Having lost Mark Cooper, Chris Hamilton, Tommy Scullion and Conor McKee from last week’s starting XV together with the glut of other injuries giving rise to the now familiar list of missing personnel Donaghadee’s game against a Grosvenor side rejuvenated by the recent return of the old coaching partnership of Andrew Gibson and Michael Smyth was going to be a huge challenge.

The game started poorly for the Dee with the Grosvenor scrum-half Elliott (son of former Dee tyro Ronnie) spotting Andy Jarvis caught in a ruck chipping a ball high for his No. 6 to field perfectly and unchallenged to crash over the line. Danny McBride brought the Dee back to 7-3 with a well placed penalty kick but once again the injury jinx that has followed the side around this season struck when both Dan Lindsey and Ryan Irvine had to leave the field with the recurrence of rib injuries. With Elliott ruthlessly exploiting Donaghadee’s penchant for backline defenders getting caught in the ruck with his pinpoint box-kicking the away side struggled to gain any front-foot parity and were made to pay by Grosvenor who mauled to great effect allowing them to take a commanding lead into halftime.

The Dee now lost the services of fullback Billy Allen, who been fighting a rear-guard action all afternoon fielding the Grosvenor pressure kick tactic, to a rib injury picked up after a succession of big hits from the onrushing Grosvenor offence . To his great credit Irvine returned to the fray to replace Allen and, even given the fact that he was clearly hamstrung from the injury picked up in the first half, was to be the Dee’s most potent attacking threat in the second period. The game had now evened out with neither side exerting sole dominance but, as is often the case, Donaghadee suffered from their efforts to play catch-up rugby and Grosvenor ultimately forged further ahead before some sustained carrying work up front from Sam Ingham, Stuart Hutchinson, Jamie Wilson and Matthew Martin allowed the ball to be spun wide before being held up close to the line. Not to be denied the pack supported ball carrier John Quigg well before Paul Hamilton crashed over the Dee’s only try of the day.

The last few weeks have been an exceptionally trying experience for the side and, suffice to say, Saturday’s squad bore little resemblance to the one that started the season out in August last year. Once again, however, those that stood in yesterday never took a backward step and continue to be of great credit to the Club. Much like the weather during the game the Dee’s injury storm has now morphed into a hurricane and the side face an exceptionally challenging last two league games of the season at Randalstown and Academy this incoming week - however it remains evident that even though the scoreboard might at times suggest otherwise the spirit and doggedness of Gareth Gordon’s ever changing squad remains unbowed.