Promotion via the league
November 30, 2006
When Drumree lost the IFC relegation play-off to Slane in 2005 the great desire of all involved with the club was surely that they would make an instant return to the intermediate ranks by winning the JFC this year. But that wasn't how it turned out and instead of mounting a challenge for a quarter-final place they endured a very difficult campaign which brought no victories in the group stages and just two draws.
They enjoyed better fortunes in the A League Div. 5 where their form was consistent enough to enable them to finish second and earn a place in the final, but unfortunately they found Curraha too strong in the game that mattered most.
Drumree, who won the JFC and Leinster JFT in 1998 and stayed in the intermediate grade until their demotion last year, were managed by former Meath defender Enda McManus, with Seamus Gaughan and Ronan Curley also acting as selectors.
They were drawn in Group C of the 2006 championship and on close inspection it looked like a section from which they had a good chance of emerging, as it also included Meath Hill, Ballinabrackey, Kilbride, Moylagh, Bective and the second string teams from Simonstown Gaels and Skryne.
Bective provided the first round opposition at Dunsany in what was the opening championship match of the year back in April. It turned out to be a poor contest and the omens weren't good for Drumree when they managed to score only a point in the opening half and trailed by 0-1 to 0-3 at the interval.
Bective increased the advantage to 0-5 to 0-1, but points from Seamus Wallace and John Cullinane (two) helped Drumree to close the gap to the minimum. However, they missed chances subsequently and Bective did the remainder of the scoring to win by 0-7 to 0-4.
Martry provided the setting for a second round outing against Moylagh and while they showed some improvement, the end result was a defeat as the men from the north-west of the county scored by 1-8 to 0-7. The sides were level (0-2 each) at the interval, but Moylagh scored a decisive goal nine minutes into the second period and that propelled them to victory.
Meath Hill, who were to end up topping the group, were next up for Drumree at Bective and Andy Hayes' side notched a crucial goal which enable them to lead by 1-4 to 0-4 at half-time. Ciaran Kenny, John Cullinane, Seamus Wallace and John Gilsenan played well, but their efforts counted for little as the Hill won by five points (1-10 to 0-8).
Drumree recovered from the concession of a sixth minute goal to get right back into contention when they played Ballinabrackey in the fourth round at Summerhill. Christopher Doyle and Brian Coughlan both found the net in the opening half and the sides were level (2-2 apiece) at the change of ends.
Some well-taken points helped Drumree to push ahead in the third quarter, but the concession of a third goal proved disastrous, while they were also denied a couple of late goals by the brilliance of the winners' goalkeeper. It finished 3-6 to 2-7.
A fifth straight defeat of the championship followed against Kilbride at Skryne when the winners were well on their way to both points at the interval with a substantial 0-8 to 0-1 lead. Drumree had been wasteful in that half, but they battled back in the second period when it was Kilbride's turn to be wayward. However, Drumree had given away too much ground in the opening 30 minutes and it ended 0-10 to 0-6.
Things improved in the concluding two rounds of group matches when Drumree faced the second string teams in the section. They made a brilliant start against Skryne at Dunsany when Christopher Doyle netted after only 18 seconds, while David Donoghue also goaled in the first half. However, the Tara men also notched two goals and led by 2-6 to 2-4 at the break.
Drumree were the dominant force in the second half, but they still required an injury time intervention from Brian Coughlan who pointed to earn a draw (2-7 each). Amazingly, after six matches, that was Drumree's first group point.
Another draw followed in the last group assignment at Bective when Drumree leaked a late point against Simonstown. Niall McCarrick's goal looked to have secured a first win of the championship and left Drumree ahead by 2-5 to 0-10, but the Navan side had the last say on a day when Christopher Doyle also scored a goal.
The Div. 5 League final against Curraha took place at Dunshaughlin on the last Saturday of October and produced a disappointing outcome for Drumree as Curraha won a very low-scoring match by 0-7 to 0-4.
Two Christopher Doyle points earned Drumree a 0-2 to 0-1 advantage after nine minutes and at that stage their prospects looked quite good, but there were no further scores in the first half, during which Doyle was sent off on receipt of a second yellow card 10 minutes before the interval.
That represented a big blow to Drumree and Curraha levelled within two minutes of the restart and edged ahead six minutes later. However, Drumree were soon in front again as John Cullinane slotted over a free and John Brennan also pointed, but they failed to hit the target again and that proved disastrous as Curraha levelled 10 minutes from the end and then tagged on three points to be that many clear at the final whistle. It was a very disappointing end to the campaign for Drumree.
The Drumree team in the final was - C. Dixon; J. Gaughan, C. Kenny, S. McGroder; J. Gilsenan, G. Kilbane, R. Sheridan; J. Cullinane (0-1), D. Troy; E. O'Callaghan, D. Doyle, D. McMahon; J. Walsh, J. Brennan (0-1), C. Doyle (0-2). Subs - S. Wallace for Dixon, N. McCarrick for Doyle.
HURLERS HOLD ONTO STATUS
One victory in the group stages against last year's intermediate champions Blackhall Gaels was sufficient to enable Drumree to survive a dreaded relegation play-off in the 2006 Senior Hurling Championship.
Of course, they had teetered on the brink of the drop before the championship even started, but got the better of Longwood by 1-9 to 0-10 in a 2005 relegation play-off which was played on St. Patrick's Day this year. With that controversial episode behind them and under the guidance of manager/trainer Michael Wallace, David Farrell and Trevor Doyle, they went into the 2006 title race with a first round tie against Rathmolyon at Kiltale.
Rathmolyon went on to lift the Jubilee Cup approximately five months later, but Drumree went very close to beating them. With Seamus Wallace in brilliant form and George Troy scoring an early goal, they built up a very useful half-time advantage and when the lead stood at 10 points early in the second period, after Troy had goaled again, only one outcome looked likely.
Wallace, who scored nine points over the hour, continued to star, but his fine tally was overshadowed by that of Rathmolyon captain Mike Cole who contributed a phenomenal 2-10 and his performance enabled the champions-elect to battle back and win by 3-12 to 2-12.
Understandably, Drumree were disappointed to give away such a substantial lead, but they got their only win of the championship campaign next time out against Blackhall at Ratoath. They held a 0-5 to 0-2 interval advantage and the lead stood at 1-6 to 0-3 six minutes into the second period after GT Troy had goaled.
Drumree had Paul Gaughan and Ger Clarke sent off, but in between those dismissals Wallace scored a brace of points to extend the lead to 1-8 to 0-3 and, although the 13-man team was under pressure in the closing stages, they held out to secure a precious win on a 1-9 to 0-7 score line.
A very heavy defeat followed in the third round, also at Ratoath, as Dunboyne led by 2-10 to 0-3 at the break en route to a 4-26 to 0-3 victory and a third loss of the group stages resulted when Boardsmill triumphed by 2-13 to 3-3 at Trim. The winners led by 1-9 to 1-1 at the change of ends, but Drumree closed the gap to four points within 10 minutes of the restart. However, the 'Mill did enough from there to the finish to be seven clear at the final whistle. Rory Bowe, Ger Troy and substitute Sean White got the Drumree goals.
Another defeat followed in the last round of group games at Dunsany when Trim won by 1-10 to 0-10. The reds shaded the first half exchanges to lead by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval and they scored the only goal of the encounter early in the second period to achieve a victory that wasn't enough to earn a place in the knockout stages.
The good news for Drumree was that their win over Blackhall Gaels in the second round had secured their status in the top flight as the Kilcloon/Batterstown combination ended pointless and bottom of the section.
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