Reilly: Close calls will stand to Drumhowan

By Shaun Casey

CLOSE encounters are something Drumhowan have grown used to this season. Indeed, captain Caolan Reilly believes that getting out of those tight scraps has really stood to the team as they move into Ulster.

They take on Newtownbutler at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday, with a spot in the Ulster Junior Championship semi-final the prize for whoever can come out on top.

The Monaghan champions proved too strong for Rasharkin of Antrim in the first round, while Fermanagh representatives Newtownbutler accounted for Down’s Kilclief on their first day out.

Drumhowan needed extra time to shake off the attentions of Aghabog in their county final, completing the league and championship double, and they only had two points to spare in their semi-final victory over Blackhill.

“It was another mad, mad game,” Reilly said of their extra victory in the Junior Championship final, which they won 2-20 to 3-13 in the end.

“With the storm and the conditions as well thrown into it, the game went to extra time. Either team could have won it but thankfully we came out the right side.

“Hopefully that will stand to us moving forward and we’ve had numerous battles this year. The league semi-final against Currin this year went to extra time and penalties as well.

“The championship semi-final then, we only won that game by two points in the end so we’ve had a lot of tough battles already this year and hopefully that will stand to us.”

They say that any team that can continuously go to the well and come out the other side of it is in a good place. Reilly believes that those previous battles leave them in good shape as they aim to give Ulster a rattle.

“It’s a good sign of a team, so they say anyway, when they are coming out on the right side of tough battles of these games,” he added.

“We have been here before. We won the Monaghan Championship two years ago as well, so I’d say that has helped us come through this year again.”

Drumhowan have been in this exact position before. Two years ago, after emerging from the Farney County, they beat Aghadrumsee of Fermanagh by the minimum of margins.

That saw them advance to the provincial semi-finals, where they took on Craigbane of Derry in another nail-biting showdown.

Drumhowan lost out on that occasion, however. After the sides couldn’t be separated, finishing 1-11 apiece, penalties decided the outcome and it was Craigbane who came out on top.

“We played in it two years ago and knocked out in the semi-final up at Healy Park, that was a mad game,” the Drumhowan defender recalled.

“We were eight points up and ended up losing on penalties, so we maybe feel a bit hard done by. We were a young team back then and it’s still sort of the same team now. We have that experience in the locker and hopefully we’ll be fit to utilise it.”