Dromintee Minors start and finish well to see off Ardboe in Ulster Championship Quarter-final

A fast start and strong finish from Dromintee was enough to see them past Tyrone champions Ardboe in today’s FonaCab Ulster Minor Football Tournament Quarter-final at CLG Naomh Pol, Belfast.

Powered by the impressive display of Diarmaid O’Rourke, the south Armagh side were 2-5 to 0-0 ahead after just 10 minutes. Ardboe fought their way back into the game, getting the deficit to just three late on, but Dromintee shot stopper James McBennett made a string of impressive saves to keep the Tyrone men at bay. And when the game was in the melting pot, Ronan Martin came up with three points in quick succession to help get his side over the line.

Although Dromintee took a strong lead early on, things could have been different if Ardboe’s Darragh Devlin took an early goal chance, but he flashed his effort wide. Instead, the first score of the day was curled over by Calvin Mooney’s left boot from the right wing.

O’Rourke was then given too much space from outside the arc, and he punished the opposition by nailing a two-pointer, and he followed that up with a one-pointer moments later. The same player then set up the game’s opening goal on eight minutes, when his low driven ball across the face of goal found Martin, who finished into the Ardboe net.

Dromintee were in complete control, and Oisin Byrne pointed to add to their lead. With just over 10 minutes played, it looked as though a rout was on the cards, when O’Rourke picked out Martin with a pinpoint kickpass, he fed Fionn Toale, who set up Byrne and the Dromintee corner forward blasted home into the roof of the net to put his side 11 points up.

Ardboe finally opened their account through a Devlin free, but Dromintee responded with Jarleth O’Neill and Mooney raising white flags. Ardboe did begin to grow into the game however, as they landed four of the final five points, and almost found the net – only for McBennett to deny Darcy Mallon.

Those scores came from Cahir McKeown, Mallon and two Devlin frees, with Martin closing out the scoring for Dromintee in the first half. They took a 2-8 to 0-5 lead into the changing rooms.

Ardboe knew they needed to start the second half fast, and they came out with great urgency in the opening minutes, as Devlin grabbed the first three points after the break to make life a little bit more uncomfortable for Dromintee. Jamie Concannon had a chance to make it a one-score game, but McBennet pulled off the save.

The Armagh champions opened their second half account with an impressive Conor Dunne strike from a ‘45, before Edan McCartney and Keane McArdle traded scores.

Ardboe’s Devlin then converted a free, and when the Tyrone side found the back of the net on 48 minutes, it was game on. That goal came after Mallon overturned a Dromintee kick out and played Ruairi O’Neill in on goal. He spilled the ball, but struck it soccer-style and found the back of the Dromintee net to make it a one-score game.

Perhaps the crucial moment of the game came a minute later when Ardboe’s Darragh Muldoon had a goal chance which could have levelled the game, with all the momentum on Ardboe’s side, but McBennett once again pulled off an important save.

Fionn Toale and Concannon then traded points, but Ardboe’s fightback ultimately ran out of steam and Dromintee weathered the storm. Martin stood up for his side with three points in a row to put the game beyond all doubt, before Michael Walker put the icing on the cake with the final score of the day.

It will be a quiet Christmas for Dromintee’s players, as they face the winners of St Canice’s Dungiven v Four Masters, in the semi-final on St Stephen’s Day.

MATCH STATS

Dromintee scorers: Ronan Martin (1-4), Oisin Byrne (1-1), Diarmaid O’Rourke (0-3, 1tp), Calvin Mooney (0-2), Jarleth O’Neill (0-1), Conor Dunne (0-1, 1’45), Keane McArdle (0-1), Fionn Toale (0-1), Michael Walker (0-1).

Ardboe scorers: Darragh Devlin (0-7, 6f), Ruairi O’Neill (1-0), Cahir McKeown (0-1), Darcy Mallon (0-1), Edan McCartney (0-1), Jamie Concannon (0-1).

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down).