Match report by Geoff Ingham

Donaghadee entertained Enniskillen on Saturday at Donaldson Park in the first round of the Junior Cup. Dee knew this would be a real test for them as Enniskillen are in the league above them and they are also the current holders of the Towns Cup. The team showed some changes from last week with Andy Wright and Richard Bailey coming into the back line and Stephen Adams playing his first match of the season in the second row. Also, there was a definite buzz of excitement in the crowd as prop forward Ray Dobson was making his debut for the club. As the game kicked off Enniskillen immediately pressurised the Dee with some strong driving from their forwards but good defence from the Dee kept them at bay. In the fifth minute Enniskillen were awarded a penalty after Dee infringed at a lineout and opted for a kick at goal but the ball sailed just wide of the posts. The Skins continued to dominate and made good ground down the left-hand side only to knock the ball on just short of the line. A good scrum from the Dee allowed out-half Danny McBride to relieve the pressure. This pressure, however, eventually paid off for the Skins after 14 minutes when their forwards managed to force their way over after several drives to score the opening try which was successfully converted. Rather than letting their heads drop the Dee rallied and played the better rugby for the next 20 minutes. Some good driving runs by Chris Hamilton, Sam Ingham and Owen Roberts gained territory for the Dee and some accurate kicking by both Andy Wright and Mark Cooper put the Dee inside the Skins 22 on a number of occasions but, unfortunately, they were not able to convert this possession into points. The Dee were able to match their opposition in most facets of the game, however, they struggled all day to cope with the Enniskillen rolling maul. This proved crucial just before half time when the referee penalised the Dee several times and eventually sent Stephen Adams to the sin-bin. Another line out and rolling maul resulted in the Skins prop getting over the line and the referee awarded the try despite the Dee’s protests that the ball had not been grounded. The conversion was missed to leave the score 12-0 to Enniskillen at half-time.

Within a minute of the restart Enniskillen registered their third try when their fullback showed his pace by beating several defenders to touch down under the posts and the home crowd were concerned that the floodgates could open. To their credit the Dee continued to defend heroically and every man threw themselves into tackles to stop Enniskillen increasing their lead. Eventually, in the 60th minute, the Skins out-half changed tactics and put a delicate kick over the Dee defensive line and was impeded by the Dee defender as he attempted to touch down. The referee awarded a penalty try which took the score to 26-0. Enniskillen dominated possession and territory for the next ten minutes but the Dee showed great resilience in defence and frustrated their opponents. This frustration boiled over on several occasions and eventually led to a yellow card for an Enniskillen forward for foul play. Shortly after, winger Ben Siri showed his pace with an elusive run that saw him bundled into touch just short of the line. The referee evened up the numbers when he sent Mark Cooper to the sin bin when he reacted to being stamped on at a ruck. The Dee got on the scoreboard in the 70th minute when the ball was recycled after a barnstorming run by Ray Dobson and Chris Scott went over in the corner to score a well- deserved try. Enniskillen, however, had the final say when, in the final play of the game, their elusive fullback outsprinted the Dee defence to score. The conversion was successful to make the final score 33-5 to Enniskillen.

Although this was another defeat for the Dee there was plenty of positives from the performance, not least the defensive effort put in by everyone and also how the forwards fronted up against a well drilled pack containing several players who represent Ulster Juniors. Several players put their hand up for the man- of- the- match award including the usual contenders such as Matthew Stockton, Chris Hamilton and Sam Ingham. There was also the impressive debut from Ray Dobson, however, this week’s award goes to Chris Scott for his all-round performance throughout the match. Next week sees the Dee travelling to Larne for their first Championship League game of the season.