Draperstown Celtic U15 win league cup final

DCFC U15s (5) VS Dungannon U15s (2)

Draperstown Celtic U15 team won this hard fought game to capture their second trophy of the season. It was a much changed Dungannon side that DC faced and the young Celts had to work exceptionally well as a team to overcome the resistance from the Tyrone team. This second trophy for the U15 team means that the DC Youth structure has secured 3 trophies this season so the future looks bright for the young Celts.

The game started off in a tight manner as both teams got used to each other and the fast surface of the pitch. Dungannon started to come more into the game mostly through the great skill of their centre midfield player. He caused a bit of bother to the DC team and one of his shots seemed to be going into the top corner before Gallagher pulled of a truly top class save – diving high and backwards to tip over for a corner. The DC midfield then started to get a grip on the game with Murphy shackling the Dungannon playmaker. This allowed the other midfielders Convery, Lagan and Doole to bring the game to Dungannon and the tide started to turn. The DC front 2 of Glass and Flanagan started to come more into the game with Glass winning every header but unfortunately the ball just would not fall kindly to Flanagan. Several times DC looked like they had scored but the ball hit the post, hit the bar or was cleared off the line. The supply line from the Dungannon midfield was seriously hampered and they began to resort to long balls, however the defence of McGuigan, McCloskey, Mullin and McElhone were superb and would not let the Dungannon forwards get a sniff. DC had perhaps the best chance to take the lead when the ball was handled by a Dungannon defender but the resultant penalty was excellently saved by the keeper. The rest of the half swung between both teams and it looked like a tight second half was too follow.

The second half went much of the way of the first until about 10 mins in Dungannon scored against the run of play. The Dungannon midfield found a through ball which was collected by the forward and he finished well giving Gallagher no chance. Not long after Dungannon went further ahead when the Dungannon winger sliced an attempted cross and the ball looped into the far corner. To their credit DC did not drop the heads and tried to get straight back into the game. The Celts made a tactical change and went 3 at the back with Mullin unlucky to make way for Scullion. The 5 man DC midfield began to get a grip on the game and when a long throw from Scullion made its way into the box Flanagan directed a lovely header into the corner to get a goal back for DC. The young Celts had their tails up and they went looking for the equaliser and it duly arrived when that man Flanagan poked the ball home to make it 2-2. DC could have finished the game off in normal time but a great save by the Dungannon keeper from a Mark Doole shot kept the scores level

The first period of extra time was a tight affair but the 3 man DC defence were excellent and limited Dungannon to long distance shots which Gallagher dealt with easily. Although DC had more possession they could not get the killer touch. That was to change in the second period of extra time when the fitness and football know how of DC took over. They were permanently camped in the Dungannon half. The third goal arrived when another long throw was headed in by Ronan Murphy. Draperstown were now totally dominant and were constantly being driven forward by Convery’s clever play. After another goal mouth scramble the ball fell to Doole at the edge of the box and his well-placed shot found the back of the net, and it was no more than he deserved. The stunning comeback was complete with 5 minutes to go when Doole slipped a clever pass to Flanagan who placed the ball past the keeper to score a hat trick in a final for the second year in a row. Final score Celtic 5 – Dungannon 2

Thanks to the dozens of people who turned out to support the young lads – it was much appreciated by the team and management. Throughout the season DC Youth have the best supporters in the league. They travel all over the country with us, do transport duty, buy energy drinks, share driving for training, sell tickets etc. and liaise with other clubs for us. This success is also down to them. Thanks for all the support during the season and hope to see you all supporting us at the Foyle Cup

Squad: Conor Gallagher, Connlaoth McElhone, Odhran McGuigan, Mark Doole, Roghan McCloskey, Roddy Mullin, Peter Lagan, Ronan Murphy, Conor Glass, Tiarnan Flanagan, John Eddie Convery, Ciaran Scullion, Eunan O’Kane, Pearse Grant, Danny Gillespie

Goals: Tiarnan Flanagan (3), Doole, Murphy

Draperstown Celtic Youth Fund Raising Night

Thanks to everyone who attended the DC Youth fund raising night and made it such a success. Thanks to the organising committee, everyone who bought a ticket, everyone who sold a ticket, turned up on the night or donated a prize. Special thanks to Deborah and Kieran for the great music and also to Owen from Slims Café for the delicious food. All monies raised will go to developing the Youth at DC and help send the DC U15 team to the Foyle Cup.

Thanks for all your support and hope to see you at the next one.

Skills Development Centre

The importance of developing youth football is key to the future success of Draperstown Celtic and therefore we are pleased to announce the return of the highly successful Draperstown Celtic Skills Development Centre.

The focus of the Skills Development Centre is on developing skilled, confident and creative footballers while making the game fun to practice and play. We will teach the importance of good sportsmanship, respect for all and the value of winning but not at the expense of player character or performance development. The Centre embraces the concept of fun and enjoyment, which is important if children are to develop a lifelong love of football. It is designed for children from P3 – P7 of all abilities, to develop skills, understanding and most importantly make the game FUN and ENJOYABLE

The Centre is located at Cahore Playing Fields and runs from 11am – 12.15pm each Saturday. Cost is £2.00 per week.

U10 Triangular Tournament @ Dungiven.

Well done to the U10 and U9 teams from DC who represented the club at a triangular tournament on Sunday. The young boys did well against stronger teams and did not disgrace themselves. They represented the club well and we look forward to more games for the young boys throughout the summer. Proud of you all!

Club shop

Now taking orders! Order forms available from Paul McCallion.

Foyle Cup 2012

Congratulations and good luck to the DCFC U15 team who have been accepted to play in the Foyle Cup this year. The tournament dates are 16 – 21 July 2012. This will be a great experience for the young players.

There are still a few places left on the DC Foyle Cup squad and these will be filled by an open trial. We will post the date of the trials shortly. If you were born in 1997 and wish to play in the Foyle Cup please contact the Youth Officer (Paul McCallion) on 07841344253 and come along to the trials.

Keep up to date with Draperstown Celtic at www.dc-fc.net or on our Facebook page.