Doohamlet hang on
August 26, 2010Doohamlet 0-7
Rockcorry 0-5
A game that produced just two points in the entire second half saw Doohamlet hanging on to a two points lead in the closing stages to edge past Rockcorry who must now look to the backdoor system to resurrect their championship prospects was the outcome of this replay in Castleblayney on Thursday evening last. Played in very difficult conditions with a strong breeze and driving rain throughout this was not a contest for the purist as conditions mitigated against anything approaching an enjoyable contest. Mistakes abounded on both sides although the conditions were not entirely responsible for the poor nature of the fare on offer as too often both sides adopted tactics that did not suit the prevailing conditions while over elaboration, misdirected passes and poor finishing also added to the very scrappy nature of the affair. Rockcorry were forced to field without the services of midfielder Mark Daly who was abroad on holidays and they sorely missed his presence as their on-field leader and organiser. Overall Doohamlet dominated the possession stakes but they struggled to convert chances into scores and their tally of 12 wides in all tells its own story. That said though they stuck manfully to the task and their defence was seen to good effect in the latter stages in particular as Rockcorry were looking for a goal late on to salvage the situation. Doohamlet were reduced to 14 players in the final five minutes when Colin Walshe was dismissed for a second bookable offence in a game where he himself had come in for some close attention. Rockcorry led twice in the early stages but by half-time Doohamlet had established a firmer grip on proceedings although poor finishing saw them only ahead by two points at that stage when they might well have led by more. Entering the second quarter they also had a chance to consolidate even further when they were awarded a penalty after Colin Walshe had been grounded but Ted Duffy blasted over the bar. The second half saw the sides exchange points, Rockcorry scoring in the sixth minute and Doohamlet in the 10th minute with the remainder of the game proving unproductive for both sides as defences dominated.
Noel Carroll open the scoring with a point for Rockcorry in the second minute, Niall Jim Connolly equalising for Doohamlet two minutes later. Doohamlet were now off target from two chances in quick succession before Mark Murphy converted a free for a foul on Shane McManus to put them in the lead for the first time after seven minutes. A minute later Stephen McGurk converted a free for a foul on Mark McGuirk to bring Rockcorry level and they went on to take the lead in the 12th minute with a point by Paul McKeown but only after Doohamlet had seen their wides tally reach five at that stage. A good Doohamlet counter attack saw Ollie Hughes and Shane McManus contrive an opening for Colin Walshe but he was grounded as he was about to shoot with Ted Duffy blasting the penalty over the bar to bring Doohamlet level when he could well have put them two points in front. Two minutes later though they were scrambling the ball off their own line at the other end as Rockcorry mounted a series of attacks but they weathered that storm with Shane McManus picking off two good points in the 19th and 20th minutes to open a two points lead. Rockcorry pulled back a point in the 22nd minute through Noel Carroll after good work by Paul McKeown and both sides were off target in quick succession before Ted Duffy closed the first-half scoring with a point from a free for a late tackle on Colin Walshe that saw Johnny Reilly issued with a yellow card. Half-time score, Doohamlet 0-6, Rockcorry 0-4.
There was no letup in the prevailing conditions for the start of the second-half and six minutes had elapsed before Rockcorry narrowed the margin to the minimum with a point from a free by Stephen McGuirk for a foul on Paul McKeown, an indiscretion that saw Colin Walshe pick up a yellow card. Ted Duffy was off target at the end of a promising counter attack but 10 minutes into the second half came the final score of the game when Ted Duffy set up Ciaran McManus to put Doohamlet two in front. Ollie Hughes had a chance to extend that lead in the final minute of the third quarter but he too was off target while at the other end they had to be grateful to Gabie Casey who took off a goal-line interception after good work by Paul McKeown. Chances were now at a premium as mistakes abounded in out-field play with little by way of a constructive approach by either side and missed chances at both ends were accumulating. With four minutes of normal time remaining Doohamlet were reduced to 14 players when Colin Walshe picked up a second yellow card. It was all hands to the pump in defence in the latter stages as Rockcorry threw everything into attack in search of a goal that would salvage the situation but despite their best efforts Doohamlet held firm and they now move through the winners section while Rockcorry must look to the qualifiers if they are to progress.
Teams and Scorers: Doohamlet: James Casey, Gabie Casey, Martin Hughes, Shane J Connolly, Kevin McArdle, Colin Walshe, Darren Connolly, Glen Cumiskey, Ciaran McManus 0-1, Niall Jim Connolly 0-1, Shane McManus 0-2, Niall J Connolly, Ollie Hughes, Mark Murphy 0-1 (f), Ted Duffy 0-2 (p.f). Subs: Johnny Duffy for M Murphy, Greg Duffy for O Hughes, Gavin King for Niall Jim Connolly.
Rockcorry: Jamie Smith, Gary Calvert, Damien Matthews, Colin Reilly, Keith Daly, Johnny Reilly, Niall McKeown, Barry Patterson, Liam Connolly, Stephen McGuirk 0-2 (2f), Martin Carroll, Noel Carroll 0-2, Mark McGuirk, Paul McKeown 0-1, Dwayne Rooney. Ryan Sharkey for M Carroll, Anthony Tate for L Connolly, Colin Quinn for P McKeown. Referee: Gerard Treanor (Truagh). Tweet
