NADAFL Premier Division
Saturday 20th August in Drumaness
Ballynahinch Olympic Town 0 Downpatrick Athletic 10
In conditions associated with mid-November Downpatrick travelled to play Ballynahinch Olympic Town in Drumaness. Fielding a team mixed with youth and experience, Downpatrick put the Olympic Team under pressure right from the start and were two goals up inside the opening ten minutes.
Starting his first game in a Downpatrick shirt, Jack McLaughlin set up both opening goals which were carbon copies of each other. The first was scored by Shane Matheson who got on the end of Tony McIlhone’s knock down after McLaughlin had beat the left back for pace and skill to cross from the right wing, then McLaughlin made the same run and cross for McIlhone to score with a fine header to make it two nil.
Downpatrick scored two more goals before half-time, McIlhone doubled his tally for day getting on the end of a fine move involving Joe Healy, Andrew McCoubrey and Matheson to give the keeper no chance. The five minutes before the break Healy who is only 17 was in the right place to tap the ball into the net after good work from Ryan Fitzpatrick, Conaill Kerr and McIlhone.
Half Time: Ballynahinch Olympic Town 0 v Downpatrick Athletic 4
The second half continued in the same fashion with Downpatrick bringing their scoring boots, with 5 minutes of half time Jack McLaughlin had scored two goals, the first goal direct from an in-swinging corner and the second from a surging run down the right wing and powerful finish to make it six nil. Star Man Tony McIlhone completed his hat-trick with a neat finish after good play between McCoubrey and Young.
On the hour mark veteran Neil Young got his name on the scoresheet, Ballynahinch tried to push up for offside but were caught out from an excellent through ball by Matheson which Young latched onto and composed himself before passing the ball into the net out of the goal keepers reach. Centre half Gary Trueman scored from five yards after McLaughlin’s corner was cleared to the edge of the box and Kerr’s first time strike was parried into the path of Trueman who couldn’t miss to make it nine nil.
Captain Conaill Kerr completed the scoring five minutes before the end when he collected the ball five yards outside the box and went on a maisy run past the Olympic defenders and sent a rasping short to the opposite side of the net. Ballynahinch rarely troubled Downpatrick’s defence but anything that did come through was well dealt with by Barry Fitzsimons and goal keeper Conor Logue.
Downpatrick: 1) C Logue 2) R Fitzpatrick 3) C Kerr 4) B Fitzsimons 5) G Trueman 6) J McLaughlin 7) N Young 8) A McCoubrey 9) J Healy 10) S Matheson 11) T McIlhone 12) R Fitzpatrick 14) A Telford 15) P Turley.
