HOCKEY: Raphoe get draw from their trip to Belfast

Raphoe travelled to Stormont on the back of an 8-1 win over Antrim, looking to continue on after their high scoring encounter.

NICS 2-2 Raphoe

The game got off to a bad start for the Donegal team as it did against Antrim as they found themselves 1-0 down after five minutes. Civil Service had the best of the opening 15 minutes with shots and short corners working Davy Moore in the Raphoe goal and with Kieth Meehan taking two goal bound efforts off the line. Raphoe were lucky not to be three down.
Raphoe finally came alive in the last 15 minutes of the half when captain Evan Lyttle made a march down the middle of the pitch making it over the attacking 23 metre line before slipping it to James Wilson, who's shot was off target, but found the in form Tommy Orr, who vollyed the ball home.
Raphoe made it 2-1 when John Watt was introduced and his high press on the service midfield saw him win the ball and he played in George Patterson who made a run along the byline before releasing a shot from an impossible angle into the roof of the service net. Raphoe went into the half time team talk ahead but knew that their performance wasn't up to their normal standards.
The second half got under way and it was all Civil Service as they applied a high press on the Raphoe defence and this caused a lot of problems. Raphoe were living on scraps as they couldn't control their play and players struggled to give the simple passes.
Raphoe were lucky Davy Moore made a fine few saves to keep his team in the lead, but he could do nothing about the service equaliser as it was fired home into the bottom left of Moore's goal after failed attempts to tackle the striker.
Raphoe where lucky not to go 3-2 down when a service striker found the ball reach his stick, but however he pulled his shot wide.
Raphoe had a penalty appeal turned down as Tommy Orr got on to the end of a George Patterson cross, the striker touched the ball over an on rushing keeper, the keeper took Orr out making him unable to get on the end of his ball to tap into an open net. Penalty stroke to Raphoe surely? However the umpire was unfazed by the tackle.
Raphoe were holding on and with 10 minutes to go Tom Eaton got his 2nd card of the match when he picked up a yellow card for a professional foul. The Donegal team dug out a point from this match as they keep there 5 point advantage over the Stormont side.
Raphoe now have three matches left as they travel to Queen's University next week looking to get back to winning ways against the young and well drilled Uni team.
RAPHOE 1st XI: D Moore, T Eaton, E Lyttle, K Meehan, J Long, T Orr, Z West, A Crumley, J Watt, G Patterson, A Meehan, John Watt, S Clevery, J Wilson