• Home
• First Team
  • Latest News
  • Fixtures & Results
  • League Table
  • Goalscoring Charts
  • Player Profiles
  • Coaching Staff
• Reserve Team
  • Latest News
  • Fixtures & Results
  • League Table
  • Goalscoring Charts
  • Player Profiles
  • Coaching Staff
• Youth Teams
  • Latest News
  • u15s Fixtures & Results
  • u15s League Table
  • u15s Player Profiles
  • Goalscoring Charts
• The Club
  • Club Events
  • Trophy Cabinet
  • General Information
  • Committee
  • Club History
  • Merchandise
  • Club Sponsors
  • Sponsor/Advertise
  • Lotto
  • Galleries
• Contact Us

Newbuildings 1-1 Draperstown Celtic

This league encounter, the last of the season for Newbuildings should have seen the home side win comfortably if overall possession and good approach play were the determining factors in winning football matches, especially in the first hour or so.

But as we all know, its goals which win games and Newbuildings were profligate in that particular department, their goal coming, ironically from a Draperstown mistake. For their part, Draperstown were never in the game for 70 minutes, then came to life and could have won the game with Jankowski in the home nets having to make several important stops in the final few minutes.

It may have been a case of too many changes for the visiting side which had to make six changes from last weeks win and the mid-wwek win over Dungiven had taken a further toll on an already short supply of resources.

Newbuildings were very bright in the first half. Playing a quick tempo, with slick passing, they left Draperstown largely chasing shadows but they were unable to turn their unboubted superiority into goal scoring chances. Indeed, Leonard in the Draperstown , who was badly hampered with a groin injury all through the game was called upon only to prevent goal scoring opportunities on two or three occasions the best one coming in the 44^th minute when he saved at the near post from Morrow. Draeperstown had to dig in deep at times and had been troubled by the attacking pace of Robinson, Morrow and Connor with midifelder King also performing well but half time score a 0 – 0 scoreline.

Newbuildings took a deserved lead on 52 minutes when King took advantage of Celtic failing to make a routine clearance, and scored from the edge of the box. Mc Comb almost added a second a few minutes later but he was off target. With Gary Conway working very hard in midfield for Draperstown, a few cracks began to appear in the home defence. Murray’s jinking run set up Higgins whose shot on the turn was well saved by Jankowski on the hour mark, the first save of note he had made so far. Cathal Donnelly had also become more prominent and his corner on 76 minutes saw Eamon Murray flash a header which Jankowski tip onto the bar and away to safety. This was the first time Draperstown had exerted any pressure on the Newbuilding’s defence and they were having obvious difficulties in dealing with it.

The equaliser came on 80 minutes when recent signing Tom Clyde hit a scorching drive to the back of the net with Jankowski getting a hand to it but unable to prevent the goal. This was the young forward’s second goal in two games, having scored the only goal against Dungiven in midweek.

The last five minutes was end to end stuff. Eamon Murray had a shot blocked before Clyde hit another rasping shot which Jankowski did well to tip over. The corner was met by Jason Clyde whose header was blocked and cleared to safety by the now stretched Newbuilding’s defence. Both Robinson and Morrow fired wide for Newbuildings before Tom Clyde had two other shots well saved by Jankowski late in the game.

Newbuildings will have been annoyed at the end of the game for not turning their earlier superiority into a match winning position, while Draperstown will question as to why it took so long to begin to find some attacking play, which almost stole the points for them.

Draperstown Celtic 2-1 Roe Valley

Draperstown completed a league double over Roe Valley in front of a sizeable crowd who, only in brief spells, saw good passing football. A hard, bumpy pitch certainly didn’t help matters and injuries to a number of players on both sides resulted in a lack of consistency.

The first half was dire to say the least with passes going astray all over the field and neither side coming to terms with the conditions. It may have been a different matter if Declan Graffin’s header from Cathal Donnelly’s corner had found the back of the net instead of the post in the second minute, with Kevin Ward hitting the rebound over the bar.

Much of this period was a dour midfield battle with Davis and Peter Mullan for Valley attempting to inspire the visitor’s attack, but with little success.

Graffin again came close for Celtic when he volleyed over from 15 yards while Leonard in the home goal was a virtual spectator for most of the half.

At least the second half brought about an improved performance from Draperstown. Eamon Murray came close to opening the scoring on 48 minutes when his header from Donnelly’s cross beat the keeper but also the bar. Celtic’s Kevin Ward had to leave the field with an ankle injury replaced by Emmet McKillion who belied his youthful years by putting in another very promising performance.

Draperstown took the lead on 55 minutes when Raymond Caulfiled scored at the far post for his first of the season but the combative midfielder was soon to be carried off the field following a meaty challenge with Valley’s Buttress. The lead was almost doubled two minutes later when good interchanging passing from Higgins and McKillion saw the former’s shot parried by McPeake. However the home support was somewhat taken aback when Roe Valley equalised out of the blue. Cooke’s long range shot, going wide, was deflected into the path of Brolly who scored past Leonard on 62 minutes.

Inspired by this, Valley attempted to up the tempo but it was Draperstown who took the initiative again when McKillion found Murray whose first time pass found Gary Conway who scored from the edge of the box to give Celtic the lead after 73 minutes. The home side were determined not to let this lead slip and indeed had chances to extend it when firstly Murray shot narrowly wide and then when McKillion’s pass found the in-rushing Higgins who volleyed just over the bar.

Little was seen of Roe Valley as an attacking force in the remaining ten minutes of the game and while Celtic will be happy with the result there is room for improvement for them with five league games still to play and with them, an opportunity to finish the league campaign in a more acceptable position.

UUC 2?0 Draperstown Celtic

Draperstown exited the Challenge Cup on Saturday following a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the recently installed League champions. It was probably one of the least impressive performances of the season from Draperstown who only rarely threatened to score while UUC took two of the few chances they created.

The home side certainly were much the brighter side in the first half and duly took the lead in the 12^th minute when Cromie’s pass found Paddy Trolan who scored from close range. Ciaran Doherty should have extended the lead 3 minutes later following a left wing corner which eluded a number of players. Doherty somehow managed to spoon the ball over the bar from no more than one yard out.

Little had been seen of Draperstown of an attacking force, with Murray and Bradley forced to feed off what scraps were available though Murray did head narrowly wide from a Caufield free kick on the half hour mark. Sexton blazed over Celtic’s bar from close range on 40 minutes but Draperstown finished the half the stronger when McSorley volleyed over from a Donnelly corner and McGeough in the home net saved well from Caulfield’s shot and also from the follow up from Higgins.

The game as a contest was virtually over ten minutes into the second half when Trolan chased what seemed a lost cause but managed to cross for Sexton to score from close range. Draperstown managed to gain quite a lot of possession of the ball but rarely threatened the home goal while Leonard, the Celtic custodian, was a virtual spectator for the last 30 minutes of the game, though he did find time to fire a free kick from 35 yards narrowly wide of the home goal. The game petered into a dour midfield battle as UUC were content with their two goal lead and did not extend themselves in search of further scores.

Not a great day for Draperstown then who know that they can perform to higher levels than this display showed and will hope to do so in their remaining league games.

Next First Team Fixture

McGrogan Memorial Cup | Monday 27 July 2010
V
Draperstown Celtic v Broadway Celtic