Match Report by Geoff Ingham

Donaghadee entertained the PSNI on Saturday at Donaldson Park with the visitors hoping to arrest the Dee’s 100% winning start to the season. Rather ironically, it was Donaghadee who were the boys in blue as they took to the field in their unfamiliar second choice kit. It was probably only natural that the Dee should have a complacent start after their excellent victory last weekend and PSNI had most of the ball and territory in the first quarter of the match and it soon became clear that they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. However, PSNI were not able to convert this early pressure into points as the Dee defence stood firm and a penalty kick was wide of the mark. Donaghadee eventually gained some momentum which resulted in Chris Hamilton being held up over the line. From the resulting scrum the ball was moved swiftly to the middle of the park where fullback Danny McBride sailed through the PSNI defence to touch down under the posts giving Mark Cooper the simplest of conversions. Ten minutes later McBride was back in the thick of it when he took a great catch and sent Robbie Ingham flying down the left wing. The ever-alert winger then sent Karl Yellop in for a score with a sublime inside pass. Cooper was again successful with the conversion to make the score 14-0. PSNI got back into the game on the half-hour mark when a bad defensive blunder led to their winger scoring in the corner. Shortly afterwards more confusion resulted in Owen Roberts being sent to the bin and Dee had to see out the half with 14 men. This they did with aplomb and after several forays into the PSNI 22 it was Paul Johnston who forced his way over for a try which Cooper failed to convert leaving the half time score at 19-5.

The second half started with Dee in the ascendency, spurred on by the half –time motivational team talk by coach Blewitt. Within 5 minutes of the restart the towering frame of Sam Ingham went crashing over from a 5 metre scrum to gain the valuable try bonus point, although Cooper missed the conversion. Almost immediately Donaghadee attacked again and this time, after a fine run by winger Ben Siri (pictured), Cooper was on hand to touch down after a neat offload by scrum-half Johnston and then converted his own try. PSNI had the better of the next 10 minutes but the well organized Dee defence ensured that progress was kept to a minimum. On the hour mark Robbie Ingham gathered a 22 drop out and sent brother Sam speeding up the wing, beating several defenders before putting fellow back-rower Stephen Adams in for try number six, which Cooper converted. At this stage, PSNI were tiring and the Dee were in no mood to take prisoners as Owen Roberts finished off a fine rolling maul to bring the score to 43-5. In the last play of the match Johnston made a break from the scrum, fed Robbie Ingham on the wing who drew his man and then returned the ball to Johnston who scampered home to make the final score 48-5.

This was another good team performance from the Dee and there were many players who were considered for man-of –the-match but for his work rate in defence and attack, whether playing in the backs or the forwards, this week’s award goes to captain Matthew Stockton who led by example throughout the match. Next week, Donaghadee travel to Holywood for a top-of-the-table clash so all support would be greatly appreciated.