Ronan Maguire scored 1-3 as Drumragh won again in the league on Sunday
Drumragh………………..2-11
Eskra………………………0-15
Drumragh seniors will enter the championship on Friday on the back of four successive league victories following this hard-fought win over Eskra at Clanabogan on Sunday.
Drumragh led by four points at half-time. Eskra made James Colgan make a good save less than 10 seconds into the game and they had to settle for a point from that attack. Shane Cleary made it a level game a few minutes later with a free after Eamonn McCann was fouled.
Ronan Maguire then hit Drumragh’s first goal. Having won the ball in the corner, Ronan drove by his marker along the endline before firing past the goalkeeper to the roof of the net. It was a fantastic goal.
Three points brought Eskra back onto level terms and it took good defending from Eoin McGread and Eamonn Kerrigan to stop them from going ahead.
But it was Drumragh who got the game’s next score and it came via Tommy Mullin who pointed after he caught a good ball inside from Lee Brown. Again, Eskra levelled it, but Tommy and Malachy McManus set Shane Devine up for Drumragh’s second goal and they once again had the lead. Shane soon added a point while Ronan Maguire got a couple of points following strong play from Paddy Colgan, Barry Fitzgerald and Aaron Montgomery.
Eskra replied with a free before the end of the half.
Eoin McGread, alongside Eamonn Kerrigan and Micheal Mullin in the full-back line, came up with a number of important clearances during Sunday’s game
Eoin Montgomery showed good strength kicked a great score from play at the start of the second half after good work from Tommy Mullin and Shane Cleary and Tommy scored a free after a dangerous tackle on Eamonn McCann (for which, the Eskra defender was given a straight red card).
Shane Cleary got a point to extend the lead but Eskra were not giving up and applied the pressure with three points on the bounce. Good goalkeeping from James Colgan and defending from Barry Fitzgerald and Micheal Mullin was needed to stop them from getting closer.
Ronan Maguire stopped that run with a nice point from play in a move that started with Gareth Haughey in the defence.
Drumragh had further scores from Shane Cleary and Martin Taggart but three points from Eskra meant the game’s outcome was in doubt right to the final whistle. But Drumragh held on, deservedly so, for the two points. And they can now look forward to the opening championship game with confidence after this good win over tough opposition.
Scorers: Ronan Maguire 1-3, Shane Devine 1-1, Shane Cleary 0-3, Tommy Mullin 0-2, Eoin Montgomery 0-1, Martin Taggart 0-1,
Team: James Colgan, Eoin McGread, Eamonn Kerrigan, Micheal Mullin, Barry Fitzgerald, Paddy Colgan, Lee Brown, Eamonn McCann, Aaron Montgomery, Gareth Haughey, Ronan Maguire, Malachy McManus, Tommy Mullin, Shane Devine, Shane Cleary
Subs: Eoin Montgomery, Mark Carroll, Martin Taggart
Malachy McManus was involved in the move that led to Drumragh’s second goal on Sunday
