (0-2), C Crowe (0-2); G Tubman (0-7), F Brady, G Fitzpatrick; B Cunningham, P Leddy, G Corrigan. Subs: D Murphy, S Connolly, S McCann, E Fitzpatrick.
Ladies steal the show
No more than a week after the club secured its place in the intermediate ranks for another season, Drumlane's lady footballers had themselves gained promotion up to the second tier of the club championship by defeating Ballymachugh in a tense final in Killeshandra.
Manager Tommy O'Brien oversaw the success, along with team selectors Andy Owens and Brigid Sheridan, and said the team's immediate aim for 2011 was to improve on the previous season when they were unlucky to crash out of the championship at the semi-final stage.
"Coming into this season our aim was just to improve on last year's semi-final defeat and thankfully we ended up doing that and reaching the final," said the Dublin native. "There's a fantastic panel of players there and we always knew that we had the quality to get over the line when it came to the junior championship."
On the road to the final, Drumlane had to come through two gruelling encounters with Ballyhaise and Cornafean, from which they took three points to set-up a showdown on September 3.
"We played Ballyhaise first and it was a very tough game. We were winning well with ten minutes to go but they got a late goal which ended up drawing the game and maybe it was the wake-up call we needed," said O'Brien.
"We played Cornafean in Cornafean the next day for us which was always going to be tough for us, because it's a difficult place to go to to try and get a result. We were up by 11 points at one stage and they got it back to six at one stage, but we ended up hanging in there to get through to the final. "
He added: "With regards to preparations for the final, we didn't do anything different. It was the same drills and the same training and we just went in against Ballymachugh quietly confident that we could get the win. We were confident in our own ability. We are very strong defensively and in attack we have good forwards that can gel together and cause teams problems."
In the final, O'Brien's charges would come up against a strong Ballymachugh outfit in a 'winner takes all' clash at Packie Devlin Park in Killeshandra.
Drumlane got off to the best possible start when Keira Ward made a good run in along the end line and finished her shot to the net, but within two minutes Ballymachugh had drawn level with Deidre Kelly putting the ball low on the ground and into the net. Soon after, Ballymachugh's Orna Cassels prevented a Drumlane goal right on the line and the ball was quickly worked up the field to April Kiernan and she fired the ball to the roof of the net. Drumlane quickly cut the three point margin to one with two points from the deadly Leanne Drumm by the end of the seventh minute. In the 17th minute Ballymachugh got their first point of the game with Deidre Kelly shooting a 25 metre free.
Drumlane started to pile on the pressure after that, as Drumm got her third point of the game, then in the 18th minute Bronagh Sheridan kicked a high ball in towards the goals and despite the best efforts of Eileen Baxter couldn't prevent the ball from ending up in the back of the net, Sheridan then pointed from an acute angle a minute later to extend her side's lead to three.
In the 23rd minute, Cavan ace Sheridan had another shot at goal but this time Baxter was equal to the effort. Drumlane had a five-point advantage by the 24th minute with points from Jenny McGuigan and Ward, before Ballymachugh got their second point via Lisa Smith.
Four minutes before the break, April Kiernan got her second goal of the game to cut the margin to one but Sheridan gave her side a two point advantage a minute later. Deidre Kelly pointed in response for Ballymachugh and just before half-time Sheridan lashed over a splendid effort to give Drumlane a two point lead (2-8 to 3-3).
After the restart, 'the Hughs' cut the margin to the minimum with Sheana Kiernan pointing from play but Leanne Drumm shot two frees by the 44th minute to put the west Cavan women three to the good. In the space of the ten minutes the margin was back to one after Deidre Kelly pointed two frees and five minutes before the end she set-up April Kiernan for another goal to put the women in green and gold two points up.
Never willing to throw in the towel, Drumlane quickly recovered with Drumm pointing a free and then two minutes later Sheridan passed the ball to Ward and she buried in her second goal of the game and her side led by two. Once again Ballymachugh battled and had it back to a one-point game with April Kiernan kicking over a point.
However, Drumlane got another goal when Drumm sent a ball across goal, where goal-poacher Jenny McGuigan dived in to fist the ball to the net. It ushered Drumlane into a four-point advantage and with time quickly ticking away Ballymachugh just couldn't respond to prevent them from taking the junior title for 2011 on a 4-11 to 4-7 score-line.
Drumlane (Ladies JFC final v Ballymachugh): Paula McDonagh; Jenny O' Dowd, Charlene Tully, Claire Tivenan; Claire Kearns, Bronagh Boyle (capt), Clara McGuire; Leona Burke, Bronagh Sheridan; Jenny McGuigan, Blathnaid Sheridan, Kiera Ward; Leanne Drumm, Beatrice Sheridan, Glenda Finnegan. Subs: Michelle Gilroy, Shauna Gilroy.
Afterwards O'Brien confirmed that it was the team's superior fitness and 'never-say-die' attitude in a titanic battle that saw them to the title, he stated: "It was an absolute thriller and in the end it was our overall will to win that took us over the line."
He added: "I hope the players we have now will stay with us, because some of them are talking about finishing up now after winning a junior championship. We hope that they'll hand around and help bridge the gap for the younger ones coming through because we have some fantastic footballers in this club."
Connolly stars in U16s' triumph
In July, Drumlane claimed the Under 16 Division Two league title after a thrilling battle with Ballinagh in the final in Cornafean.
Under the managership of John O'Dowd, who was ably assisted by Martin Brady, Martin McAnnena and Nicholas Dolan, the club's Under 16 footballers stormed to five wins, a draw and just two defeats from their eight games in the group stages which saw them safely through to the semi-finals. Mullahoran (6-9 to 3-10), Killygarry (0-12 to 0-10), Blackwater Gaels (5-12 to 2-9) and Castlerahan (1-11 to 1-5) were all put to sword by the rampant Sons of O'Connell before met the challenge of Ballyhaise in Milltown. Ballyhaise had been on the two teams to beat Drumlane in the group, but when they travelled to O'Connell Park it was the home side that edged a 1-8 to 1-7 victory, with Ryan Connolly to the forefront, to move themselves into the competition's decider.
Played in July 2 in Cornafean, the final lived up to expectations as Drumlane mounted a splendid second-half come back, inspired by their talisman Connolly, to clinch the title on a 1-13 to 2-9 score-line. Two early goals helped Ballinagh settle into the game and take in a 2-4 to 0-5 lead at the break. After the restart though, Drumlane kicked it up a gear and made some clever positional changes which saw Connolly move up to full-forward, Ciaran Keaney shift to 'the forty' and Cian Monaghan revert to full-back. The witches worked a charm as Ballinagh's defence couldn't cope with Connolly's pace or accuracy and by the 43rd minute he helped cut the deficit cut down to 0-10 to 2-6.
Drumlane superb defence, backboned by Declan Lunney, Monaghan and Philip King, would only ship three points throughout the entire second-half, which kept Ballinagh in a comfortable enough position until the 52nd minute when team captain Francis Lunney burst forward from midfield to feed Keaney, who in turn, found Connolly on the edge of square and the ace attacker made no mistake in dispatching to the net. Huge endeavours from Ciaran Seagrave and Monaghan won back possession for Drumlane at a crucial stage to find Conor Connolly inside for the equalising point on the hour mark. With time almost up, the momentum was with Drumlane as they hunted for a last-gasp winner and it arrived in the third minute of injury-time when Brian McKiernan punted a superb effort from long-range that landed over the black spot to secure the title for the young Milltown men.
Drumlane (U16 Div 2 final v Ballinagh): F Janowitz; D Monaghan, D Lunney, S Smith; B Kaye, C Monaghan, P King; F Lunney, B McKiernan (0-1); C Seagrave, R Connolly (1-10, 6f), C Connolly (0-2); L Longair, C Keaney, S King. Sub used: D Burns Tweet
