Dowdallshill G.F. & A.C.

Sun Feb 17th:    Home to Wolfe Tones. Game cancelled, wasn't re-fixed.

Thurs Feb 21st: Away to St Fechins, WON 2-8 to 1-5.

Sat Mar 1st:      Home to Annagh Rvs (In the Clans), WON 2-7 to 0-5.

Sun Mar 9th:     Home to John Mitchells, WON 5-15 to 0-4.

Sun Mar 16th:   Away to Stabannon Parnells, LOST 1-9 to 1-5.*

            * Dowdallshill miss out on Final place to Stabannon  

Junior c'ship

Sunday September 14th, Gaels Pitch, semi final replay:

Dowdallshill   1-8    Lannleire  0-13  (AET)

Our JFC campaign came to an end with this defeat, and there can be few complaints after we again-failed to recapture the sort of form which saw us top our section in the Group stages..

After being let off the hook in the drawn match, a better performance was hoped for this time, however we were terribly slow out of the blocks, allowing Dunleer build-up a 4-0 lead before Gerry Mc Shane landed our first score, a free on 16 mins. 2 more Mc Shane frees had us only  a point in arrears, however Dunleer finished the half the stronger, and deservedly led at the break, 0-6 to 0-3.

The 2nd half continued in much the same vein. Our forward line continued to struggle to gain possession, with scores extremely hard to come by.

But our luck appeared to change when Ciaran Sheridan, brought-back from his studies in Finland for this game, found the net on 41 mins, to give us a lifeline. Stephen Flood came-off his line, and Ciaran showed great alertness to lob the ball over his head.

A point soon after by the same player, had us back on level terms, however the scores soon dried-up at either end, and it was no surprise that by the end of the 60 mins, the tie was level, 0-9 to 1-6.

Extra time followed, and when early back to back scores from Ciaran Sheridan and Paul Gill put us in front for the first time, we looked to be finally gaining the upper hand.

However Dunleer had other ideas, and by half-time in extra time, the match was back to parity.

In the 2nd period of extra time, we continued to struggle to get meaningful ball into the forward line, and this was a frustrating aspect of our play all night.

Dunleer on the other hand, played the ball much more intelligently, and got the 2 scores which saw them over the winning line, courtesy of Shane Kennedy and Paul Callan.

The final score was 0-13 to 1-8.

Again, took many players didnt do themselves justice in this match, and it's unfortunate that our 2 worst performances of the entire season, have come in the last 2 matches.

The loss of Donal O'Callaghan, who wasn't involved in the match because of a hamstring injury picked-up in training on Thursday, was an obvious blow to our chances, but it's doubtful if even his presence would have been enough to prevent a different outcome.

D'hill scorers:

Gerry Mc Shane 0-3, Ciaran Sheridan 1-3, Kevin Mc Parland and Paul Gill 0-1 each.

The team which started:

                                           Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy                   Enda Hughes                 David Agnew

Vincy Mc Kevitt                   Eamon Duffy                  Seamus Agnew 

                     Noel Mohan                 Ciaran O'Callaghan

Kevin Mc Parland                Gerry Mc Shane             Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan                  Paul Gill                         Donal Sheridan

Subs used during normal/extra time: Ciaran Kelly, Fra Agnew, Damien Fanning and Peter Hughes.

Saturday September 6th, Gaels Pitch, semi final

Dowdallshill  2-7   Lannleire 1-10   (a draw)

A lucky escape at the Ramparts, after our Junior team came mightely close to being knocked out of the JFC.

In spite of a great start with a goal and a point inside the opening 4 mins, we were then guilty of switching-off, allowing Dunleer back into the game and giving them the confidence to exploit our defence.

Granted, we were playing into a very stiff breeze in the 1st half, but our forwards were simply starved of possession, and it was no surprise that we went 23 mins without a score.

Our early goal was a gem from Paul Gill, as he cut-in from the endline.. when he's on the ball, something special is always possible, and so it proved on this occasion!

Points soon after from Gill and Gerry Mc Shane, had us in good shape, but it soon went horribly pear-shaped as Dunleer assumed control.

Gary Corrigan spilled a long-ball-in, and Paul Callan was on-hand to find the net from close range.. And 3 more points from Carlos Lambe between the 22nd and 30th minutes, really had us on the back-foot, as we trailed 1-4 to 1-2.

The half time break offered us a chance to regroup, and when Donal O'Callaghan and Noel Finnegan(2) knocked-over the first 3 scores of the 2nd half, matters were looking-up..

Dunleer hit back with the next-2 scores, but when Gerry Mc Shane converted a penalty after Paul Gill had been hauled-down, were were back 2 points in front, 2-5 to 1-6.

Again though, we were found wanting when it came to killing off the match, and Dunleer found inspiration to come back again..

There was little to choose between the teams in the closing stages, but it was ourselves who forced the equalising point 2 mins from the end, when Paul Gill found the range. Carlos Lambe spurned 2 late opportunities which could have won it for the mid-Louth men.

All-round, this wasnt a good display from the 'Hill, and much better will be required if we're to fare any better in the replay.

D'hill scorers:

Paul Gill 1-2, Gerry Mc Shane 1-1, Noel Finnegan 0-2, Kevin Mc Parland 0-1, Donal O'Callaghan 0-1.

The team which started;

                                                Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy                       Enda Hughes                       David Agnew

Vincy Mc Kevitt                       Eamon Duffy                       Seamus Agnew

                         Noel Mohan             Ciaran O'Callaghan

Kevin Mc Parland                     Gerry Mc Shane                   Noel Finnegan

Donal O'Callaghan                      Paul Gill                           Donal Sheridan

Referee: Paul Finnegan. 

Thursday August 14th, Monasterboice

Dowdallshill 3-8  St Kevins 2-8.

The lads wrapped-up a semi final place, with this hard earned win over the Kevins.

In a tight match, we led 1-4 to 0-4 at the break, Ciaran Sheridan's goal proving the difference between the teams.

We cut loose with in the 2nd half with goals from Ciaran Sheridan and Paul Gill, however the Kevins finished the stronger, and 2 rather slack goals had us hanging-on in the closing stages.

In spite of the result, the Kevins progress to the q-finals in 3rd place.. St Nicholas' beat Annaghminnon, and therefore finish 2nd.

In other other section, the Mochtas defeated St Fechins to claim top spot, while a draw between Stabannon and Lannleire, was enough to send both teams through to the quarters. The Finbarrs beat Glen emmets, but that result only served to eliminate both teams.

The q-final line-up will be:

Lannleire v St Kevins, in a local derby

Stabannon v St Nicholas.

Our scorers last night:

Ciaran Sheridan 2-0, Paul Gill 1-2, Noel Finnegan 0-4, Enda Hughes 0-1.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy       Enda Hughes     David Agnew

Vincent Mc Kevitt     Eamon Duffy    Seamus Agnew

Ciaran O'Callaghan    Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland      Donal Sheridan    Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan     Paul Gill     Donal O'Callaghan

Subs used: Ciaran Kelly, Barry O'Hanlon, Peter Hughes, Damien Fanning and Fra Agnew.

Referee: Tommy Mc Enteggart

Sunday July 20th, Louth Village

Dowdallshill 1-10  Annaghminnon Rovers 1-6

A 4th successive win in Section '2', which should be good enough to qualify us for the semi finals....

For whatever reason, we always seem to struggle against Annaghminnon, and in the 3rd quarter of this match, we looked to be in trouble. After dominating the 1st half and subsequently leading by 6 points at the break, we allowed them get a sniff in the 3rd quarter, when they whittled their 6-point defecit down to just 2. However credit must go to our lads, who didn't hit the panic button, and a timely score from Kevin Mc Parland marked a swingback in our favour.

We went on to score 3 of the last 4 points of the match to put the issue beyond doubt.

The first half performance was extremely pleasing. Rovers opened well but couldnt find the range, and when Gerry Mc Shane opened our account on 8 points, it was a sign of things to come. We went on to score 1-7 without reply, the goal coming from Paul Gill on 26 mins, following a pass from Gerry Mc Shane.

Just before the break through, Annaghminnon ghosted-in for their first score of the match, a goal, courtesy of David Kellett. 1-6 to 1-0 was the half-time score.

Rovers came-out with all guns blazing at the start of the 2nd half, and 4 straight points had us on the rack.

Thankfully, we were able to weather that 3rd quarter storm, and our forwards came up with the goods to see us over the line.

The night's only downer was the dismissal of Gerry Mc Shane with 7 mins remaining. A straight red card means he's looking at a month's suspension minimum.

Scorers:

Paul Gill 1-3, Gerry Mc Shane 0-4, Noel Finnegan 0-2, Kevin Mc Parland 0-1

Team:

                               Gary Corrigan

Diarmuid Murphy         Enda Hughes          David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan        Eamon Duffy          Seamus Agnew

             Ciaran O'Callaghan       Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland        Gerry Mc Shane         Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan            Paul Gill                Donal Sheridan

2nd half subs used: Ciaran Kelly for Seamus Agnew, Damien Fanning for Noel Mohan.

Referee: Alan Mc Kenna   

Thurs July 10th, Monasterboice

Dowdallshill 1-12 Nicholas 1-7.

The 'Hill chalked-up their 3rd successive victory in Group 2 with this 5-point win which puts them clear at the top of the section and guarantees at-least a quarter final place.

Not for the first time in the current campaign, the lads had to battle their way back after opening brightly and then going asleep.

2 early points put them on the road, but by half-time, they'd gone 21 mins without a score. And the Nicks took advantage, grabbing 1-3 to move into a 1-5 to 0-3 lead by half time.

Our Lads needed to lift their game on the re-start, and they did just that, helped on by a goal from 'Shaner' 6 mins in. That goal signalled a major turnaround in our fortunes, and in the first 15 mins of the 2nd half, we turned a 5 point half-time defecit, into a 2 point lead (1-7 to 1-5). And the lads managed to maintain their momentum, going on to hit a further 5 points, as the Nicks challenge faltered.

Mentally, this was a huge result for the team. The Nicks beat us in the first round of the Div 3 league earlier in the season, but since then, we've not lost a match in either league or c'ship. The important thing now, is to not lose focus. This c'ship still has a long way to run, and there's sure to be manys a twist and turn, before we can start contemplating silverware. Still, a look at the other results over the 2 groups, shows we're the most consistent team so-far, and the only team with a 100 per cent record.

Scorers: Gerry Mc Shane 1-4, Noel Finnegan 0-5, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Paul Gill and Donal Sheridan 0-1 each.

The team:

                                 Gary Corrigan

Damien Fanning         Enda Hughes        David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan      Eamon Duffy        Seamus Agnew

                 Ciaran O'Callaghan   Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc  Parland        Gerry Mc Shane     Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan           Paul Gill                Donal Sheridan

Subs used: Ciaran Kelly for Eamon Duffy, Fra Agnew for Noel Mohan and Barry O'Hanlon for Damien Fanning.

*Eamon Duffy and Seamus Agnew were available for the match, after being exonerated by the Louth C.C.C. following their sendings-off v the John Mitchells in Round-2. 

Sunday June 29th, Stabannon

Dowdallshill 2-6  John Mitchells 0-4

A 2nd successive win in the JFC, but this match will be remembered-more, for the performance of referee Joey Moynagh, who felt it necessary to brandish 6 red cards and 11 yellow, in a show of officialdom which simply beggered belief!   

4 of the red cards were shown to D'hill players (Donie O'Callaghan 2 yellows, Eamon Duffy, Seamus Agnew and Diarmuid Murphy), while the yellows are too numerous to mention. And all that in a match that hardly had a decent hit throughout!

Certainly Moynagh's performance was the big talking point after the match, not only among Dowdallers, but also in the Mitchells camp. Did this match really merit such a spate of cards?  And the unfortunate thing, is that the 4 dimissals could have serious knock-on consequences heading into our next c'ship match in less than a fortnight's time against the Nicks.

Aside from the refereeing fiasco, our lads did enough to make it across the finishing line, a 2nd goal from Noel Finnegan near the finish, wrapping-up an unconvincing win. 

But it was a scrappy match throughout, a strong crossfield wind not helping the quality of play.

The 'Hill made the perfect start, Gerry Mc Shane knocking over a 2nd minute free, before Paul Gill was bundled to the ground for a clearcut penalty. Mc Shane duly converted the kick to make it 1-1 to 0-0 after barely 3 mins.

Mitchells didn't lie down though, and after outscoring us 3-1 between the 8th and 29th minutes, the gap was down to just a single point.

Gerry Mc Shane landed the final point of the half to leave it 1-3 to 0-4 at the break.

Like the 1st half, the 'Hill started the 2nd period in flying fashion, Ciaran Sheridan and Paul Gill hitting over early scores.

Mitchells keeper Darren Hickey, who pulled-off a superb save from Paul Gill in the 1st half, then denied Ciaran Sheridan, sticking-out his hand to prevent a 2nd 'Hill goal, 6 mins-in.

The next score didnt come until 46 mins, Donal Sheridan landing a beauty of a point.

But it was then that the match descended into farce, with the flurry of yellow cards finally catching with the players already cautioned..Donal OCallaghan was first to go, before a mini-fracas saw Eamon Duffy and Seamus Agnew follow suit. And soon-after, it was the turn of Diarmuid Murphy to recieve his marching orders, thereby reducing us to 11 players!

The 2 Mitchells players shown red, were Carl Courtney and Mark Kerr.

The last score of the match, which finally sealed our win, came courtesy of Noel Finnegan's well-fashioned late goal.

Mitchells incidentally, failed to score in the 2nd half.

Not surprisingly, there were few celebrations at the full-time whistle.. instead, all the talk was of the referee, and how a match of such little incident, ended-up producing more cards than scores! (17 cards/12 scores)

For the record, the D'hill scorers were: Gerry Mc Shane 1-3, Noel Finnegan 1-0, Paul Gill, Donal Sheridan and Ciaran Sheridan 0-1 each.

Starting line-up:

                             Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy     Enda Hughes      David Agnew

Donal OCallaghan   Eamon Duffy      Seamus Agnew

           Noel Mohan     Ciaran O'Callaghan

Damien Fanning      Gerry Mc Shane    Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan      Paul Gill                 Donal Sheridan

sub used: Fra Agnew for Ciaran Sheridan (2nd half)

Referee: Joey Moynagh

Thurs June 12th, Haggardstown

Dowdallshill 2-9  Westerns      2-8

Hugh Mc Parland's side were forced to withstand a strong Westerns 2^nd half fightback, before opening their account with a hard earned win in this Group 2 opener at Mc Geough Park.

The 'Hill, who came into the game on the back of 6 consecutive league victories, would have had no-one but themselves to blame, had they ended-up losing the tie.

Afterall, they raced into an early 6 points lead, were 5 points to the good at half-time, and then missed a penalty at a crucial stage in the 2^nd half.

The opening score of the game was Gerry Mc Shane’s early goal, and the ‘Hill went-on to take a firm grip of proceedings with a further 3 points without reply.

A 2^ND goal from Donal Sheridan saw them lead 2-7 to 1-4 at the interval.

However the Westerns were a much improved outfit in the 2^nd half, and gradually made inroads into their opponents’ lead.

And they were given further incentive when ‘Hill forward Gerry Mc Shane managed to blaze his penalty-kick, wide.

A series of wides in the final 10 mins however, proved costly for the Reaghstown men, and try as they might, an equalising score never materialised.

D’hill team and scorers:

Gary Corrigan, Damien Murphy, Enda Hughes, David Agnew, Damien Fanning, Eamon Duffy, Seamus Agnew (0-1), Ciaran O’Callaghan, Noel Mohan, Kevin Mc Parland (0-2), Gerry Mc Shane (1-1), Noel Finnegan (0-2), Ciaran Sheridan, Paul Gill (0-3), and Donal Sheridan (1-0)

*Donal O'Callaghan didn't start due to injury.

Subs: Fra Agnew for Seamus Agnew

Referee: Jim Nixon

Division 3 League

Sunday Nov 9th

Dowdallshill   0-6   Naomh Finbarra 0-10

Our chances of playing in the Division 2 ranks next season, went-up in smoke, following this 4 point-defeat to the 'Barrs in the first of the Promotion play-offs at Dromiskin.

Unfortunately, it was a performace too reminiscent of our 2 c'ship semi final matches against Lannleire, when the form we showed earlier in the season, sadly deserted us.  Again, we were slow out of the blocks, struggled to get scores on the board, and even though we got level early in the 2nd half, we failed to kick-on.

The talismatic Gerry Mc Shane scored all of our points (4 frees, 2 from play), while Ciaran O'Callaghan was one of our few other shining lights, playing a stormer at centrefield.

The team was

                                                Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy                         Enda Hughes                David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan                    Eamon Duffy                  Vincy Mc Kevitt

                               Ciaran O'Callaghan      Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland                         Donal Sheridan                Noel Finnegan

Gerry Mc Shane                           Peter Hughes                    Paul Gill

Subs used: David Mc Crave for David Agnew, Damien Fanning for Eamon Duffy, Fra Agnew for Kevin Mc Parland.

Tuesday 21st October

Dowdallshill  8-8   Westerns  1-8.

As the scoreline suggests, this was pretty much one way traffic, as the lads eased to victory against an understrength Westerns team, who had nothing really to play for.

John Kerr saved a 2nd half penalty.

The team was:

                                            John Kerr

Fra Agnew                            Enda Hughes              David Agnew

Vincy Mc Kevitt                    Eamon Duffy              Seamus Agnew

                      Ciaran O'Callaghan     Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland                   Paul Gill                  Noel Finnegan

Gerry Mc Shane                     Peter Hughes            Donal O'Callaghan

Subs used:   Colm Agnew, Damien Fanning, Stephen Mc Ginn, Donal Sheridan and Dermot Smith.

Scorers:  Gerry Mc Shane 3-2, Paul Gill 2-3, Noel Finnegan 1-3, Donal O'Callaghan 1-0, Colm Agnew 1-0.

Referee: Malachi Craven.

Sunday 12th October:

Glen Emmets    0-11   Dowdallshill  2-7

A penalty from Gerry Mc Shane, 3 mins from time, helped us to an unconvincing 2 point win over Glen Emmets in Tullyallen, enough to keep our title chances just about alive.

This was our first competitive outing since our exit from the JFC, and some of the players who lined-out in that replay against Dunleer, were absent. John Kerr came-in between the posts and pulled-off a vital save in the second half, while there were also starts for Fra Agnew and Peter Hughes.

Scorers: Gerry Mc Shane 1-5, Colm Agnew 1-0, Donal Sheridan 0-1 and Noel Mohan 0-1.

The team was:

                                      John Kerr

Damien Murphy             Enda Hughes          David Agnew

Seamus Agnew                Vincy Mc Kevitt     Fra Agnew

                   Ciaran O'Callaghan     Kevin Mc Parland

Peter Hughes                  Donal Sheridan       Noel Finnegan

Gerry Mc Shane                Colm Agnew          Donal O'Callaghan

Subs: Noel Mohan for Colm Agnew, Colm Agnew for Fra Agnew. 

Sunday 27th July

Dowdallshill 0-12  Young Irelands 3-6.

Our first league defeat since our opening round defeat to the Nicks, saw us suffer a setback in our bid for league promotion.

This match was in the melting pot for long periods, however the Irelands finished the match with a flourish to claim the points.

But it was the 3 goals we conceded, which ultimately proved our undoing.

We conceded our first one just two minutes in (an og), while 6 mins from the break just after we'd cancelled-out the 1st goal with 3 straight points, another one flashed-in to put us back on the back-foot. And the 3rd Irelands goal arrived 2 mins into the 2nd half to further dent our hopes.

In between though, there were glimpses of the form which has seen us light up this year's junior c'ship...

Ciaran Kelly, Noel Finnegan and Paul Gill hit sublime points in the 1st half, while Finnegan hit 3 wonderful frees in the 2nd period, to draw us level.

However in the final 10 mins, it was the visitors who upped the ante, outscoring us 4-1 to claim the points.

A very entertaining match played with c'ship intensity.. and while it's disappointing to see our long unbeaten run come to an end, there was more than enough in the performance, to suggest the lads can bounce back.

Best performers on the night were Enda Hughes, Donal O'Callaghan, Noel Finnegan and Kevin Mc Parland.

Scorers: Noel Finnegan 0-4, Paul Gill 0-2, Noel Mohan 0-2, Kevin Mc Parland 0-1, Ciaran Kelly 0-1, Donal O'Callaghan 0-1, Seamus Agnew 0-1.

Team:

                                   Gary Corrigan

Diarmuid Murphy            Enda Hughes             David Agnew

Ciaran Kelly                    Eamon Duffy             Seamus Agnew

                       Noel Mohan       Ciaran O'Callaghan

Kevin Mc Parland              Donal Sheridan         Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan                 Paul Gill                 Donal O'Callaghan

subs: Vincie Mc Kevitt for Ciaran Kelly, Damien Fanning for David Agnew and Barry O'Hanlon for Ciaran Sheridan (all 2nd half).

Referee: Kevin Levins.

Wednesday 28th May

Stabannon Parnells 0-4 Dowdallshill 1-9

Another valuable 2 points collected, in our mission for promotion out of the Division 3 League. And while Stabannon didnt offer the resistance we expected, we still went about our task admirably.

An early penalty from 'Shaner' set the tone, and by half-time, we were coasting, 1-6 to 0-0.

Infact, the home side didn't raise their first white flag until the 45th minute, a free from Aonghus Giggins.

By that stage, we were home and hosed.

Gerry Mc Shane led the scoring charts with 1-3, followed by Noel Finnegan with 0-4, and Paul Gill and Ciaran O'Callaghan with 0-1 each.

The team showed just one change from the Finbarrs match, with Ciaran Kelly coming into the forward line in place of Ciaran Sheridan.

Starting line-up:

Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy       Enda Hughes             David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan    Eamon Duffy              Seamus Agnew

                 Ciaran O'Callaghan     Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland       Gerry Mc Shane        Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Kelly                Paul Gill                   Donal Sheridan

Subs:  John Kerr for Gary Corrigan, Eamon Kissane for Damien Murphy, Damien Fanning for David Agnew, Stephen Mc Ginn for Gerry Mc Shane and Sean Matthews for Ciaran Kelly.

Referee: Malachi Craven.

Saturday May 24th

Dowdallshill 3-7 Naomh Finbarra 0-8

Preparations for our forthcoming JFC opener against the Westerns were given a further boost, following their very encouraging win over the Finbarrs at St Brigid's Park.

The lads look control of proceedings in the 2nd half, outscoring the Togher side 3-2 to 0-6, and it all augers well with the c'ship campaign on the horizon.

Furthermore, it puts us in a very strong position to seriously challenge for League Honours..this was our 5th win on the trot..

Paul Gill is turning out to be a very useful aquisition for us, and his eye for goal was again evident as he struck twice in that 2nd half.

His first 3-pointer was the score which helped us take a firm grip of proceedings, while the 2nd goal from Noel Finnegan pushed us further clear.

For the 2nd match running, the team was unchanged, with Damien Murphy and Enda Hughes continuing in the full-back line.

And good to see Damien Fanning making a return as a 2nd half substitute.

Scorers: Paul Gill 2-1, Ciaran Sheridan 0-3, Noel Fiinegan 1-1 and Gerry Mc Shane 0-2.

The team:

Gary Corrigan

Damien Murphy         Enda Hughes     David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan     Eamon Duffy      Seamie Agnew

               Ciaran O'Callaghan    Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland      Gerry Mc Shane   Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan              Paul Gill             Donal Sheridan 

Subs used: Ciaran Kelly for Ciaran Sheridan, Damien Fanning for Seamie Agnew, Stephen Mc Ginn for Donal Sheridan, Owen Armstrong for Noel Finnegan and Dermot Smyth for Paul Gill.

Apart from the scorers, our best players were Enda Hughes, Ciaran O'Callaghan and Noel Mohan.             

Sunday May 18th

Dowdallshill 1-14 Annaghminnon Rovers 1-9

A match that the 'Hill should have closed-out in the 2nd half, became an unexpected struggle,  after the visitors left their first half form behind them in the dressingroom at the break. Leading 1-9 to 0-2 at the interval, we were guilty of allowing Rovers back into contention, and helped on by the accuracy of Martin Quinn, they closed to within 3 points with 6 mins left.

In the end, we had to be thankful for 2 late points from Paul Gill and Ciaran Sheridan to wrap up the win.

Some positives from the match, were that for the 3rd game running, all 6 starting forwards scored, while Gerry Mc Shane's contribution of 7 points, was also pleasing.

We started with 2 changes from the team that beat St Fechins last week.. Diarmuid Muprhy replaced the injured Fra Agnew at right-corner-back, while Enda Hughes began at full-back in place of Ciaran Kelly.

Gerry Mc Shane was on fire in the 1st half, knocking over 4 of the first 6 points in the 1st quarter alone.

And when Paul Gill got on the end of a superb 4-man move to knock the ball to the net in the run-in to half-time, the outcome appeared beyond doubt.

However the start of the 2nd half brought about an Annaghminnon revival, and the 'Hill were guilty of backing-off, possibly believing the match was already won. Tony Martin's goal at the end of the 3rd quarter gave the home side hope, and with Martin Quinn tapping-over 3 successive points, our healthy half-time lead was being quickly gobbled-up.

Gerry Mc Shane's 7th score of the match on 49 mins, proved timely, and although Quinn responded for Annaghminnon with his 5th point of the game on 54, the scores from Gill and Sheridan, ensured there was no great escape for the hosts.

After our fine wins over the Kevins and the Fechins, this would have to go down as a very disappointing display. When we should have shut the door in the 2nd half, we left it wide open and allowed Annaghminnon come at us.

Still, it's another win in our promotion quest. Those to acquit themselves well were Eamon Duffy, Enda Hughes and Seamus Agnew in defence, and Gerry Mc Shane, Kevin Mc Parland and Ciaran Sheridan up front.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Diarmuid Murphy       Enda Hughes      David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan      Eamon Duffy      Seamus Agnew

                 Noel Mohan      Ciaran O'Callaghan

Kevin Mc Parland      Gerry Mc Shane      Noel Finnegan

Ciaran Sheridan            Paul Gill                 Donal Sheridan

2nd half subs used: Cathal Mc Shane for Noel Finnegan, and Stephen Mc Ginn for Donal Sheridan.

Scorers: Gerry Mc Shane 0-7, Paul Gill 1-1, Ciaran Sheridan 0-2, Kevin Mc Parland, Seamus Agnew, Donal Sheridan, Noel Finnegan 0-1 each.

Referee: Liam Bird.

Sunday May 11th

Dowdallshill 3-11 St Fechins 1-6

Plenty to enthuse about in this particular performance, as some slick movement, clinical finishing and stout defending, enabled us put St Fechins to the sword in balmy conditions more akin to the Meditteranean!

After a tentative opening, the match took a decisive turn when 8 minutes-in, Paul Gill turned his marker, before burying the ball past keeper Mark Savage.

That goal spurred the 'Hill on, and a further 1-3 without reply followed, the 2nd goal coming from Donal Sheridan, after Paul Gill and Ciaran Sheridan had done the spadework.

Leading 2-4 to 0-3 at the break, the home side pushed home their superiority in the 2nd half, and a further 5 unanswered points from Ciaran Sheridan, Donal Sheridan, Gerry Mc Shane (2) and Paul Gill, had us a comfortable 2-10 to 0-5 in front, with 12 mins left.

3 mins from time, substitute Paul Thomas put the icing on the cake, rolling in the 3rd goal after an exquisite pass from Gerry Mc Shane.

The only downside to the win, was a shoulder injury picked-up by defender Fra Agnew in the 1st half. Fra bravely went-in for a 50-50 ball, and came-off worst. Hopefully, it won't be long before he's back in action, and we'd like to wish him a very speedy recovery.

This was our 3rd win in 4 matches, while for the Fechins, it was their first defeat of the campaign. 

The 'Hill scorers:

Gerry Mc Shane 0-5, Donal Sheridan 1-1, Ciaran Sheridan 0-3, Paul Gill 1-1, Paul Thomas 1-0 and Noel Finnegan 0-1.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Fra Agnew                 Ciaran Kelly           David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan     Eamon Duffy      Seamus Agnew

Ciaran O'Callaghan     Noel Mohan

 Kevin Mc Parland         Gerry Mc Shane    Noel Finnegan         

             Paul Gill        Ciaran Sheridan     Donal Sheridan

 Subs used: Damien Murphy for Fra Agnew (inj) 1st half

Paul Thomas for Noel Mohan, Cathal Mc Shane for Kevin Mc Parland and Stephen Mc Ginn for Donal Sheridan (all 2nd half)

Wednesday May 7th

St Kevins 0-5  Dowdallshill 2-13

This re-fixture in Philipstown proved one-way traffic from the outset, as the visitors quickly asserted themselves on their way to a 2nd victory from 3 starts.

By half-time, Hugh Mc Parland's men were 6 in front (1-7 to 0-4), and in the 2nd half, they restricted the home team to just a single point, while at the same time, running-up a further 1-6 of their own.

A much more one-sided contest that the abandoned match 3 days previous, but a valuable 2 points for the 'Hill nonetheless.

Scorers:  Ciaran Sheridan 0-7, Paul Gill, Donal Sheridan 1-0 each, Noel Finnegan, Gerry Mc Shane 0-2 each, and Donal O'Callaghan and Kevin Mc Parland 0-1 each. 

The team which started was:

Gary Corrigan

Fra Agnew           Ciaran Kelly         David Agnew

Donal O'Callaghan      Eamon Duffy       Seamus Agnew

Ciaran O'Callaghan      Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland    Gerry Mc Shane     Noel Finnegan

Donal Sheridan      Ciaran Sheridan      Paul Gill

Subs used:  Enda Hughes for Kevin Mc Parland, Damien Murphy for Fra Agnew, Damien Fanning for Ciaran O'Callaghan, Paul Thomas for Paul Gill and Colm Agnew for Donal Sheridan.

Sunday May 4th

St Kevins 1-7  Dowdallshill 1-8...match abandoned on 54 mins due to injury.

This match in Philipstown was abandoned with 6 mins left, following an injury sustained by Kevins forward, Bart Landy. Bart had to be taken to hospital via ambulance, as a precaution.

At the time, we were leading 1-8 to 1-7, however both clubs have agreed to replay the match next Wed night, again in Phiilipstown.

Our own team showed 2 welcome returns, with Gary Corrigan coming-back between the posts, and Ciaran O'Callaghan returning at centrefield. Both players have missed the early part of the season through injury.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Fra Agnew        Ciaran Kelly       David Agnew

Seamus Agnew      Eamon Duffy     Donal O'Callaghan

Ciaran O'Callaghan    Noel Mohan

Donal Sheridan  Gerry Mc Shane     Kevin Mc Parland

Ciaran Sheridan     Paul Gill      Noel Finnegan.

Subs used: Cathal Mc Shane for Ciaran O'Callaghan .

Scorers:  Gerry Mc Shane 1-1, Paul Gill, Noel Finnegan and Ciaran Sheridan 0-2 each, and Eamon Duffy 0-1.

Sat 19th April

Dowdallshill 2-14  Wolfe Tones 3-5

Even though Tones found the net 3 times in this game, it was still a rather comfortable win for us, in spite of the absence of some key personnell.

We were in front 1-9 to 1-3 at the break, and the closest the Drogheda side got in the 2nd half, was 5 points.

So in our second, we get 2 points on the board!

Scorers: Noel Finnegan 1-3, Paul Thomas 1-1, Gerry Mc Shane 0-4, Kevin Mc Parland 0-3, Sean Matthews 0-1, Donal Sheridan 0-1 and Enda Hughes 0-1.

The team was:

John Kerr

Seamus Agnew            Fra Agnew          Brendan Maguire

David Agnew         Donal O'Callaghan    Eamon Duffy

Noel Mohan    Enda Hughes

Kevin Mc Parland       Gerry Mc Shane     Sean Matthews

Donal Sheridan      Paul Thomas       Noel Finnegan

Subs introduced: Colm Agnew for Paul Thomas

Damien Fanning for Brendan Maguire

And Ciaran Sheridan for Sean Matthews.

Referee: Gabriel Mc Kinney.

Sat 12th April

St Nicholas 1-9  Dowdallshill  2-5

Our first team paid the price for a slack first half showing, when they succumbed to St Nicholas' in this Div 3 League opener in Rathmullen. The visitors took far too long to settle, and in spite of an encouraging 2nd half recovery, it wasn't sufficient to deny the Nicks' the win.

Trailing by 1-8 to 0-2 at the break, the 'Hill got back into contention with goals from Donal Sheridan and substitute Kevin Mc Parland, however a chance to force a draw late-on, was spurned.

Scorers: Ciaran Sheridan 0-4, Donal Sheridan 1-0, Kevin Mc Parland 1-0 and Gerry Mc Shane 0-1.

The team was:

John Kerr

Cathal Mc Shane     Eamon Duffy    David Agnew

Fra Agnew         Ciaran Kelly        Seamus Agnew

Enda Hughes       Noel Mohan

Donal Sheridan      Donal O'Callaghan     Noel Finnegan

Gerry Mc Shane       Paul Gill      Ciaran Sheridan

Subs used: Kevin Mc Parland for Enda Hughes, Paul Thomas for Cathal Mc Shane, and Brendan Maguire for Noel Mohan.

Referee: Alan Mc Kenna.

Kevin Mullen Shield

Sun 16th March

Dowdallshill 1-5   Stabannon Parnells  1-9

In spite of going-in level at half-time and turning around with the wind advantage for the 2nd half, our adult team turned-in a most disappointing display, on their way to this 4 point defeat.

A first half goal from Ciaran Sheridan kept the game close, with the half-time score standing at Parnells 0-6, D'hill 1-3.

However playing with the breeze at our backs, we only managed 2 scores during the entire 2nd half.

The defeat, our first of the season, looks like ending our prospects of qualifying for the final.

The team on duty was:

John Kerr

Brendan Maguire                Eamon Duffy       David Agnew

Seamus Agnew   Fra Agnew     Ciaran O'Callaghan

Ciaran Kelly    Noel Mohan

Enda Hughes      Noel Finnegan      Donal Sheridan

Gerry Mc Shane     Donal O'Callaghan   Ciaran Sheridan

Subs used: Paul Gill, Kevin Mc Parland

Referee: Tommy Byrne

Sun 9th March

Dowdallshill 5-14  John Mitchells 0-4

The new season may still only be in it's infancy, but the signs coming from our current performances have to go down as encouraging, and this was further demonstrated by a very polished performance against the John Mitchells.

Although a one-sided contest right from the first whistle, the Lads never took their foot off the gas, and some of the scoretaking and inter-passing, bodes well for the tougher tasks which inevitably lie ahead.

Once again, a number of regulars were missing (Gary Corrigan, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Vincy Mc Kevitt, Enda Hughes and Damien Fanning), but the strength of the panel at the moment, meant we coped ably in their absence.

Eamon Duffy returned at full-back, Anton Rogers came back in at wing-back, Ciaran Kelly partnered Noel Mohan in the middle, and a re-jigged forward line saw Noel Finnegan restored to the '40', with Kevin Mc Parland and Donal O'Callaghan returning at right-half and full-forward respectively.

With wind advantage in the first half, the 'Hill made full use of it, building-up a lead of 2-5 to 0-0 by the end of the 1st quarter.

Ciaran Sheridan, who went-on to score a hat-trick of goals, knocked-in his first one on 12 mins, followed 4 mins later by a Gerry Mc Shane penalty, after Shaner himself, had been chopped-down.

By half-time, the lead had been extended to 13 points, 2-8 to 0-1 (HT).

The 2nd half continued in the same vein, with Mitchells offering only token resistence, even with the wind at their backs.

John Kerr will hardly have as little to do between the posts, although on the one occassion he was called-upon, he took-off a solid save.

Ciaran Sheridan took his 2nd and 3rd goals with a degree of aplomb, while Ciaran Kelly was on the end of a sweeping move up the field to complete the rout with goal number-5!

In that 2nd half, Hugh Mc Parland threw on the subs, safe in the knowledge that the points were secure.

All in all, a pretty faultess performance, although statistician Gerry Roe might point to the fact that there were 14 wides over the hour, as a reason not to get complacent! But that would only be picky!

The scorers were:

Gerry Mc Shane 1-5, Ciaran Sheridan 3-1, Ciaran Kelly 1-1, Donal Sheridan 0-3, Noel Finnegan 0-2, Donal O'Callaghan 0-1, Kevin Mc Parland 0-1.

And the team:

                                                   John Kerr

Brendan Kissane                    Eamon Duffy          Cathal Mc Shane

Seamus Agnew                      Fra Agnew                Anton Rogers

                 Ciaran Kelly                           Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland                 Noel Finnegan         Donal Sheridan

Gerry Mc Shane                   Donal O'Callaghan    Ciaran Sheridan

Subs used: Stephen Mc Ginn, Colm Agnew, David Agnew and Damien Murphy.

Sat 1st March

Dowdallshill 2-7  Annaghminnon Rovers 0-5 

Our adult team made it 2 wins from 2 in the Kevin Mullen Shield, with a 2-7 to 0-5 win over Annaghminnon Rovers, in Saturday night's match at a wet and blustery Clan na Gael Park.

In a close 1st half, Gerry Mc Shane scored the 'Hill's goal after 15 mins, helping us to a 1-3 to 0-4 interval lead.

And we held the upper hand in the 2nd, with substitute Paul Thomas scoring our 2nd goal to make sure of the points.

Our scorers were:

Gerry Mc Shane 1-3, Ciaran Sheridan 0-4 and Paul Thomas 1-0.

And the team was: 

                                            John Kerr

Damien Murphy                      Vincent Mc Kevitt       David Agnew

Noel Finnegan                       Damien Fanning            Seamus Agnew

                           Ciaran O'Callaghan      Noel Mohan

 Enda Hughes                       Donal Sheridan           Paul Gill

Ciaran Sheridan                      Colm Agnew             Gerry Mc Shane

Subs used:  Paul Thomas, Kevin Mc Parland, Dermot Smyth and Stephen Mc Ginn.

*Eamon Duffy and Gary Corrigan were absent because of injury.

Thurs 21st Feb

D'hill 2-8  St Fechins 1-5 

A spirited 2nd half recovery proved sufficient to yield Hugh Mc Parland's men both Kevin Mullen Shield points at the expense of St Fechins, at a blustery Termonfeckin on Thursday night.

After a lacklustre first half effort in which the lads managed to raise a white flag just once, the 2nd half produced a far greater effort, and in the end, we were full value for our 2-8  to 1-5 victory.

Topping the scoring charts was Gerry Mc Shane with 1-3, while the night's debutants included recent arrival from Kilkerley, Ciaran Sheridan.

At half-time, Fechins led 0-3 to 0-1, but we outscored them by 2-7 to 0-2 in the 2nd half!

The team which started was:

                                John Kerr

Cathal Mc Shane      Eamon Kissane     Diarmuid Muprhy

Eamon Duffy             Ciaran Kelly       David Agnew

               Ciaran O'Callaghan     Noel Mohan

Enda Hughes                Paul Gill         Noel Finnegan

Gerry Mc Shane      Donal O'Callaghan  Ciaran Sheridan

Subs used:

Donal Sheridan, Stephen Mc Ginn, Vincent Mc Kevitt, Seamus Agnew and Paul Thomas.

Scorers:

Gerry Mc Shane 1-3, Noel Finnegan 1-1, Noel Mohan, Donal O'Callaghan, Ciaran Sheridan and Donal Sheridan 0-1 each. 

Our adult team, playing in their last home League match of the season, got the better of St Fechins, in this clash at St Brigid's Park.

The first half was closely fought, with Ciaran O'Callaghan netting the home side's goal, helping us to a 1-6 to 1-4 interval lead.

The Fechins kept in touch with a 2nd half goal, however out point-taking ability saw us prevail.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Cathal Mc Shane         Eamon Duffy          Anton Rogers

Seamus Agnew     Damien Fanning     Owen Armstrong

Ciaran O'Callaghan    Enda Hughes

Noel Finnegan      Eamon Kissane      John Savage

David Agnew     Gerry Mc Shane     Donal Sheridan

Subs used: Paudie Reele for Gerry Mc Shane, Derek Conway for John Savage, and Colin Agnew for Noel Finnegan.

Scorers: Ciaran O'Callaghan 1-2, Owen Armstrong 0-3, Anton Rogers 0-2, John Savage, Paudie Reele, Noel Finnegan, Gerry Mc Shane and Enda Hughes 0-1 each.

Best on the day were Eamon Duffy at full-back, Seamus Agnew on the wing, and Damien Fanning at centre-half-back.

After the tame manner of our c'ship loss to the Mochtas, spirits were lifted a little, with this comprehensive victory over the Tones.

The match was little-more than target practice though, as the Drogheda side failed to put up much of a fight. One of the most striking aspects to the D'hill selection, was the return to action of joint manager Gerry Roe!

The 'Hill scorers were:

Donal O'Callaghan 2-0, Stephen Mc Ginn 1-1, Gerry Mc Shane 0-4, Enda Hughes 0-3, Anton Rogers 1-1, Fergal Harte 1-1, Paddy Quinn 0-2, Gerry Roe (!!) 0-2, Eamon Duffy 0-1, Damien Fanning 0-1.

Best for ourselves were Fra Agnew, Ciaran O'Callaghan and Cathal Mc Shane.

The club's bid for a 4th Junior FC Final appearance of the decade, came to a sorry end at Knockbridge on Sunday, after we were beaten by a superior Mochtas side, 0-11 to 1-5.

Gerry Mc Shane's 2nd half penalty, following a foul on Noel Finnegan, gave us great hope, giving us the lead for the first time in the match..

However Mochtas were undaunted, and powered-on by Declan Byrne at centre-half-back, were able to re-assert their authority with the scores than won it in the final quarter.

Many of our players will feel they didnt do themselves justice in this game, and there can be few complaints with the outcome.

At half-time, Mochtas led 0-6 to 0-3.

Dowdallshill scorers:

Gerry Mc Shane 1-2, Enda Hughes 0-1, Donal Sheridan 0-1 and Noel Finnegan 0-1.

The starting 15 was:

Gary Corrigan

Fra Agnew                          Vinci Mc Kevitt                     Eamon Duffy

Seamus Agnew                            Damien Fanning                              Barry OHanlon

Noel Mohan            Paddy Mc Ardle

Paddy Quinn             Ciaran O'Callaghan              Enda Hughes

Gerry Mc Shane          Noel Finnegan        Donal Sheridan

Subs used: Donal OCallaghan and Brendan Maguire.   

A week after succumbing to the Nicks in the last of our Group matches, the lads produced a much better all round effort to beat the Droghedamen in this play-off, and by so-doing, set-up a Q-Final meeting with Lannleire next week.

Bigger performances were needed all-round the field this time, and the players didn't disappoint, staying focused throughout, and holding onto the lead, once they got their noses in front.

Management went for a string of personnell changes for a combination of reasons. Those missing from the last day were Gerry and Cathal Mc Shane, Shane Coleman, Donal O'Callaghan and Peter Hughes. But the players who came-in showed their worth.

Nicks took an early lead, but by half-time, we were 5-1 to the good. We stayed ahead during the entire 2nd half, and in the end, were good value for our 2-point win.

The 15 on duty were:

Gary Corrigan

David Agnew          Vincy Mc Kevitt     Eamon Kissane

Fra Agnew     Damien Fanning     Barry O'Hanlon

Eamon Duffy     Noel Mohan

Kevin Mc Parland    Paddy Mc Ardle    Enda Hughes

Peter Tiernan    Noel Finnegan   Donal Sheridan

Subs used: Seamus Agnew for Barry O'Hanlon

And Gerry Murphy for Peter Tiernan.

Our Group campaign in the JFC came to an unceremonious end in Stabannon, and the only consolation is that we're still in the c'ship. A flying start, with 2 early goals, seemed to set us on our way, but we were soon on the backfoot as our game fell asunder. The Nicks had us pegged back to parity by half time (0-10 to 3-1), and indeed, we failed to score for the last 12 mins of that first half...

The 2nd period didn't bring about much change in fortune, as we struggled to pick up any momentum. Gerry Mc Shane was forced to retire with a dislocated thumb early on, and we continued to find scores extremely hard to come by.The fact that the Nicks outscored us 15-7 over the hour, tells it's own story.

Furtermore, Vincie Mc Kevitt was shown a straight red card, leaving him ineligible for next week.

A play-off is the end result of this defeat, and Nicks will probably be favourites to win it, going on this outcome.

Dowdallshill scorers: Noel Finnegan 1-2,  Gerry Mc Shane 1-1, Donal Sheridan and Enda Hughes 1-0 each.

One positive note was the performance of Noel Mohan at centrefield...he caught some great ball over the hour, and worked hard throughout.

The starting-15 was:

Gary Corrigan

Peter Hughes              Damien Fanning              Vincy Mc Kevitt

Fra Agnew               Donal O'Callaghan               Cathal Mc Shane

Enda Hughes     Noel Mohan

David Agnew      Donal Sheridan     Shane Coleman

Gerry Mc Shane      Noel Finnegan     Paddy Mc Ardle

Subs used: Barry O'Hanlon for Peter Hughes

Paul Thomas for Shane Coleman

Eamon Kissane for Cathal Mc Shane

And Gerry Murphy for Gerry Mc Shane.

Final Group Table:

- Mochtas finish top and go into semi-finals

-Young Irelands end up 2nd and advance to q-finals

-D'hill and Nicks play-off for 3rd place.

Our first team came away from Knockbridge with a draw from this Round-4 encounter in Group 'A', a result which keeps our qualification hopes afloat.

However there'll be mixed emotions about the outcome, given that we had built-up what-looked, an unassailable lead, only to capitulate and allow the Louth village men back into it.. And in the end, we were glad to have snatched a draw, thanks to Gerry Mc Shane's trusty boot!

The equalising score late-on, came-about from a free that was moved-up by the referee, after one of the Mochtas players kicked the ball away. And Shaner didnt need a 2nd invite, cooly slotting the ball over the bar to bring his personal tally up to a goal and 8 for the night!

Our other scorers were Seamie Agnew with 1-0, and Donal Sheridan 0-1.

The team which started was:

Gary Corrigan

Vincy Mc Kevitt              Damien Fanning      Cathal Mc Shane

Fra Agnew      Donal O'Callaghan    Barry O'Hanlon

Noel Mohan      Eamon Duffy

Noel Finnegan      Seamus Agnew     Donal Sheridan

Gerry Mc Shane   Paddy Mc Ardle    Gerry Murphy

Subs used: Enda Hughes for Cathal Mc Shane, Kevin Mc Parland for Gerry Murphy and Peter Hughes for Noel Mohan..

Table after Thurs night Aug 9th:

St Mochtas                 4          5

Dowdallshill                 4          5

Glen Emmets               3           4

Naomh Finbarra          3           2

Young Irelands            3           2

St Nicholas                  3           2

Glen Emmets 1-10 D'hill 0-9, Stabannon June 29th

The club's hopes of landing a first piece of silverware since our return to the Junior ranks were dashed, after Glen Emmets avenged their defeat in the JFC earlier in the year, with a deserved 4 point victory.

A goal from full-forward Joey Carolan 4 mins before half-time, was the score that really did the damage, and despite having large chunks of possession in the 2nd half, we found scores too difficult to come-by, against a stout and resolute Emmets defence.

Granted, referee Joey Moynagh didn't give us much in the decision-stakes, but it would be wrong to apportion all of the blame on the match official. The simple fact was that we huffed-and-puffed without making any real inroads on the scoreboard.

For the first quarter of the game, matters looked promising when points from Donal Sheridan and Paddy Mc Ardle put us 2-1 in front. Crucially though, some decent scoring opportunities were squandered, from which Emmets took heart.

It was nip-and-tuck for most part, with the teams swapping 2-more points each, before the deciding score of the match arrived, close to half time.

Out of nothing, Emmets sent a long-ball hurtling into the open space behind our full-back line, and veteran Joey Carolan ran-on before planting the ball past Gary Corrigan.

It was a huge score for Emmets to get, at such a crucial stage of the match, just approaching the break.

In the 2nd half, we got to within 2 points on 3 seperate occasions, but Emmets had the knack of quickly counter-attacking, and were able to pick-off scores almost at will. 

And when their 2 subs found the range in the closing 3 minutes, it was curtains.

Credit to Glen for their tight marking in defence, when they were able to keep the shackles on some of our key men.

For ourselves, Donal O'Callaghan showed-up-well in defence, having played through the pain barrier. Noel Mohan tried hard at centrefield, while Fra Agnew, Cathal Mc Shane and Donal Sheridan were the pick of the rest.

D'hill scorers: Noel Finnegan 0-4, Paddy Mc Ardle 0-2, Gerry Mc Shane 0-1, Donal Sheridan 0-1, Gerry Murphy 0-1

The team was:

Gary Corrigan

Cathal Mc Shane       Damien Fanning         Eamon Kissane

Fra Agnew Jnr    Donal O'Callaghan   David Agnew

Noel Mohan  Eamon Duffy

Gerry Murphy   Donal Sheridan   Shane Coleman

Gerry Mc Shane  Noel Finnegan   Paddy Mc Ardle

Subs used: 

John Savage for Shane Coleman

Brendan Maguire for Gerry Murphy

and Peter Tiernan for Donal O'Callaghan  

Dowdallshill 1-13  St Fechins  1-4   St Brigids Park Tues June 26th

As the scoreline may suggest, it was pretty much one-way-traffic in this final Shield game, as Hugh Mc Parland's side took the game by the scruff of the neck early-on, making sure there was little chance of a Fechins recovery in the 2nd half.

Playing against a strong breeze in the first half, the home side were completely on-top, and made it count on the scoreboard, outscoring their opponents 1-7 to 0-1 in that first period.

Missing quite a few regulars such as Ciaran O'Callaghan, Donal Sheridan, Enda Hughes and Seamus Agnew, others in the panel certainly stepped up to the plate, and there were solid performances all around the field.

Wily campaigner Gerry Mc Shane finished top talisman with 0-7, while others to stand-out were Cathal Mc Shane, Fra Agnew and Donal O'Callaghan in defence, and Shane Coleman and Noel Finnegan in attack.

The 'Hill goal in the first half came at the end of a very well-worked move, resulting in Paddy Mc Ardle finding the back of the net, 12 minutes-in. 

Earlier, Gerry Mc Shane was denied a 3-pointer, following a fine save by Fechins keeper Aidan Savage.

Early in the 2nd half, full-back Damien Fanning ensured the 'Hill's sizeable lead remained intact, when he threw his body at the ball to deny the visitors what-looked, a certain goal.

All-round, this was a very fine team effort, and although the Fechins tagged-on a few scores in the final 10 mins, this was more-down to the switches that were made, and the fact that the players knew victory was already assured.

Hopefully, it augers well for the final, which is against Glen Emmets this Friday evening in Stabannon.

The full list of scorers were:

Gerry Mc Shane 0-7

Shane Coleman 0-3

Paddy Mc Ardle 1-0

Noel Finnegan 0-1

Gerry Murphy 0-1

Kevin Mc Parland 0-1

And the team was:

Gary Corrigan

Cathal Mc Shane           Damien Fanning          Eamon Kissane

      Fra Agnew Jnr             Donal O'Callaghan        David Agnew  

Noel Mohan      Eamon Duffy

Gerry Murphy         Kevin Mc Parland   Shane Coleman

Gerry Mc Shane     Noel Finnegan    Paddy Mc Ardle

Subs used: (all 2nd half):

Anton Rogers for Cathal Mc Shane

Peter Tiernan for Fra Agnew

Stephen Mc Ginn for Paddy Mc Ardle

and John Savage for Kevin Mc Parland

Our prospects of promotion from Div 3 took another hammering on Thursday night, when we lost by 6 points to the Westerns in the match in Reaghstown.

In spite of going-in-level at 1-5 apiece at the break, the visitors played 2nd fiddle in the 2nd half, as the home team pulled-clear to earn the win that puts them clear at the top of the Division, temporarily at least.

For ourselves, we stay stuck on the 5-point-mark after 6 rounds.

For the record, our scorers last night were:

Gerry Mc Shane 0-5, Gerry Murphy 1-0, Eamon Duffy 0-1 and Noel Finnegan 0-1.

Dowdallshill 2-7  Young Irelands  1-8

In spite of being without a plethora of regular players, our adult team pulled-out the stops to beat town rivals the Young Irelands, in Saturday night's crucial Group 'A' match in the JFC at a wet Clan na Gael Park.

Hugh Mc Parland and Gerry Roe hadn't Gary Corrigan, Eamon Duffy, Peter Hughes or Seamus Agnew to call upon (among others), yet the players brought-in excelled in their roles, giving the team a huge morale booster after the disappointing display against the Finbarrs in Round-2.

And they had to do it the hard way in this fixture..

After leading for most of the way, they conceded a slack goal near the finish, only to show buckets of character to go down the field and respond almost immediately, with a goal of their own through the industrious Donal Sheridan.

Irelands' got the games' opening score, but Gerry Mc Shane's 3-pointer soon had us in front, and by half-time, we were leading 1-3 to 0-5.

The 2nd half continued in much the same vain, with the scories remaining pretty tight, until that Ireland's goal came them a slender advantage, entering the closing stages.

However Sheridan's goal gave us back the initiative, and we closed-out the match from there, to record a valuable 2 points on the road to qualification.

With so many regulars absent, the players who came-in deserve great credit for this win.. We were best-served by the superb Ciaran O'Callaghan at centrefield, Fra Agnew at right half back, and Cathal Mc Shane in the right-corner.

Up-front, Gerry Mc Shane showed his class with 1-3, Donal Sheridan finished with 1-1, Paddy Mc Ardle weighed-in with 0-2, while the remaining point came from Noel Finnegan.

The team which started was:

John Kerr, Cathal Mc Shane, Donal O'Callaghan, David Agnew, Fra Agnew, Damien Fanning, Paul Thomas, Noel Mohan, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Enda Hughes, Donal Sheridan, Kevin Mc Parland, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan and Paddy Mc Ardle.

Subs used: Peader Toal for Paul Thomas, Gerry Murphy for Paddy Mc Ardle and Colin O'Hare for Noel Mohan.

Cooley's Gerry Malone was the match referee.

The adult team continued their impressive run in the Mullen Shield, with a 3-9 to 0-6 victory over the John Mitchells, in the match at St Brigids Park on Sat night May 19th.

Gerry Mc Shane finished top of the scoring charts with 2-6, followed by Noel Finnegan with 1-2 and Enda Hughes with 0-1.

John Kerr made a return between the posts, allowing Gary Corrigan take-up an outfield role on the '40', while Donal O'Callaghan filled-in for Eamon Duffy at full-back.

The home side led 1-4 to 0-2 at half time.

The starting line-up was:

John Kerr, Cathal Mc Shane, Donal O'Callaghan, Anton Rogers, Fra Agnew, Damien Fanning, Derek Murphy, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Enda Hughes, John Savage, Gary Corrigan, Shane Coleman, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan and Kevin Mc Parland.

The subs used were: Gerry Murphy for Derek Murphy, and Stephen Mc Ginn for John Savage.

Meanwhile attentions revert to the Junior FC on Sat night May 26th, with the Round-3 match against the Young Irelands. The game will be played at Clan na Gael Park with an 8pm throw-in time. Dunleer's Kenneth Dunne will be the referee.

The adult team got their first points on the board in the Kevin Mullen Shield on Sunday May 13th, when they brushed aside Wolfe Tones in the match on the Duleek Road in Drogheda.

The match was over as a contest at half-time, when Hugh Mc Parland's side led by 1-10 to 0-2. They went on to score a further 2-4 in the 2nd half, enought to wrap-up a convincing 3-14 to 1-4 victory..

The winning team and scorers comprised:

Gary Corrigan, Cathal Mc Shane, Peader Toal, David Agnew, Peter Tiernan (1-0), Enda Hughes, Paul Murphy (1-0), Ciaran O'Callaghan, Noel Mohan, John Savage (0-1), Donal Sheridan (0-1), Shane Coleman (0-3), Gerry Mc Shane (1-2), Noel Finnegan (0-5), Paddy Mc Ardle (0-2).

Subs: Fra Agnew for Paddy Mc Ardle, Damien Fanning for Cathal Mc Shane and Anton Rogers (0-1) for Ciaran O'Callaghan. 

Naomh Finbarra 0-14  Dowdallshill  0-3

The scoreline probably tells it's own story, after the first team suffered a backlash against the Finbarrs, in this Group 'A' match at the Grove.

While the team had their chances in the first half to make a game of it, they were found wanting in front of the posts, and aided by Bernard Osborne's scoring accuracy, the 'Barrs were able to pull-clear in the 2nd half.

To compound the 'Hill's problems, Eamon Duffy was sent-off early in the 2nd period, leaving the team with an even bigger mountain to climb. There were few positives to take out of this performance, and it has to go down as extremely disappointing in light of the great start the team made to the campaign a few short weeks ago, against Glen Emmets.

Some stiff hurdles still remain in the Section, and it will be a tall order to bounce back and make it out of the Group. We can only hope the players respond to the challenge.

The D'hill scorers were: Gerry Mc Shane 0-2, and Donal Sheridan 0-1.

The team was: Gary Corrigan, Peter Hughes, Eamon Duffy, David Agnew, Donal O'Callaghan, Damien Fanning, Peter Tiernan, Colin O'Hare, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Enda Hughes, Seamus Agnew, Kevin Mc Parland, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan and Donal Sheridan.

Subs used: Paddy Mc Ardle for Kevin Mc Parland, Gerry Murphy for Donal Sheridan, Shane Coleman for Peter Tiernan and Noel Mohan for Colin O'Hare.

Home to Annaghminnon Rovers, Sunday May 6th 3pm MATCH ABANDONED

Away to Wolfe Tones, Sunday May 13th 3pm WON, 3-14 to 1-4

Home to John Mitchells, Saturday May 19th 7pm WON, 3-9 to 0-6

And the forthcoming matches for the Second Team in the Div 4C League, are:

Away to Cuchullain Gaels, Wednesday May 2nd   LOST, 1-6 to 0-6.

Home to Stabannon Parnells, Friday May 11th 7.30pm

Away to the Gaels 'B', Thursday May 17th, 7.30pm. WON, 2-12 to 1-5.

D'hill  5-10  Glen Emmets  1-8

What a start to the c'ship, after Hugh Mc Parland's men exceeded all expectations with a runaway win over Glen Emmets, in this Group 'A' JFC opener in Stabannon.

The 'Hill led from start to finish, helped-on by a Noel Finnegan goal with just over a minute gone on the clock!

By half time, the lead had increased to double-scores, 1-5 to 0-4.

But it was early in the 2nd half, that the match was truly won. In an amazing 4 minute spell, the lads managed to find the back of the Tullyallen net 3 times, with Enda Hughes, Donal Sheridan and Hughes again, all-raising green flags! At one point, our lead stood at 4-7 to 0-4!

Gerry Mc Shane added a 5th goal later in that 2nd half, and while Glen managed to add a few scores to their measly tally, helped-on by a penalty, it was never going to be enough to take-way from what-was, a faultless display by the Dowdallers!

All-round, it was a fine team performance, with defence solid throughout.. Colin O'Hare caught some great balls at centrefield, and was ably assisted by Ciaran O'Callaghan, while the forward division really stepped-up to the mark, taking their scores with some aplomb.

The scorers were: Gerry Mc Shane 1-5, Donal Sheridan 1-3, Enda Hughes 2-1 and Noel Finnegan 1-1.

The team was: Gary Corrigan, Peter Hughes, Eamon Duffy (capt), David Agnew, Donal O'Callaghan, Damien Fanning, Peter Tiernan, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Colin O'Hare, Kevin Mc Parland, Seamus Agnew, Enda Hughes, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan and Donal Sheridan.

Subs: Gerry Murphy for Seamus Agnew, John Savage for Gerry Mc Shane, Patrick Mc Ardle for Ciaran O'Callaghan, Shane Coleman for David Agnew and Cathal Mc Shane for Noel Finnegan.

Gerry Mc Shane, scorer of 1-5

So the perfect start to the c'ship season, let's hope for more to come in the remaining-5 matches, starting with Group Favourites the Finbarrs in a fortnight's time!

Group 1

Dowdallshill

Glen Emmets

Naomh Finbarra

Young Irelands

St Mochtas

St Nicholas'

Dowdallshill schedule:

Round 1: v Glen Emmets Thurs 12th April, Stabannon, Won 5-10 to 1-8

Round 2: v Naomh Finbarra Thurs 26th April, Castlebellingham, Lost 0-14 to 0-3

Round 3: v Young Irelands (Date to be announced)

Round 4: v St Mochtas (Date to be announced)

Round 5: v St Nicholas (Date to be announced)

Our 2nd team suffered their first loss of the season, when they went under by a point to St Fechins, in the Div 4C League at St Brigids Park on Tues night Apil 3rd.

The final score was Fechins 1-6 D'hill 1-5.

After 2 successive defeats, there was better luck for the adult team in this match at St Brigids Park, when they battled-hard to beat the Mitchells.

After conceeding a goal to go-behind in the first half, the lads showed character to come-back and lead at the break, courtesy of an injury time goal from Donal Sheridan. That score left it 1-4 to 1-3 in our favour at the break.

The home side were the better of the teams in the 2nd half, and went-on to increase their advantage.

The scorers were: Gerry Mc Shane and Noel Finnegan 0-4 each, Donal Sheridan 1-1 and Ciaran O'Callaghan and Kevin Mc Parland 0-1.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan, Peter Hughes, Eamon Duffy, Shane Coleman, Donal O'Callaghan, Damien Fanning, David Agnew, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Colin O'Hare, Enda Hughes, Seamus Agnew, Gerry Murphy, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan, Donal Sheridan.

Subs: Kevin Mc Parland for Gerry Murphy, and John Savage for Seamus Agnew.

*And on Friday night, our 2nd team played out a draw with Annaghminnon Rovers in the Div 4 leagues. Veteran Owen Mc Gailey scored 2 goals in the game!

Action from St Brigids Park, as the Sun sets!

A late point from Noel Finnegan saw the 'Hill grab a draw, from this Div 3 League tie played on Tuesday night. Referee Mickey Boyle found himself the centre of attention, as it appeared the full 30 mins hadn't elapsed in the 2nd half. However with the fading light and the 'Hill chasing the match, there werent too many complaints from the home team at the timing of the final whistle.

The home side will again be disappointed at their overall effort. They led 0-4 to 0-3 at half-time, but should have had alot more scores on the board, such was their dominance during a sustained period of pressure in the 1st half. Silly frees were also conceeded too easily, and cheap possession given away.

The Nicks enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the 2nd half, outscoring their hosts 6-5. When they went 7-5 and 8-6-up, the writing looked to be on the wall for Hugh Mc Parlands men, until Noel Finnegan staged that rescue act late-on.

One suspects greater improvement will be required, if the team are to make a serious League challenge this season.

Scorers for the Dowdallers were:

Gerry Mc Shane 0-3, Gerry Murphy and Noel Finnegan 0-2 each, Kevin Mc Parland and Seamus Agnew 0-1 each.

For the 2nd time in 4 days, the adult team tasted defeat in the Div 3 League, this time at the hands of St Mochtas as a drizzly Rock Road.

The 'Hill will be disappointed at the way this match turned-out, and in particular, the way they capitulated in the final quarter, having been the more dominant side in the early stages of the 2nd half.

Arguably, the turning point in the match-came 7 mins into the 2nd period when with the Hill leading by 2 points, Noel Finnegan was brought-down for a penalty. Gerry Mc Shane stepped-up to take the kick, knowing that a successful conversion would put a 5-point-gap between the sides. Alas, his kick wasnt on target, and as a result, a golden opportunity had been spurned.

Mochtas took heart from that miss, and as the half wore-on, they began finding holes in the Hill defence, punishing us with 5 straight points.That left us on the ropes, and although a late rally ensued, the damage had already been done.

The teams found themselves-level on no fewer than 8 occasions, an indication of just how tight a battle it was, up until that deciding final quarter.

The Hill went-in with a one-point advantage at the break, 0-7 to 0-6, with Gary Corrigan taking-off a splended save to deny the Louth Village Men what-looked a certain goal, in that 1st half.

It would be wrong to apportion too much blame of Gerry Mc Shane, in spite of that penalty miss.. he still managed a fine personal tally of 0-8.

The others to get on the scoresheet were Donal Sheridan, Donal O'Callaghan and substitute Peter Tiernan (0-1 each).

A late free near the end, proved the Junior teams' undoing, in the St Patrick's Day Div 3 League match against Glen Emmets in Tullyallen.

The visitors looked to be on course for at least a draw, until a close-range effort near the finish proved enough for the home side to prevail by the narrowest of margins, 1-10 to 2-6.

Both the 'Hill's goals came in the first half, courtesy of Gerry Mc Shane and Donal Sheridan. That was enough to see us lead 2-4 to 1-4 at the break.

Apart from his goal, Gerry Mc Shane also notched-up 2 points, while the remaining-4 scores came from the boot of Noel Finnegan.

The team was:

Gary Corrigan, Peter Hughes, Eamon Duffy (capt), Shane Coleman, Donal O'Callaghan, Ciaran O'Callaghan, Damien Fanning, Enda Hughes, Colin O'Hare, Kevin Mc Parland, Noel Mohan, Seamus Agnew, Gerry Mc Shane, Noel Finnegan and Donal Sheridan.

Peter Tiernan came-on as a 2nd half sub for Seamus Agnew. 

The club's adult team began their new season with a gutsy win over Naomh Finbarra, in the opening Round of the Div 3 League on Wednesday night Feb 14th in Termonfeckin..

In what was Hugh Mc Parland and Gerry Roe's first competitive match in charge, the lads were forced to dig deep in the 2nd half, after going-in 0-5 to 0-2 in arrears at the break.

But the 2nd half brought-about a change in fortune, and goals from Gerry Mc Shane and Donal O'Callaghan, had us on our way to a 2-5 to 0-7 victory.

Also getting on the scoresheet were Donal Sheridan, Noel Finnegan and Kevin Mc Parland with 0-1 apiece.

Best on the night were Kevin Mc Parland, new arrival Gary Corrigan and David Agnew.

Meanwhile in the weekend's other opening Div 3 matches, there were wins for St Fechins, the Westerns, St Mochtas, St Nicholas and Stabannon Parnells.

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