Enniskillen Town 1 Tummery Athletic 1 

Enniskillen Town and Tummery Athletic remain locked together at the top of the Division One table after a closely contested one-all draw on Saturday.  

Frank Wallace’s spectacular lob from 45 yards had given Town a halftime lead before Blaine Campbell curled a free kick into the top corner to level the contest.

Tummery had Ruari Sludden sent off midway through the second half, but they held on to ensure the top two claimed a point apiece. 

Town manager Ryan Hanna was coming up against his former club for the first time, and he admitted he was content to take a point from the top of the table clash.  

“On the whole, I’m not disappointed,” he said.  “You set up to win the game and that is what we tried to do.

"Over the course of the ninety, I think we were creating more than them, but maybe they had more threatening spells without hitting the target.  

"It’s one of those games where it could go either way, and to come away with a point means we are a point better off than we were. I think it was a fair result all round. It was very nip and tuck.  

"For the neutral, some people might have enjoyed the intensity and the hits and the press, but if you were looking for free flowing football it didn’t happen on Saturday.

"It wasn’t the occasion for it. It was a good game though. The game closed up after the sending off. Tummery had to defend, and we tried to work it, but they were resolute and strong and good in their defending. We didn’t make the most of it.” 

Tummery manager Kevin McAleer agreed that a draw was a fair reflection of the game.  

“I thought it was there for the taking up until we got the red card, but in hindsight probably a draw is a fair result,” he said.  

“It was always going to be a battle, it was going to be physical, and that is what it was right from the off. In the first 30 seconds the tackles were going in, but it was all in good spirit.

"It was a good test.  We were evenly matched. Both could have won the game to be honest, but it felt that even with ten men we were defending really well and limiting their chances. When we were on the counter we were very dangerous.” 

Tummery had the upper hand in the early stages of the match and Paul McHugh was inches away from converting Gerard Duddy’s cross from the right wing, but in a half of few goalscoring chances it was Town who took the lead in spectacular fashion after 37 minutes.

A long throw-in from Tummery into Town’s penalty area was hooked clear towards the halfway line. Mullin’s defensive header fell into the path of Frank Wallace, and from just yards into the Tummery half, he fired an audacious effort over the head of Nathan Hunter and into the net.  

Wallace then had a goal bound volley blocked at close range as Town looked to extend their lead, before Tummery came within inches of equalising when Shea Devlin’s shot came back off the post.  

Six minutes into the second half Tummery did get back on level terms when Blaine Campbell curled a free kick from twenty yards into the top corner of the net.  

Tummery substitute Ruari Sludden received two yellow cards within 12 minutes of coming on the pitch, but Tummery defended resolutely with only ten men and held on to claim a share of the points.