Exciting times at Planters Park as teamenjoys a meteoric rise up six divisions

Dollingstown eased to an easy 3-0 win over Valley Rangers in their final pre-season game on Tuesday night at Planters Park.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Aug 2014, 16:00 BST
The Dollingstown team in their new away kit sponsored by Autocrew from LurganThe Dollingstown team in their new away kit sponsored by Autocrew from Lurgan
The Dollingstown team in their new away kit sponsored by Autocrew from Lurgan

Colin Cunningham opened the scoring after 20 minutes just after Valley Rangers missed an early penalty which was superbly saved by Chris Fletcher.

The home side doubled the lead at the half hour mark with a defender putting the ball into his own net following an excellent cross from Adam Walker.

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The third goal came in the final minutes with Ritchie Thompson firing home after a strong run through the middle of the defence.

Dollingstown are excited about the challenges ahead as they prepare for their first game in senior football.

Planters Park is once again looking its splendid best with the playing surface in immaculate condition and the envy of many clubs in the higher divisions.

“All our players from last season have once again been retained and they are the ones who have been highly successful for the club in the past four years in the Mid Ulster League and our manager has decided to stick with these players as we now embark on yet another phase in our journey,” said club chairman Hubert Watson.

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“Our club has come along way in the past 15 years with owning our own ground plus the team now playing senior football some six leagues higher than when we embarked on this journey back in 1999.

“We remain ambitious but also realistic for the season ahead. Our initial aim is to make sure we retain senior status for the 2015/16 season as Championship 2 will be reduced from current 15 clubs to 12 clubs, so it is critical that we all focus on achieving this task first before trying to then make a more serious challenge to gain promotion to Championship 1 over the next three to five years.

“We have added new members to our management committee to help with the extra administration involved with senior football including Lisa King as treasurer and Ross McCartney. We hope to soon add another two more members to our committee over the next month.

“Likewise our Reserve team under the management of Simon Brown and Chris Loney are equally excited about the challenges they face in the new Championship Reserve League.

“We appeal to all those in the community to come out and support us on the next phase of our journey.”