Brilliant Drumsurn dismantle Trasna to lay down championship marker

Doire Trasna 1-03, Drumsurn 3-13

If the margin of victory was, in the end, immaterial, the level of performance was anything but.

Drumsurn looked superb but any chance they had of progressing directly to the quarter-final via the best group runner up spot can be traced back to their group opener and the game that never was.

Less than 24 hours after Castledawson had hit Slaughtmanus for 4-16 in their first Group C game on August 1st, Lissan's failure to field against St. Matthew's in Group D meant a walkover victory but crucially no scoring difference for the 'winners'. So, when it became clear that the team Drumsurn were chasing for the 'best runner up' spot was 'Dawson, the odds were already stacked against St. Matthew's who were starting from a distinct disadvantage.

It's a frustrating championship anomaly, one that should have been addressed by an agreed scoreline for any walkovers during what is an unique year, and in an otherwise excellent competition structure from the County Board.

It all means Drumsurn go into the lottery of the play-offs, the eight teams not already qualified for the quarter-finals now playing off against each other with the four winners progressing to the last eight and the losers exiting the championship. The pairings are matched via two pots with the next top four placed teams from the groups in one pot and remaining four in the other for a draw.

That's the bad news. The good news is Drumsurn will be the team they all want to avoid in that draw.

In what was only their second game of 2020, St. Matthews were breathless with Tiarnan McHugh and Ruairi Rafferty brilliant throughout. Admittedly, this was a much changed Doire Trasna 15 who are unlikely to ever play as badly again, but much of that was down to Drumsurn who were themselves missing men.

For Pearses, this was one to file under 'bad day at the office' with the only bright spots being a second half championship debut for young Davy Officer and a decent cameo from Tom Mooney who was unlucky not to hit the net seconds after being introduced and who showed up well with the precious little ball he was given.

It was a day that started badly for Trasna and simply never improved. A disjointed opening became a worrying start when keeper Luke Durkan inexplicably allowed the ball to slip from his hands under no real pressure and hand Harry Foster the easiest championship goal he will ever score and give Drumsurn a 1-02 to no score lead only three minutes in. It was a tough start for the young shot stopper who has shown his talent on numerous occasions since stepping up to senior level but this was one he'll want to forget.

Kick-outs were another source of trouble for Pearses but this was as much down to a lack of movement out the field as any anything else. The men in green were simply too easily marked or too static and Durkan too often left with no options.

And all the while Drumsurn prospered with McHugh, wearing 14 but playing a deeper role, revelling in midfield where Drumsurn had total control.

It took Trasna until the 12th minute to finally trouble the scoreboard through an Eoghan Quigg point but already the writing was on the wall. It was not so much the 1-05 to 0-01 scoreline, but rather the ease with which Drumsurn were picking up wayward passes and plotting a course through a shell shocked Trasna defence that had no answers to the runners.

Drumsurn had 1-08 by the time Micheal McNaught scored the Waterside club's second point from a free but they should have hit the net seconds later when Quigg drew the keeper out only to see his square pass squirm away from the reach of Michael Philson who had the goal at his mercy. It was that sort of day for Trasna.

Meanwhile, Drumsurn simply went through the gears when they had to, another superb move through midfield releasing Ruairi Rafferty who burst through the middle to fire high into the Trasna net and secure a 2-08 to 0-3 interval lead. Rafferty was excellent throughout, whether it was operating in a deep link role and pushing forward to become the target for inside passes. Trasna could not get near him.

Indeed Trasna's four half-time substitutions hinted as to what Eoghan Carlin had made of the opening 30-odd minutes but things rarely improved second half with only the margin of victory ever in doubt.

A third Drumsurn goal seven minutes after the restart courtesy of Shea Murray's opportunism suggested the flood gates might really open but St. Matthews eased off and Trasna, to their credit, refused to buckle.

A Micheal McNaught goal after his free was deflected into the net was scant consolation but with Paul Quigley, Caolan O'Connell and others to return for the play-off, they'll have their chance to strike this one from the record books.

Drumsurn march on, firmly installed as dark horses behind the group of championship favourites which would include Steelstown, Greenlough and Castledawson. On this form, none of those will fancy a meeting with St. Matthew's.

Drumsurn scorers: Tiarnan McHugh (0-8, 6f), Ruairi Rafferty (1-2, 1f), Shea Murray (1-1), Harry Foster (1-1), Sean Butcher (0-1, 1f)

Doire Trasna scorers: Micheal McNaught (1-1, 2f), Eoghan Quigg (0-1), Colin Murray (0-1, 1f),

Doire Trasna: Luke Durkan, Shane Lyttle, Tomas McCrossan, Conal Guille, Daryl Mallett, Gavin Kelly, Sean McNaught, Mark Healy, Caolan Doyle, Colin Murray, Damian McGee, Darren Coyne, Michael Philson, Micheal McNaught, Eoghan Quigg.

(Subs) David Officer for D Mallett, HT; Niall Callan for G Kelly, HT; Dermot McCrossan for M Healy, HT; Tom Mooney for D Coyne, HT; Dee Starrett for E Quigg, 58mins;

Drumsurn: Steven Harbinson, Eoin Ferris, Aaron Butcher, Jonathan McLaughlin, Daniel McNicholl, Dara Rafferty, Tiarnan Woods, Mark O'Connor, Daryl Mullan, Shea Murray, Ruairi Rafferty, Sean Butcher, Harry Foster, Tiarnan McHugh, Pearse McNickle.

(Subs) Sean Irwin for S Butcher, HT; Christopher Harbinson for M O'Connor, 42mins;

Referee: Peter O'Connor