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Table Quiz

Draperstown Celtic will be holding a table quiz on Friday, January 25th in the Market Inn with a start time of 9pm. It will be the usual format and prizes.

Admission is £3. (Bank of Scotland £1 notes are not accepted!!!)

New O’Neill’s Merchandise

The new DC branded O’Neill’s merchandise/leisurewear is now available to purchase from Burn’s of Draperstown.

Draperstown Celtic 0-2 Newbuildings

Newbuildings fully deserved the three points from this league fixture, played in gale force wind conditions and on a pitch which deteriorated badly as the game progressed.
A victory for Celtic would have pushed them into the top three but their plans went astray as early as the 12th minute when captain John Higgins was sent off for a deliberate hand ball on the line. Jason Hay dispatched the resultant kick, though McConnell was unlucky to see his attempted save come off the underside of the cross bar and in.

Draperstown worked very hard to get back into the game with Conway and McBride putting in a sterling effort in the centre of the field but they found it difficult to put McKeegan in the visitors’ goals under any real pressure. With the wind at their backs Newbuildings certainly had the majority of the possession but they did not double their tally until the 42nd minute when Peter Allen sent a screamer to the net from 30 yards.

The second half saw Draperstown, playing with the considerable wind attempt to get back into the game, but despite a great deal of possession they were unable to get past the solid Newbuilding’s defence. Gary Conway tested McKeegan from long range and the same player saw his corner kick hit the Newbuilding’s cross bar, but in truth Draperstown did not do enough to suggest that a comeback was on the cards.

Little was seen of the visitors as an attacking force in the second half but the one man advantage for 78 minutes and their better use of the conditions in the first half were the main factors in their continued good league form.

Dungiven Celtic 1-1 Draperstown Celtic

Dungiven enjoyed nearly all of the attacking play in the first half with Stephen O’Kane and Raymond O’Hara particularly prominent on the left side. Both sides will look at this enthralling match and think that that they should have taken all three points.

Certainly Dungiven, on the basis of their first half performance, where they did not allow Draperstown to settle into any sort of pattern of play and had the vast majority of possession will have been disappointed in the way they let the visitors dictate the game in the second. Indeed had it not been for two wonderful saves in quick succession from Dillon Early, Draperstown would have taken the victory but had to settle for the draw in what was a very entertaining game of football.

Draperstown’s defence was at times stretched to the limit to prevent the home side from scoring while at the other end, Celtic’s Murray and Burns were seeing very little of the ball. Kevin Boyle missed a good opportunity to open the lead for Dungiven when he slide the ball wide from O’Kane’s pass while Seamus Harkin uncharacteristically missed from very close range with the goals at his mercy on 40 minutes. Draperstown themselves should have taken the lead only a minute later but contrived to let a 3 on 1 opportunity go astray and were left to rue this missed chance when Dungiven scored right on half time. Cathal Grieve heading home from an O’Kane corner past McConnell.

Draperstown began the second half in more determined manner with Gary Conway and John Higgins taking control of the midfield. It was the turn of the Dungiven defence to come under severe pressure and Early had to save smartly from Eamon Murray’s shot and from the resulting corner, Stephen Caulfield headed wide when left free at the far post. Higgins also came close for Draperstown on the hour mark before Celtic gained a deserved equaliser. Early could only parry Cathal Donnelly’s superbly hit volley with the ball falling kindly for Sean McBride who finished smartly from 10 yards.

Draperstown could sense that they could totally turn this game around and on 75 minutes Eamon Murray must have thought he had put his side in the lead when his wonderful effort was clawed away from the top corner by Early. From the corner it was Sean McBride’s turn to hold his head in disbelief when again Early flung himself to his left to keep out a well hit volley. Murray could have snatched the victory for Draperstown in the 80 minute but lost control of the ball and allowed Early to smother the ball and the chance was gone. The last few minutes could not bring a winning goal for either side, but Draperstown did retain their unbeaten start to the league campaign while Dungiven seemed to have turned the corner from their shaky start to the season.

Draperstown Res. 0-3 Roe Rovers Res.

Roe Rovers Res traveled to Draperstown last week and collected another valuable 3 points and a clean sheet which was quite pleasing, it’s only their second this season. With a few players missing through injuries and work commitments Rovers opted to change formation to accommodate this.

This could have back fired on them as players were asked to play in different roles than they normally would but as proved to be the case it probably won them the game. With a very strong breeze blowing it was never going to be a classic encounter, both teams tried to play football but with passes being over hit and the ball moving a lot in the air it was scrappy at times. Rovers did most of the pressing in the first half as they had the breeze behind them and took full advantage of it.

Around the 20min mark, McGonigle made the most of a long pund up field as the bounce beat the defender he raced clear despite being pulled back to calmly dink over the keeper into the bottom corner. Rovers got a boost from this and had their best period of the game for the next 20mins. It wasn’t long before they added to their lead, McGonigle fed Dixon who turned his marker beautifully before hitting a fine shot that the keeper could only parry, guess who reacted quickest, there was only one winner with Dan the man in the box. Maude tapped home to maintain his fantastic goal scoring run of 10 in 10 games

With Rovers well on top the third came a few minutes later. After a lovely flick from McNickle to McGonigle who in turn squared to the back post allowing young “Chuckles” to tap home. 3-0 up after half an hour Rovers were in dreamland, it was at this point Draperstown changed their formation to combat Rovers system but the damage was done. The game became messy from now until the end of the half although Draperstown had a couple of chances and really should have scored.

Twice O’Kane had to make brilliant last ditch tackles to maintain the 3 goal cushion and when the Draperstown forward got the better of the Rovers defence and Ferris in nets he could only hit the shot over the bar after rounding the keeper. After the break, now playing into the breeze Rovers braced themselves for alot of Draperstown pressure but it never really materialised as the game became very scrappy. An injury to Maude at the end of the first half meant a change to Rovers with Kerr going up top.

With Draperstown doing most of the pressing, Rovers were content to hit on the break, Kerr had a couple of good chances but wasted them, McNickle also should have hit the net but was denied by their keeper. Ferris didn’t have much to do in the Rovers goal as the back three of Thompson, Haslet and O’Kane were very solid backed up by the hard working Deehan in midfield. Every Rovers player did their bit on Saturday especially in the second half when playing into the strong breeze. After their second half fell apart last week they were determined to see out the whole 90 minutes this time round and did so indeed.
With some very good performances especially from Dixon and O’Kane and playing a different system this was a very pleasing result for Rovers.

Match Report courtesy of Roe Rovers FC

Spotlight on: Niall Curneen

Niall Curneen is the IFA’s Grassroots Development Officer for the South Derry area.

In a special interview with the irishfa.com Niall tells them why he decided to become an IFA Grassroots Development Officer, a bit about what exactly his job involves and what he thinks is the most important part of the grassroots development programme.

What made you decide to become a Grassroots Development Officer?

I have always been involved in football from a very young age. As I got older I began to get involved in the coaching side of the game a bit more and seemed to enjoy it. As I passed through school PE was always my favourite subject and when I went to University to do a degree in Sports Studies, I had decided that I wanted a career in sports development. When the chance came to become a Grassroots Development Officer in my preferred sport, I jumped at the chance.

Can you tell us a bit about what your job involves?

The main objectives of my job are to increase participation of boys and girls in the game. By going into schools, both primary and post primary throughout the South Derry area, and delivering a good quality and enjoyable programme for everyone I achieve this. Also, working with community groups and organising fun weeks etc provide more opportunities for more children to get involved in football.

As well as the coaching side, part of my role is to aid the development of the three clubs who I am in partnership with. Through coach education I am able to develop the coaching aspect of the clubs’ development plans, and as a result the children in the local area are benefiting from a higher standard of coaching throughout the area. Not only will the clubs develop from this, but any teachers, parents or volunteers who go through any coach education courses will in turn mean that the area as a whole will benefit from a much better overall standard of coaching.

Finally, girls football in the South Derry area has massive potential and in the coming months my job will involve organising some activities to offer greater opportunity for promising female footballers to become involved in the game.

How do you think the new Development Centres and Officers will benefit grassroots football in Northern Ireland?

The appointment and positioning of 16 qualified officers throughout Northern Ireland will definitely benefit grassroots football. Now the Youth Football Strategy can be implemented evenly throughout the country, with no areas missing out. The communication between these 16 centres will help to ensure that every centre has a positive impact within the area designated.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The fact that no day is the same and I am out involved on the ground myself. It’s great to have an active job rather than a 9-5 desk job. Also, the fact that my job involves football is a bonus!! I enjoy working with kids, and seeing them enjoy a session that I have delivered is very satisfying.

What would you say is the most important part of the Programme?

There are two parts for me. Firstly, getting people to see the benefits of playing mini soccer at young ages rather than playing 11-a-side. Kids enjoy this more as they get more of the ball and this will help them develop into much better footballers as well. Secondly, coach education is very important. If we want to create a programme that will have the potential to last for many years, then coach education is vital to sustaining the programme.

Do you play football yourself?

Yes, I play right back for Wellington Rec F.C. who play in the Premier section of the Amateur League.

If you could play just one game for any team in the world, who would it be and why and who would it be against?

Obviously, being a Liverpool fan there is only going to be one team! To be able to play in the same team as my childhood hero Robbie Fowler. It would have to be against Man United, just to have a go at our fiercest rivals!!!

Reproduced courtesy of the IrishFA.com

Roe Valley 0-8 Draperstown Celtic

Draperstown’s performance in this league game matched the emphatic score line as they totally overwhelmed a beleaguered Roe Valley side. The home side were second in every department as they were unable to match Draperstown in terms of fitness, skill and ability to make and take chances.
For Celtic, while it was an excellent team performance, the plaudits must go to Eamon Murray who scored five goals and looked a threat every time he went forward.

It was Murray who opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute when he latched onto Darren McKillion’s excellent through pass and calmly flicked the ball past Buttress in the Valley goals. This set the pattern for the game as Celtic attempted to push forward at every opportunity. Burns saw his overhead kick just go over the bar on 12 minutes before John Higgins fired wide on 22 minutes from a free kick on the edge of the box, given after Murray was taken down by Boyd who was fortunate only to be shown the yellow card for his action.

Draperstown doubled their score when John Higgins fired home from close range after 26 minutes. Seamus Quinn’s free found Heron whose pass released Murray who in turn found Higgins in too much space inside the Roe Valley box and the elegant mid-fielder was not going to miss from that range. Brendan Heron almost made it three on 40 minutes when his mazy run took him past three defenders but his shot just went past the far post. The third goal duly came but in a rather bizarre manner. Goalkeeper Buttress while attempting to clear his lines, inexplicably threw the ball to Murray on the edge of the penalty box who promptly dispatched it to the back of the net to give Draperstown a 3-0 lead at half time.

The second half was more of the same one way traffic towards the home goal. Any thought the home side had of getting back into the game was quickly nullified when on 50 minutes, Murray latched onto a through ball, beat centre half Moore and easily beat Buttress to complete his hat-trick and put Celtic four up. Matters only got worse for Roe Valley when Billy Doran was sent off when he picked up his second yellow card just after the hour mark while two minutes later, Celtic’s Murray continued with his own personal demolition of Roe valley when he was left with a simple tap in following after an excellent run and pass by substitute Emmett McKillion.

By now Roe Valley were totally demoralised and, as they had for most of the game, found it difficult to mount any type of serious challenge on the Draperstown defence, which was well marshalled by Seamus Quinn. More goals were to follow for Celtic. Their sixth of the game on 74 minutes, came from the hard working Raymond Caulfield whose cross from out on the right totally deceived Buttress and sailed into the far corner of the home net. Perhaps not meant, but a just reward for the midfielder who never stopped running during the game.

Draperstown weren’t finished yet and number seven came on 80 minutes when Andy Burns found Eamon Murray on the edge of the box. His run took him past two defenders before lashing the ball past a bemused buttress in the Roe Valley nets to bring his personal tally to five. Celtic completed the scoring on 91 minutes when Sean McBride robbed Michael Guy and found substitute Gary Conway who scored from close range.

It was an excellent all round performance from Draperstown which ultimately produced this fine win and keeps their recent good form going. However, they know that there will be sterner challenges ahead and they will have to keep their feet firmly on the ground if they are not to let this solid start to the season slip away.

Draperstown Celtic 2-1 Limavady Utd Res

Draperstown edged this tense intermediate Cup first round match against Limavady Utd reserves thanks to two well taken goals in the first half. Had Lady luck been on their side, Draperstown would have registered a more comfortable win, having hit the wood work twice when they led 2-0. However the youthful Limavady side certainly had Celtic on the back foot for the last 15 minutes but could not find the crucial equalising goal.

Limavady started brightly, enjoying the greater possession and better passing and both Morrison and Mullan had shots just off target in the opening nine minutes. Celtic took the lead somewhat against the run of play on ten minutes when Murray latched on to Heron’s pass to lob the ball over Ewing to put the home side in front. Limavady responded well and created several half chances which fell to Mullan and Mc Fadden which failed to trouble McConnell in the Draperstown goal. Indeed McFadden should have equalised in the 18th minute but shot over when a goal looked likely.

Celtic took advantage of these misses and doubled their lead when Brendan Heron’s first time shot from the edge of the box just eluded Ewing’s despairing dive to put the home side two goals to the good after 28 minutes. Celtic finished the half well though Wicell did have a penalty claim turned down on 41 minutes.

The second half opened with Celtic being denied twice by the woodwork and both times it was Eamon Murray who suffered. On 50 minutes his wonderful turn and shot beat Ewing who was grateful to see the ball hit the inside of the post and away to safety, while three minutes later, the striker saw his free kick canon off the cross bar and away to safety. A third goal at this stage for Draperstown would probably have sealed a comfortable victory. Indeed Ewing, in the visitor’s goal, also had to save well twice from Gilligan and Higgins before Wicell brought Limavady back into the game with a header on 78 minutes.

The last 12 minutes saw Limavady throw caution to the wind in search of the equaliser and indeed it took a combination of some last ditch Draperstown tackles and solid goal keeping from McConnell to keep efforts from Blair and McQueen out.
In the end, the final whistle signalled Draperstown’s journey into the second round while Limavady can count themselves a little unlucky not to have forced the game into extra time.

Next First Team Fixture

NI Intermediate League | 13th March 2010
V
Draperstown Celtic v Mountjoy FC