Write a commentParkview Ladies 1sts 2-3 Newry Ladies 1sts
On Saturday 20th October Newry Ladies travelled away to Ballyclare High School to play on the newly laid astro pitch against Parkview. Newry Ladies started very slowly and Parkview took the lead with barely a minute gone. Newry's heads dropped a little and found it difficult to settle into the game and adjust to the bouncy pitch. Parkview played to this strength and within another ten minutes were two nil up. Newry started a roll on roll off formation with fresh legs and slowly started to grow into the game and with some quick fire interplay between Greer, Inns, Benson and Baird they won their first corner. The resulting corner was played short to Shannen Robinson who’s strike was saved by the Parkview keeper. Newry were now on top and with Parkview reduced to 10 players just before half time the visitors kept up the pressure but were unable to capitalise.
At half time Newry changed their formation and were much more comfortable with the new setup, they pulled one back when Greer won a long corner and from the resulting attack she found Benson in the circle who deflected the ball smartly into the net.
Parkview fought back driving down their strong right hand side only to have it blocked by Lewis in defence who was quick to slip the ball back through to McIlroy who drove through the midfield back at Parkview again. Picked up once again by Greer who drove into the Parkview circle, Benson scored her second following a deflection on goal. With everyone on an even playing field the game started all over again for both sides with only ten minutes left. Parkview took their pass back trying to keep possession of the ball but were foiled by Murdock and sending the ball right across the Parkview goal found Robinson who slipped the ball past the Parkview goalie to put Newry in the lead. With five minutes to go Newry kept thier heads, keeping possession of the ball until the final whistle.
Team: C Lambe (goals), K Baird (Captain) E McCullough, L Simpson, V Lewis, R Murdock, T McIlroy, L Ervine, R Greer, G Davidson, A Benson, L Inns, S Smart, S Robinson.
NICS 1sts 2-5 Newry 1sts
Newry travelled to the Play Ball ground at Stormont for their second game in 48 hours following their 1-1 draw away to Bangor on Thursday night. The visitors found it tough in the first half with the previous game definitely having taken it out of them. NICS scored with 15 minutes gone after a slick move down their left hand side, and it really looked like Newry were not going to get back into the game even at this early stage. However Pelayo Gonzalez making his first start for Newry provided some trickery inside the Service circle and manage to loop a reverse stick shot over the keeper before Keith McWilliams tapped the ball in at the back post. Gonzalez came close again when he was found high up the pitch and rounded the keeper but from a tight angle his attempt was cleared off the line. The teams went in all square at half time.
Again in the second half Newry looked a yard off the pace but they managed to draw first blood when Matty Russell was found in the circle with his back to goal and some how managed to swivel and chip the keeper with a reverse stick shot, it was very quickly 3 when Russell again got on the score sheet when he was the first to react to the rebound after a save from the service keeper. Only ten minutes gone in the second half and it was all action.
Service replied within two minutes capitalising on a mistake in the Newry defence, 3-2 and it was all very tight again.
Both sides were not sitting back and were going all out for the next goal, this however fell to Newry after some brilliant work from McWilliams who won the ball high up the pitch and drove into the circle, turning his defender inside out before rocketing a shot last the keeper at the near post. Newry tried to manage the game and hold on to their two goal advantage which they did so comfortably and still managed to get 1 more with five minutes remaining with Colin McKnight getting in on the act to seal the 5-2 victory.
Team: L Beck, C Henning, A Baird, S Megaw, R Irwin, J Taylor, N McKnight, M Russell, K McWilliams, C McKnight, R McGivern, J Greer, K Fletcher, P Gonzalez
