Dromore Amateurs claim victory in exciting match

A TIGHT match with plenty of excitement - the first half flew by with a few chances for each side however both defences stood strong with a number of good saves from the Dromore goalkeeper.

Both teams were pressing for the opener, playing great football in the middle of the field but to no avail. Derry City had the chance to take the lead just before the end of the half with a free kick just outside the box, but it was smartly gathered by the Dromore keeper leaving the ref to blow up for half time, a chance for each manager to plan their tactics for the next 45mins.

The second half began with Derry city taking the lead through an excellent cross and finish, much to the dismay of the Dromore players. However heads did not drop and Dromore shook themselves up and began to play brilliant football taking Derry out of the equation all together.

Their persistence paid off when Kerry Taggart ran down the right wing and crossed the ball into the box where Toni Smith, running to the back post, was left unmarked in the area and finished smartly to level the scores at one each.

This rallied the Dromore ladies and they settled back into the wonderful passing game that they had been playing since conceding. Once again the game tightened up as Derry City began to challenge for the ball more, both teams now on the hunt for the goal to steal the three points.

A couple of very good runs from Kerry Taggart and Amanda Morton, and inspired performances from other players such as Jill Bruce and Michelle Orr put Dromore in a good position to take the lead again but they just couldn’t find a way through.

Amanda Morton then received a yellow card for a late tackle in midfield meaning she had to be careful not to collect another and leave Dromore short for the last 20mins. Having 11 players still on the pitch Dromore decided to turn up the heat once more and again this annoyed the Derry City ladies who fouled Kerry Taggart on the edge of the box.

Tracy Orr came to take the resulting free kick and lifted it over the wall and the keeper placing it in the top left hand corner of the net. Dromore had the lead and were determined to keep it. More great saves from Michelle Stephens and a good strong defence in Amy-lou graham, Diane Pearson, Lisa Dumigan, Tracy Orr and Lauren Watson meant that they saw the game out clinching a vital three points in the league.