DERBY JOY FOR DONARD
DONARD-THE GLEN STRATFORD-G’CON 3-9 1-13
DONARD and near neighbours, Stratford served up a pulsating high-octane battle in Round 2 of this D’Arcy Sands Intermediate Football Championship on Saturday evening in a match packed with incident and drama in front of a great vocal crowd.
Goals win matches and this was to the fore in an exciting encounter played at breakneck speed from the off.
Ross Coogan got Stratford off the mark in the opening minute with a pointed free. Shane Byrne was through on goal a minute later but Donard goalie, Mark Moore was out like a light, with a big hit on Byrne as he was about to pull the trigger.
Harry Mangan levelled matters from a free after Michael Mangan was blown up for overcarrying. In the fifth minute we had the first major of the game, when Alan Daly burst through the Stratford rearguard and launched a stinger past Paddy Cronin into the net.
Mark Landon won the kick-out and fed a great ball into Colin Byrne, who dispatched the ball past Mark Moore with great aplomb to level matters again.
Mark Murphy put Stratford ahead with a point before Colin Byrne pointed after great play by Kieran Byrne.
Donard picked up a brace of yellow cards for some wild tackling. Shane Byrne landed another point to close out the opening quarter to leave it 1-05 to 1-01 in favour of Stratford.
Shane Byrne won a couple of marks in succession and put the ball into the danger zone, however full-back William Rooney cleared the ball each time as Stratford couldn’t capitalise.
Colin Osborne reduced the deficit with a long-range point as Donard settled back into the match. The industrious Colin Byrne was on fire for Stratford and landed another point. Brian Lennon fielded the kick-out and drove through the heart of the Stratford defence but his shot rose over Paddy Cronin’s crossbar as a great goal chance went abegging in the 20th minute.
Harry Mangan pointed another free as the ball was moved in a good 13 metres for dissent. Stratford landed two bad wides at this stage in the match and were punished moments later, by a Darren O’Neill wonder goal for Donard in the 28th minute.
Sub Dermot Daly hit a great point as Donard finished the opening half the stronger. With the half-time whistle looming, Stratford crucially lost midfielder, Mark Landon to a black card, who having picked up an earlier yellow, Landon could not be replaced and Stratford would start the second half with 14 men. The half-time whistle sounded, with the scoreboard reading Donard 2-05 to 1-06 for Stratford.
Within moments of the restart, Paddy Cronin brought off a pointblank save from an Alan Daly shot. Kieran Byrne laid a great ball off to Mark Murphy who pointed for the opening score of the second period.
Donard applied a bit of pressure, but some tenacious tackling by Paddy Walsh kept Donard at bay. David Cush landed a monster of a point as Stratford tore into Donard to level the game as the battle intensified.
Each side traded wides before Ross Coogan dropped two efforts short into Mark Moore’s hands who cleared. Up the other end Paddy Cronin cleared a fisted Ray Halloran effort.
In the 52nd minute we had more drama, when Donard lost fullback William Rooney to a straight red card with the score level and bodycount now level. Game On. Big Time Baby.
Brian Lennon put Donard a point up with a free, to close out the third quarter. Stratford were unlucky not once but twice when first a Mark Caplice effort hit the upright and fell the wrong side out wide and moments later when a Mikey Mangan 45, took the paint off the outside of the upright to curse their luck.
There was a frantic finish to this battle as both sets of mentors were regularly updating the ref on the playing rules. Back came Donard with Colin Osborne finding Conor Healy with a peach of a ball, Healy duly pulled the trigger before the green flag rose for the third time in the 50th minute to the joys of the Donard faithful. Ray Halloran added a point as Donard sensed blood. Diarmuid Cronin hit a pow- erful point for Stratford before Brian Lennon pointed for Donard to leave it 3-08 to 1-09 in the 54th minute.
Stratford would not go away, Ross Coogan landed a point but more drama was to follow. Kieran Byrne thought he had a goal in the 56th minute but he didn’t hear the whistle for a foul in the build-up.
Mark Caplice pointed the free and when Colin Byrne, Caplice and Ross Coogan each pointed to leave the minimum in it as we went into meltdown mode, into injury time.
Harry Mangan landed the last point of the match in the 62nd minute to bring closure to this monstrous battle. Donard, now back in the hunt will meet Carnew in their next outing while Stratford will regroup and go into battle with Hollywood, as we get to the business end of this exciting championship.
Donard-The Glen scorers: Alan Daly 1-00, Darren O Neill 1-00, Conor Healy 1-00, Brian Lennon 0-03 (2f), Harry Mangan 0-03 (1f), Dermot Daly 0-01, Ray Halloran 0-01, Colin Osborne 0-01.
Stratford scorers: Colin Byrne 1-03, Ross Coogan 0-03 (2f), Shane Byrne 0-02, Mark Murphy 0-02, David Cush 0-01, Diarmuid Cronin 0-01, Mark Caplice 0-01 (1f).