Teconnaught secure junior title honours

19 October 2022

TECONNAUGHT were crowned this year’s junior football champions after coming from behind to defeat an extremely tough Dromara outfit at Páirc Esler on Friday night.

The eventual winners trailed by five during a period of the first half, but held their composure and put on a second half showing worthy of taking home the title.

This final will long be remembered as the Patrick Grant show after the Teconnaught number 12 registered an eye-watering 11 points for his team which no doubt swung the tie.

It took until just inside five minutes for Dromara’s Luke Savage to kick over the opening point of the night but this was almost immediately cancelled out by a Patrick Grant free from close range.

Grant soon doubled his personally tally, this time from play, after wonderfully curving his left footed effort over the bar to give Teconnaught the lead for the first time in the contest.

Dromara forward Colm Kelly responded with a free which had been brought forward due to infringement and just like that, the opening quarter of action had flown by.

Teconnaught seemed to have an organised plan which consisted of getting all 15 men behind the ball when falling under attack.

However, the accuracy of Dromara’s Savage was proving to be an unwanted hurdle for the

Teconnaught team after he notched another

point before fantastically assisting team-mate Paul Flynn, who opted to take the mark and convert.

For the first time in the matchup a two-point cushion had opened up and Dromara were in the ascendancy.

Savage continued to be a thorn in Teconnaught’s side after committing himself onto the end of a high looping pass and slapping the ball over both the the head of onrushing ‘keeper Niall Walsh and the bar for his third point.

Once again Savage continued to be involved, this time drawing the free which midfielder Kieran Kelly duly converted.

Things went from bad to worse for Teconnught as Pat Joe Drake offloaded a smart pass to team-mate Brendan McKee, whose effort from long range had enough on it to open up a five-point scoring margin.

After absorbing a punishing period of pressure, Teconnaught finally replied to stop the bleeding with a Grant free.

This spurred Teconnaught on, as they won the turnover and chipped further away at the deficit with an excellently taken score from forward Anthony Davis.

Ciaran Carville was unlucky not to add a further point as his shot ped short into the hands of Dromara goalkeeper Seamus O’Hare.

The number one sharply launched a counterattack which found Savage, who was quickly surrounded by the Teconnaught defence yet still managed to squeeze his shot over for another point.

It quickly became apparent that Dromara’s Savage and Teconnaught’s Grant were the target men for their respective teams in this opening half as the latter knocked over his fourth point in response.

James Casement showed there is more to the Teconnaught attack when the midfielder battled hard to win the ball before playing a pinpoint pass to Grant, who took the mark and converted to put just two points between the sides.

This margin was halved when Davis was fouled and Grant made no mistake with the free.

Teconnaught could have taken the lead after a dangerous ball in from Patrick Flanagan found its way to Davis, who unleashed an effort with the intent of registering the first goal of the night.

However, his strike barrelled off the crossbar and away to safety, leaving Dromara ahead by the minimum at the break.

Half-time: Teconnaught 0-7 Dromara 0-8.

The first score of the second half was a major and it fell to Teconnaught. Grant collected the ball and immediately went in search of the attack.

He played a delicate through ball pass with the outside of his left boot to onrushing team-mate Casement, who lofted a pass across the box to Davis.

The Teconnaught forward took a step inside before drilling hard and low into the net to give his side the lead and score the opening goal of the final.

Teconnaught would add another point soon after following a quick hand pass from Carville to Grant, who this time used his right foot to split the posts.

Pat Joe Drake responded with a piercing run and kick over the bar in the 38th minute as the half-time leaders attempted to bridge the gap.

Almost immediately Teconnaught’s Ciaran Carville had an answer by registering another point for his team from 30 yards.

Frustrations continued for Dromara as Grant added another converted free but there was still time for his opponents to settle into the half.

However, it would be Grant who would continue to punish Dromara as he yet again showed his composure from the dead ball, raising the white flag from an awkward angle.

Dromara midfielder Kieran Kelly then saw his fisted effort ricochet off the post and away from the Teconnaught goal.

Kelly’s lack of luck doubled down when he found himself in a one on one scenario with Teconnaught ‘keeper Niall Walsh as the custodian fantastically saved from point blank range.

In the last quarter it was now Dromara who trailed by five, that was until Savage reduced the margin with a point from play.

Savage’s next effort would go agonisingly wide and Teconnaught would take full advantage by Grant adding a mesmerising tenth personal score of the evening.

With the clock ticking down Dromara’s Liam Kelly cut the deficit further but once again, Teconnaught’s Grant was on hand to shoot over with a brilliantly taken free.

Substitute Kelly added another point before Dromara team-mate Pat Joe Drake was shown a late black card.

Teconnaught held firm in their defence, surviving numerous goalmouth scrambles and finally Dromara would run out of time as the full-time whistle sounded.

Teconnaught scorers: P Grant (0-11, 6f, 1 mark), A Davis (1-1), C Carville (0-1).

Dromara scorers: L Savage (0-5), L Kelly (0-2). K Kelly (0-1f), B McKey (0-1), P Flynn (0-1 mark); P J Drake (0-1), C Kelly (0-1f).

Black card: P J Drake

Referee: Micheal Moore (Warrenpoint)

Teconnaught 1-13

Dromara 0-12

PARADOR LODGE JFC FINAL

Tweets by @TheDownRecorder