Drumalee save best till last to deservedly take IFC title

Drumalee 1-11 Drumalane 0-8 A terrific performance from a physically-stronger and better-balanced Drumalee side saw them run out comfortable winners over Drumlane in the Intermediate Football Championship final last Sunday at Breffni Park. Twelve of the winners’ side were on the team which scooped the same title four seasons ago and that experience - and confidence - was evident in almost every aspect of Drumalee’s play. Mickey Lee’s men were the more cohesive and much the sharper of the sides; they dominated the midfield battle, helped in no small part by Man of the Match Michael Brennan, and possessed much more of an edge in attack than their opponents, who, perhaps over-awed by the occasion, looked nervous from early on and never really settled into a discernable pattern of play. While they did open the scoring through Stephen McCann in the second minute and led again through a Barry Corrigan free five minutes later, Drumlane looked off the pace for much of the contest and once Drumalee levelled through a Darragh Gaffney free in the ninth minute, the winners’ were never headed. Gaffney was excellent in the first half, going in at the break with 1-4 to his name. He had opened Drumlane’s account with a long range free in the fifth minute and would push them in front in the tenth, again from a 35-metre free. Drumlane couldn’t look to referee Raymond Kelly for an excuse, either. Of the 50 frees awarded over the hour, 32 of them went in favour of the losers. What did for the Sons of O’Connell was Drumalee’s ability to hoover up breaking ball around the middle. After claiming five of the first six kick-outs, they had established a pattern of dominance which Drumlane struggled to break. This was compounded in the 14th minute. A mistake in the Drumlane half-forward line saw Drumalee turn over possession and when Gaffney gathered the bal from a long punt to the full-forward line, he made no mistake, tucking away a cool finish past Darren Murphy to open a four-point gap. Drumlane replied with a pressure kick from Barry Corrigan - who battled hard on the 40 - and when Barry Cunningham drew a huge cheer by splitting the posts from distance, after excellent fielding from Dane O’Dowd, it appeared as if they had clawed their way back into a contest which had looked to be slipping quickly away. However, Drumalee had other ideas. A free from Gaffney was followed by a point from Kevin Donohoe, who had a fine first half, to open a 1-5 to 0-4 lead on the 22-minute mark. Drumlane battled hard but a lack of movement in their forward line didn’t help their cause; on several occasions, free-takers around the midfield area were forced to play the ball backwards and this ponderous build-up played into the hands of Drumalee, who were organised, committed and, crucially, worked tirelessly throughout. A superb 45 from Brennan, after Murphy had saved well from Gary Ferncombe, made it 1-6 to 0-4 in the 29th minute and a Kevin Donohoe point moments later extended the town side’s lead to six. With their plan A of hitting corner-forwards Cunningham and Gary Tubman not working, Drumlane looked devoid of ideas and lost their shape far too often; in contrast, Drumalee’s speed of movement going forward - especially through Gary Ferncombe, Donohoe and Brennan - meant they looked like winners from a long way out. Drumlane, who had been one of the most consistent sides in the county all season, had only one hope and that was to strike back early in the second half. To their credit, they notched the first score, Dane O’Dowd showing commendable courage to step up and fire over a good point. Good work from Daryl McConnell drew a foul which Corrigan converted in the 37th minute as a chink of light appeared for the west Cavan men but an excellent individual score from Brennan, who burst through two tackles and drove over from a tight angle, put them on the back foot again. The effort of chasing the match seemed to catch up with Ollie Fay’s men at this stage as the intensity petered out to a degree, a factor which suited Drumalee - sitting on a four-point lead - just fine. They could afford the luxury of kicking a couple of wides as Drumlane huffed and puffed. A long-range Brennan free-kick from the ground finally ended 14 scoreless minutes. With seven minutes on the clock, Drumlane threw midfielder McConnell into the edge of the square, a move which made sense but arrived probably too late to affect the outcome. Craig Sheridan slotted over a lovely point from 30 metres for Drumalee as the match began to open up and although sub Shane Kelly drove over a super point from long range in replay for Drumlane, the winners would finish the stronger. Fittingly, magical score from that man Brennan, from the tightest of angles, extended the lead as the clock ticked down and eventually proved to be the last score of the match. Ref Kelly dismissed Barry Corrigan for reasons unknown - Corrigan, who battled gamely, was holding the ball and preparing to take a free when he was dismissed - in the dying seconds but it made no difference. The large Drumalee support invaded the pitch as the long whistle sounded to mark a resounding victory and deserved return to senior ranks for the men from St Felim’s Park, who now go on to represent Cavan in the Ulster Club IFC. Drumalee: James Heffernan, Enda McCormick, Brendan Smith, Kevin Gavigan, Timmy Looney, Daire Donohoe, Gary Ferncombe, Gary Malone, Michael Brennan (0-4, 1f, 1 45), Gerard Reilly, Kevin Donohoe (0-2), Craig Sheridan (0-1), Mark Ferncombe, Darragh Gaffney (1-4, 4f), Patrick Colton SUBS: Tomás O’Keeffe, Jimmy Fallon, Damien Donohoe Drumlane: Darren Murphy, Robbie Smith, John O’Dowd, Neil McCann, JP Kelly, Gareth Corrigan, Glenn Fitzpatrick, Dane O’Dowd (0-1), Daryl McConnell, Fergal Brady, Barry Corrigan (0-4f), John Fitzpatrick, Gary Tubman, Stephen McCann (0-1), Barry Cunningham (0-1) SUBS: Ciaran O’Reilly, Shane Kelly (0-1)