REPORT | 7 February 2026: DLHC 1XI 0-7 Rainey

Senior 2: DLHC 1XI 0-7 Rainey
It was a challenging afternoon at home for Donaghadee Ladies’ 1XI last Saturday as they welcomed a strong Rainey side to BGS. The home squad faced significant selection difficulties prior to pass-back, with a large number of regular 1XI players unavailable. However, in true DLHC spirit, six players from the 2XI stepped up to ensure a full team took to the pitch.

The disruption to the squad was evident in the opening stages. Rainey capitalised on the unsettled home side, starting with high intensity and ruthless finishing. Donaghadee found themselves on the back foot immediately, and despite their best efforts, were trailing by several goals by the end of a difficult first quarter.

However, the team showed immense character and heads did not drop; as the game progressed, the unfamiliar Donaghadee line-up began to gel. While the majority of the match was spent defending against waves of Rainey pressure, the home defence tightened up significantly after the first break, and the whole team dug deep to stem the flow of goals, showing much better structure and resilience in the subsequent three quarters.

The standout performance of the day went to Lisa Higgins, who stepped up to show plenty of grit and determination. In a match where the defence was under constant siege, her work rate was phenomenal, putting in a shift of tireless tackling, breaking down play repeatedly and setting a tenacious example for the rest of the squad.

A massive thank you goes to the six 2XI players who stepped up to play against at a much higher-level than their usual Junior 10 opposition. While the 7-0 scoreline was tough to take, the fighting spirit shown by everyone in Saturday’s team was a huge credit to the club.

Thanks to Willie McAdam for umpiring and to NI Building Surveys for sponsoring the match ball. The 1XI are next in action tomorrow night (Friday 13th) away to CI while the 2XI are also on their travels, away to Ballymena on Saturday.

Sponsor Shoutouts
We are delighted that the following players from Saturday’s match are being individually sponsored. If you would like to sponsor your favourite player, please speak to them directly or email us at dlhc@hotmail.co.uk. View all sponsored players here