Drumragh end drought with fine win over Augher

ACL DIVISION 3A

Drumragh 0-22 Augher 1-6

HOSTS Drumragh returned to winning form with a 13-point thrashing of Augher at Clanabogan Park on Friday evening to end their drought of six games in a row without a victory.

Notably, their last win came against the same opponents in June. The St Mccartan’s however, were handed their tenth defeat of the season, with relegation becoming a dangerous and real prospect for a side which is one spot away from bottom of the table.

The Sarsfields were dominant from the offset, converting seven points without answer before Augher offered resistance. Drumragh were also proving the stronger side in the early aerial battles, with the visitors struggling to get the ball out of their half.

Amongst the scorers was full forward Kian Murphy, who proved too difficult to contain as he grabbed three early points for the hosts. The visitors made their mark through Finnbar McElroy after 15 minutes of play with a blistering counter attack following a Drumragh attempt which rebounded off the post to give the visitors hope of a comeback.

However, the Sarsfields continued to run rampant against an outpaced Augher defence, as Malachy McManus and Ronan Maguire punished sloppy defensive errors to widen the gap between the two sides once more.

The half would come to a dramatic end as a high challenge from Augher’s Cathal McKenna resulted in the midfielder receiving a yellow card.

In turn, this resulted in the Sarsfields converting the subsequent two-point free opportunity through Niall McCarney to conclude the half with an 11 point lead.

The visitors were much improved going forward as the second half got underway; Augher utilised effective passing play to build up the pitch and converted via Raymond McElroy after a crucial touch from Eoghan Keenan put the ball into the forward’s path.

Despite initial resistance from the St McCartan’s, the hosts would establish control of the game once more with constant pressure and relentless defending.

Daniel O’Neill provided a scintillating second-half performance, converting five of his overall seven points, including an impressive solo effort after he turned from two Augher defenders and scored a two pointer from open play.

The closing moments of the second half offered further drama to the contest as Raymond McElroy received two yellows in quick succession to be sent off whilst Finnbar McElroy scored a consolation goal for the St McCartan’s in a frantic end to the match.

Scorers
Drumragh: Daniel O’Neill (0-7, 1tp, 3f), Niall McCarney (0-5, 1tpf, 2f), Kian Murphy (0-4), Ronan Maguire (0-2), Ben Monk, Niall Maguire, Gareth Haughey, Malachy McManus (0-1 each)

Augher: Finnbar McElroy (1-1), Raymond McElroy (0-3, 1f), Dara Donnelly, Ronan McElroy (0-1 each).

Teams
Drumragh: Patrick Colgan, Carraig McKenna, Barry Fitzgerald, Alex McGlinchey, Eamonn McCann, Gareth Haughey, Michael Roche, Niall McCarney, Malachy McManus, Brendan Quinn, Ronan Maguire, Daniel O’Neill, Niall Maguire, Kian Murphy, Ben Monk. Subs: Cormac Dolan for Niall Maguire, Sean McGale for Ben Monk, Eamonn Kerrigan for Eamonn McCann.

Augher: Conan McGovern, Theo Gartland, Emmett Neeson, Liam McKenna, Martin McElhatton, Jody Kelly, Jarlath McCaughey, Cathal McKenna, Charlie Cawley, Ronan McElroy, Eoghan Keenan, Finnbar McElroy, Raymond McElroy, Benedict Trainor, Declan Connolly. Subs: Tiernan McElroy for Jarlath McCaughey, Ben McMenamin for Theo Gartland, Aodhan Colton for Declan Connolly, Dara Donnelly for Eoghan Keenan.

Referee: Oran Gallen (Castlederg)