Swilly Rovers get the job done, eventually, away to Drumkeen

Swilly Rovers remain on course at the top of the Donegal Junior League second tier but, boy, did they make hard work of things away to Drumkeen United on Sunday afternoon. 

Drumkeen United 1:3 Swilly Rovers 

Just how Paul Callan and Laurence Toland’s men found themselves level at 1-1 going in at half-time and not at least five, possibly even six, clear might well go down as one of the Donegal League’s greatest ever mysteries. 

And while they did take the lead once more moments after the restart thanks to a quite brilliant Shane McNamee strike, they didn’t really make sure of maximum points against the league’s basement outfit until four minutes out from full time. 

Threadbare and short on confidence, there was a palpable fear around St Patrick’s Park, prior to kickoff, that the hosts could well be in for one of those afternoons against their slick Swilly opposition. 

Instantly, within a matter of seconds really, Kyle Black almost made the breakthrough from a header. Full back Ian Ward then had the ball in the net on three minutes but the effort was ruled out for offside. 

Just seven minutes in, it took a last ditch sliding tackle from Gary Sweeney to prevent Black, after he’d controlled brilliantly, from finding the bottom corner.  

Jordan McDaid and Connor Gormley then linked brilliantly to put Ciaran Kelly through on the right. He’d time to take a touch, size matters up but blazed his effort well over the crossbar. 

Perhaps it was the fact that they were so dominant early on, that the visitors seemed to slip into some false sense of security believing that the floodgates were going to open at any time. 

It was a sloppy attempt to play out from the back that gifted Drumkeen their first chance as diminutive but lively attacker Dabhan Doherty picked up the ball outside the area. 

With matters opening up in front of him he took aim with a real fizzler that flew over the crossbar. Moments later, chasing down a direct ball over the top, Dane Dunworth’s clearance cannoned back off the head of Doherty but went wide of the target for a goal kick. 

Swilly upped the ante once more but still, their shooting boots continued to elude them with Gormley screwing wide after good work out wide from Black. On 27 minutes Ward, all the way up from defence, took aim put Nigal Hegarty was equal to the task in the home net. 

Indeed, Hegarty would continue to channel his inner Allison Becker with a number of other quite stunning saves throughout. Ironically enough though, when he was finally beaten, it was from a shot that he really should have done much better from. 

On 33 minutes with McNamee pulling a ball back from the byline, Martin’s McDaid’s tame strike, on the half volley, somehow spilled from Hegarty’s grasp, slipped under his body before eventually trickling into the net. 

With their fragile but admirable resistance punctured, Drumkeen would have been forgiven for caving. But they didn’t and on 41 minutes Justin Deasley’s in-swinging cross was brilliantly nodded home by Ryan James for what was the most unlikely of equalisers. 

It’s fair to say the Swilly Rovers dressing room probably wasn’t the most harmonious of places at the break. But those frustrations seemed to evaporate just two minutes into the new half when McNamee’s sublime strike from outside the box flew majestically into the top right hand corner. 

From that point on, Swilly continued to ferociously push for a third but in Hegarty, Drumkeen’s Actionman between the posts, they simply couldn’t find a way past the elastic-like custodian. 

However, late on, on 86 minutes to be precise Dylan Hegarty, who’d gone close twice previously,  got the headed goal his persistence deserved as Rovers finally made sure of things. 

Drumkeen United: Nigel Hegarty, Justin Deasley, Mickey Black, Aaron Doherty, Rory Gildea; Gary Sweeney, Johnny Morrow, Kevin Boyle, Auryn Coyle; Ryan James, Dabhan Doherty.

Swilly Rovers: Dane Dunworth; Ian Ward, Damien Friel, Ciaran Kelly, Tyler Durning (Oisin Coyle, 61); Connor Gormley, Dylan Hegarty, Martin McDaid, Jordan McDaid; Kyle Black, Shane McNamee. 

Referee: Paddy Martin.