Aghaloo Through to the Last Eight

Sunday 18.09.2022

Championship Football

LCC Tyrone JFC 
Aghaloo 2-12 Drumragh 1-8

Comfort levels are something not often associated with club championship football in Tyrone and while Aghaloo on paper recorded a seven point win over Drumragh this afternoon it was far from comfortable at any point.  The south Tyrone men led 0-6 to 0-2 at the break but Drumragh staged a spirited comeback in the second half and had the not spurned a penalty opportunity in the 36th minute they might well have gave Aghaloo bigged problems in the closing stages.

Aghaloo dominated the opening 29 minutes of the game from a point scoring point of view.  Tiernan Donnelly hitting a brace of points to being the game followed by three more scores off the boots of Conor Mullan, Enda McGarrity and Niall McElroy.  Drumragh had only the one point to show for their efforts during that period. A close range free converted by Aaron Montgomery.  Montgomery added Drumragh’s only other point of the half in the 30th minute.  Another free this time from 30 metres.  Aghaloo might well have got a goal towards the end of the half but James Colgan made a brilliant reaction save to deny Mullan.  Niall McElroy finished the first half scoring in the first minutes of injury time slotting over a point from play.  Half Time – Aghaloo 0-6 Drumragh 0-2.

Aghaloo set about pressing home their advantage after the short whistle and fired over a point from Jody McGlone and a Conor Mullan goal in the 31st and 33rd minutes.  That was just before substitute Tommy Mullin kicked a penalty narrowly wide for Drumragh.  Mullan was on target again for Aghaloo in the 38th minute.The next four points in the game were shared as Paddy Colgan hit Drumragh’s first point from play and Aaron Montgomery hit another free for Drumragh.  Tiernan Donnelly and Niall McElroy struck back with points for Aghaloo.  With sixteen minutes left in the game it was Aghaloo 1-9 Drumragh 0-4.

Drumragh sprang into action recording 1-3 inside twelve minutes. First Shane Devine hit a point and that was followed by a well taken goal from Tommy Mullin.  A fourth Aaron Montgomery free and a first point of the game for substitute Martin Taggart brought the Sarsfield’s men right back into the contest.  Aghaloo stayed cool however.  Another Niall McElroy point eased the nerves.  Cormac Norris landed probably the point of the game in the 60th minute but that would prove to be Drumragh’s last score.  Aghaloo powered home with a goal from James O’Hara and two points from Niall McElroy and Niall Henderson to secure the win.  Final Score – Aghaloo 2-13 Drumragh 1-8

Aghaloo – J Mulgrew, D Muldoon, P McGeary, G Daly, M Muldoon, R McGlone, E Ward, J McGlone 0-1, S Doughlas, C Boyle, E McGarrity 0-1, C Mullan 1-2, N McElroy 0-5, T Donnelly 0-3, N Henderson 0-1

Aghaloo Subs – J O’Hara 1-0, M McCormack, O Sherry, P Kinder

Drumragh – J Colgan, L Brown,  E Kerrigan,  A McGlinchey,  A Colgan,  P Colgan 0-1,  C Norris 0-1, A Montgomery 0-4, B Drumm, R Maguire, E Montgomery, M McManus, G Haughey,  S Devine 0-1, D O’Neill

Drumragh Subs – T Mullin 1-0, M Taggart 0-1, K Murphy, J Campbell, S Diamond

Referee – Cathal Forbes (Ardboe)