Drumragh U16 boys continued their impressive form this season with a win over Strabane at Clanabogan Park on Saturday morning.
It was a fantastic team performance from Drumragh, who are now well set for a play-off spot. And they got off to the perfect start with a goal straight from the throw-in. Conor Fyffe had won the ball, and Oisin Walsh took it forward before passing to Shea Mullin who fired past the goalkeeper.
The away side responded with a point, and it took strong defending from Aaron Duncan, Tiernan O’Donnell and Joseph Taggart to protect that early lead as the away side enjoyed a spell of possession.
Matt Gallagher extended Drumragh’s lead with a nice score and he quickly added a free following a foul on Conor Fyffe. Lorcan Starrs’s clever pass allowed Niall Burt to swing over an excellent point out near the wing, while Ryan Baxter was also on target.
Strabane got on the scoreboard, but Drumragh responded through Niall Gormley, who confidently steered over a mark from Ryan Baxter’s ball forward. Dara Cox and Matt Gallagher added points, while Shea Mullin ended the half as he started it with another good goal.
Drumragh captain Aaron Duncan with the Strabane captain and referee before the start of the game
James Fyffe set up Niall Gormley for the opening score of the second half, to which Strabane replied with a good point of their own.
Matt Gallagher scored Drumragh’s third goal of the game following good play in the build-up from Tiernan O’Donnell and Ryan Baxter, while Shay Donnell created a scoring chance for Ollie Hagan, which was well taken.
There was no let-up in the Drumragh defensive effort either with Matthew Barrett, Padraig Gormley and Aaron Duncan performing well. Goalkeeper Matthew O’Doherty also made a wonderful save when called upon midway through the half.
Drumragh brought on a number of substitutes and they all had a positive impact on the game as the home side continued to play confidently. A free was converted by Matt Gallagher before Ben McCullagh’s precise lay-off allowed Shea Mullin to complete his hat-trick. Ollie Hagan and James Fyffe also added goals before the final whistle.
Conor Fyffe and Joseph Taggart each hit a brace of points late on, completing an excellent display and win for Drumragh.
SCORERS: Shea Mullin 3-0, Matt Gallagher 1-5, Ollie Hagan 1-1, James Fyffe 1-0, Niall Gormley 0-2, Conor Fyffe 0-2, Joseph Taggart 0-2, Niall Burt 0-1, Ryan Baxter 0-1, Dara Cox 0-1
TEAM: Matthew O’Doherty, Aaron Duncan, Matthew Barrett, Tiernan O’Donnell, Joseph Taggart, Oisin Walsh, Niall Burt, Shea Mullin Conor Fyffe, Dara Cox, Ryan Baxter, Niall Gormley, Matt Gallagher, James Fyffe, Lorcan Starrs
SUBS: Ben McCullagh, Sean Boyle, Mark O’Neill, Connor McLaughlin, Sean O’Donnell, Ollie Hagan, Padraig Gormley, Luke Hagan, Shay Donnell, Christopher Forde
Drumragh full-back Matthew Barrett about to clear the ball during the game against Strabane
