Write a commentNewry 1’s 3-2 Bangor 1’s
N. Dinsmore, N. Liggett, N. Davenport, N. McKnight, J. Greer, C. Henning, C. McKnight, J. Taylor, R. Nummy, R. Irwin, K. McCombe, S. McCafferty, K. McWilliams
The first game after the festive break seen Newry host Bangor. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season Bangor ran Newry ragged and ran out worthy winners, the home side were determined not to allow this to happen again. Both sides started well but it was Newry who had the better of the opening exchanges forcing a number of short corners. It wasn’t until 10 minutes in when Kyle McCombe latched onto a rebound to slot home and give Newry a deserved lead. Bangor however did not sit back and quickly equalized with a well-placed flick from a continuous short corner.
Newry battled to get back on top in this fast paced first half but not without setbacks with a number of highly dubious decisions going against them by one of the umpires. Even with this Newry kept their heads and John Taylor fired home a low hard flick from a short corner to give the home side a 2-1 lead at half time.
At the start of the second half Bangor flew out of the traps but could not get any meaningful shots in on the Newry keeper, after weathering this storm Newry pressed forward and got their third when Richard Nummy was on hand at the back post to slide home another rebounded shot. Bangor again pushed forward to apply pressure on the home defence but Newry held strong with only ten players for large chunks of the half. Newry were catching Bangor out on the break and should have put the game to bed but could not apply the finishing touches. With Robert Irwin running past the final defender on one break away, the defender had no choice but to take Irwin out which he duly did by going to ground and kicking Irwin with only a short corner the result and no cards shown.
Bangor got their second when they played the ball in well from their left and caught Newry napping leaving two players free at the back post, which lead to a nervy final five minutes. Newry managed to hold on and run out 3-2 winners in this pulsating match, but it didn’t end here with controversy coming after the final whistle when an umpire got involved to rile players when all was done and dusted.
Portrush 2’s 2-1 Newry 3’s
P. Elmore, B. Scott, A. Baird, K. Best, E. Graham, J. Niblock, R. Cartmill, M. McCaigue, W. Adams, G. Elias, S. Garvey, J. McWilliams, D. Liggett
Newry 3’s first game after the break was a tough one with a long travel to play Portrush. Even with a few players still missing for the Mourne men, they were the better team in the first half creating most of the opportunities, taking an early lead when Captain Glyn Elias ran onto a through ball from Ben Scott and slotted home under the advancing Portrush Keeper. Portrush equalised late in the first half, Peter Elmore saved the original shot from the short corner only for the rebound to be picked up fired home from the top of the “D”.
Portrush came out strong in the second half and scored early on to give them a 2-1 lead, Newry pushed forward and had the majority of the possession but could not find that all important second goal to force a point from their long trip. A disappointing result after the break but Newry still sit top of the league.
Mossley 2's 4-2 Newry 2's
D. Whiteside, D. England, D. Lawson, S. Blakely, D. Barlow, B. Scott, D. Liggett, W. Adams (c), K. McWilliams, D. Andrews, M. McGrath Subs: K. Fletcher, S. McCafferty
Seconds undone by Mossley counterattack
Junior League 2 Champions Newry Olympic Seconds were beaten 4-2 on this Friday night fixture away to a strong Mossley Seconds outfit. These two teams are fighting to retain a place in Junior One for next season and the match was a closer contest than the scoreline suggests. Newry had much of the play and the Mossley defence were under consistent pressure but a combination of pacey forwards and efficient chance conversion saw the Mossley counter-attack produce three goals and effectively decide the match.
Mossley took the lead mid-way through a first half that was largely dominated by Newry whose forwards were on the receiving end of some robust tackling and struggled in the attacking third as a result. The Newry forwards grew increasingly frustrated as they demanded more protection from the umpire while several promising attacks fell short at the final ball.
After the break the game ebbed and flowed but just as Newry pushed on and looked like building sustained pressure they were caught by two quick Mossley goals on the counter attack. The reaction from Newry was positive and soon they the goal that their play deserved, McGrath tapping home a goal-bound effort from Liggett from all of one inch. All matches have their crucial period and the match now entered that phase and unfortunately for Newry a couple of half-chances went unconverted before Mossley once again scored on the break taking the score to 4-1. With 10 minutes remaining Newry were on the scoresheet again as Andrews drove a long pass into the area for McWilliams to finish expertly. The roles were reversed as a similar driven pass from McWilliams just eluded Andrews in the D and Mossley were able to hang on for an important win. Newry now enter a run of home games and will be looking to build on a decent performance here and get back to winning ways.
