Universal Graphics Junior Football Championship Preliminary Round Replay
Toome 1-15 Drumhowan 1-11 (AET) 8/6/14
Toome finished strongly to eventually kill off Drumhowan’s challenge after extra-time in this JFC preliminary-round tie in Cremartin on Sunday. A largely scrappy game, in which both sides made double-figures in wides, sprung to life in the additional 20 minutes, which saw Toome outscore their opponents by 0-9 to 1-2, inspired by the introduction of Gavin Flanagan, Liam McCooey and Jason Murphy, who had all been surprisingly left out of the starting team. That trio were instrumental for Toome, along with Gary Wilson, Francis Quinn and Stephen Lambe, while Liam McGuirk, John Paul O’Neill and Niall Mooney were best for Drumhowan, who were over-reliant on Colm Lambe’s frees, with their starting forwards managing just two points from play.
Gary Wilson’s opening point for Toome was cancelled out by Niall Mooney, who then won a 20-metre free for Colm Lambe to edge Drumhowan ahead. Lambe converted a 25-metre free for a foul on Kieran McElroy, but a similar effort from Stephen McCooey, after a foul on Francis Quinn, ended 16 scoreless minutes for Toome, who drew level when Colin Wilson slotted over at the end of a move led by Francis Quinn and Stephen Lambe. Colm Lambe ended Drumhowan’s own 14-minute wait for a score from a 25-metre free after a foul on Kieran Mooney, but a foul on Alan Lambe gave Cormac Quinn the chance to boot over a 40-metre free and send Toome in level at 0-4 apiece.
Liam McGuirk linked up with Anthony Mulligan to kick the first point of the second half, but Toome took the lead when a cross from Seán McMahon set up Ryan Murphy to drill home the opening goal. Colm Lambe replied from a 20-metre free after a foul on sub Cathal Mooney and Kevin Mooney got on the end of a David Millar pass to become the first Drumhowan forward to score from play, but Gary Wilson responded from a close-range free, following a foul on Liam McCooey. Gavin Flanagan latched onto a long ball from Stephen Lambe to fist over, but Toome failed to score in the last ten minutes of the 60 and Drumhowan halved their deficit through yet another Colm Lambe free, following a foul on John Paul O’Neill. Lambe was off-target from a scoreable free four minutes from time and Drumhowan then lost Millar to a second yellow card for a high tackle on Stephen Lambe, but they got a reprieve when O’Neill and Kevin and Kieran Mooney combined to set up Cathal Mooney to kick the equalising point, which made it Drumhowan 0-9 Toome 1-6 at full-time. Few would have predicted at that stage that Toome would double their total score by the end of the afternoon.
Drumhowan made a dream start to extra-time when Michael Atkinson took a pass from Kieran McElroy, who had come back on to restore his side to 15 men, and dummied his way through to crack a shot into the net, via a post. Toome hit back with 20-metre frees by Flanagan and Liam McCooey, the former after Kieran McElroy had over-carried and the latter after a foul on Cormac Quinn, but a long ball from O’Neill fell for Colm Lambe to double Drumhowan’s advantage again. A Seán McMahon centre released Gary Wilson to keep Toome in touch and Liam McCooey then won and scored a 20-metre free to leave it dead-locked at half-time in extra-time on a scoreline of 1-10 each.
Gary Wilson clipped over another point after the restart – awarded after referee Damien Helferty consulted his umpires – and he quickly moved Toome two up at the end of an attack involving Flanagan and Liam McCooey. Alan Lambe, Francis Quinn and Raymond Fee combined to set up Flanagan to add a point and although Colm Lambe’s seventh point, from a 25-metre free after a foul on Kieran Mooney, kept Drumhowan in touch, Cormac Quinn kept Toome three clear. Toome had Francis Quinn dismissed when he was shown a black card (having earlier been booked) for dragging Kieran McElroy down, but goalkeeper Niall Finnegan pointed a ’45 to secure their place in next Saturday’s first-round clash with Blackhill in Castleblayney. Drumhowan go into the qualifiers, where they will play Éire Óg.
Toome: N Finnegan (0-1, ’45); M O’Reilly, G Connolly, S McCooey (0-1f); S Moore, S Lambe (Capt.), F Quinn; C Quinn (0-2, 1f), S McMahon; D Friskey, A Lambe, D Wilson; G Wilson (0-5, 1f), C Wilson (0-1), R Murphy (1-0).
Subs: J Murphy for Connolly (43 mins), L McCooey (0-2f) for C Wilson (45), G Flanagan (0-3, 1f) for Friskey (48).
Extra-time sub: R Fee for D Wilson (4).
Drumhowan: E Duffy; M McElroy, Dermot Mooney, P Markey; L McGuirk (0-1), B McGuirk, N Mooney (0-1); JP O’Neill, A Mulligan; Kevin Mooney (0-1), D Millar (Capt.), Kieran Mooney; C Lambe (0-7, 6f), K McElroy, P Mulligan.
Subs: C Mooney (0-1) for K McElroy (33), M Atkinson (1-0) for P Mulligan (52).
Extra-time subs: K McElroy, P Mulligan for M McElroy (13).
Referee: D Helferty (Truagh).
By cshalvey Mon 9th Jun
