Gabriel Rangers relieved to come through epic battle with Dromtarriffe

GABRIEL RANGERS ace full-forward Eddie Goggin was thrilled with their dramatic one point win against Dromtarriffe in their IFC game played in Coachford last Saturday afternoon.

Gabriel Rangers emerged victorious on a final scoreline of 0-16 to 0-15 following an entertaining semi-final clash. Gabriel Rangers secured a hard fought win when Seanie Kelleher converted a late free kick. Eddie was delighted with the nature of their win.

“Seanie kicked a great point to win the match. It was a great win. We had to battle hard. It was a very tough game. It was a great feeling when the final whistle sounded. Everyone played their part in a great win,” declared the star forward.

Dromtarriffe, who won the county junior football championship title year season, pushed the Carbery divisional side all the way following this absorbing encounter. Eddie was full of praise for the Duhallow divisional team.

“They are a very good team. They have a lot of very tidy footballers. Duhallow football is very strong. They put up a serious battle. We knew coming into the semi-final that we would have to play to our potential to win.”

Gabriel Rangers will now proceed to a IFC final showdown against Knocknagree which is scheduled to be played on Saturday, November 2.

Eddie is anticipating another very tough game against Knocknagree.

“They’re a very good team and have been winning with ease all season. They were very impressive against Millstreet. We know them very well.

“They’ve a lot of strong footballers. We defeated them in the junior county series following a replay in 2016. They are a great team. We will go in as underdogs and do our best.”

Gabriel Rangers displayed great heart and character throughout the semi-final encounter. They had to overcome a four point deficit in the second half. Eddie paid tribute to his team-mates for their courageous display.

“All our lads were great. The defence were outstanding again. Pat Nolan came in and steadied the ship. There was a lot of leadership and character shown to turn around the deficit. I was worried when they went so many points ahead. We had to dig deep. Thankfully, we kept battling and adding on scores. It was a real determined display.”

Brian Hayes had the unenviable task of taking over from Mike O’Brien as manager of the Gabriel Rangers team this season. Eddie was full of praise for their coach.

“Brian has done a great job. He is well assisted by his selectors. They make a great team. They are constantly challenging us. Mike did a great job with us. We enjoyed great success with him for three years.”