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ANB Soccer, Canada 1 Northend United 3 Friday 20th July 2012

Played in front of a large number of parents and supporters, Northend had the great honour of playing a Canadian team, ANB Soccer from Toronto, in the final of the Foyle Cup Shield competition. From the kick-off, the Canadian team stamped their authority on the game with their quick passing and moving style of football.

Northend found it hard in the early stages of the game, coming to grips with the different style of football played by the North Americans; however the Northend defence of Hanlon, Laverty, Etherson and Brady dealt comfortably with whatever came their direction.

However gradually Northend came more into the game and after Keith Hall had gone close on one occasion, Jamie Speirs went on his trademark run at the ANB defence and this resulted in him being hauled down to give the Blues a penalty. The same player stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake to give The Blues a 1-0 lead.

However ANB didn't give up and in one of the best moves of the game, they score with a shot from all off twenty-five yards after some excellent build up play.

As the match swung from end to end, Connell Lemon found himself in space and from his cross the ball flashed across the goalmouth with nobody able to get a touch on it. However with no further scoring in this half, the half time score remained 1-1.

In a game of two halves, Northend started the second half more strongly and went on to close down the Canadian style of football more quickly.

After five minutes of the half, Connell Lemon who was now playing with Swann and Speirs in a more central midfield role, lifted the ball over the ANB defence and released Keith Hall who ran on to slide the ball past the ANB keeper and give the Boys from Ballymena a 2-1 lead.

Ryan Gault replaced the tiring Anthony McAvoy and immediately got in the middle of the action. With the one goal advantage the Blues now began to get the upper hand in midfield with Speirs and Swann starting to pull the strings.

ANB almost equalised when their striker ran on to a throughball but a combination of Bryan Etherson and Ross Swan saved the day for the Blues.

After twenty minutes of the half, Keith Hall who was having his best game of the tournament ran on to another throughball, and raced clear of the ANB defence and coolly slid the ball past the keeper to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.

Northend introduced Michael Carberry and Richard Sloan as they looked to defend their lead and take the Foyle Cup Shield home to Ballymena. As the referee blew for full time the Northend fans went wild with excitement….the Boys had won another competition in a very successful season.

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Enniskillen Town United 1 Northend United 5 Thursday 19th July 2012

Northend turned in a tired performance in this match but still managed to win 5-1 in this Foyle Cup Shield Semi-Final match.

The Blues started strongly and after five minutes a good run and cross from Stevie Hare found its way into the Enniskillen net to leave the score 1-0.

It was all Northend at this stage and from a Jamie Speirs free-kick the ball struck the upright and was cleared to safety. In a half of missed chances, Keith Hall's shot from the edge of the box sailed narrowly over the bar.

In defence, Bryan Etherson and Michael Laverty dealt comfortably with the threat of the Enniskillen strikers and Ross Swan was rarely troubled in the half.

Northend further increased their lead midway through the half when from a ball into the Enniskillen box, Keith Hall headed the ball past the their keeper to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. Jamie Speirs, Niall Swann and Ryan Gault were again forming a good partnership in midfield and from a Gault throughball; Connell Lemon lobbed the keeper from almost thirty yards, only to see the ball cannon off the top of the crossbar.

Northend kept up the pressure in this half and minutes before half time, Keith Hall again found himself clear of the Enniskillen defence but he delayed his shot and allowed the defender to get in a good tackle. With no further scoring the half time score remained 2-0 to the Northend Blues.

Northend again started the second half on top and after ten minutes Keith hall scored his second goal of the match when he headed the ball past the keeper from a Jamie Speirs cross, leaving the score 3-0.

Northend kept applying the pressure and from an Etherson throughball, Lee Scroggie raced clear of the Enniskillen defence and should have scored but his shot was straight at the keeper.

Enniskillen pulled a goal back when a goalkeeping error allowed their striker the simple task of scoring into an empty net to leave the score 3-1.

Michael Carberry was giving a good account of himself at right midfield and was linking up well with Scroggie to keep the pressure on Enniskillen.

Northend further increased their lead when Jamie Speirs ran at the Enniskillen defence and was pulled down in their penalty box. The same player stepped up and placed the ball wide of the keeper and into the net, to give the Blues a 4-1 lead.

Northend were pulling all the strings at this stage of the match and with Richard Sloan winning some decisive tackles in midfield, a Niall Swann break down the Northend right wing, resulted in a cross which was converted by Lee Scroggie, only for the referee to adjudge him offside.

Niall Swann was in the thick of the action at this stage of the game and from a Jamie Speirs corner kick he headed the ball past the Enniskillen keeper to leave the score 5-1.

With only minutes remaining of the match, Anthony McAvoy saw his shot from twenty yards go narrowly wide of the upright. Shortly afterwards the Dutch referee blew the whistle for full time which saw Northend progress to the Shield final.

Oxford United Stars 2 Northend United 2 Wednesday 18th July 2012

Northend kicked off this match against an undefeated Oxford United Stars at their home pitch in Templemore, Derry and right from the start the Blues were up for this match. With Niall Swann back from injury, Northend looked a different team from their last outing.

Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann dominated the early exchanges in midfield and Keith Hall looked lively upfront. However the Blues fell behind when a poor attempted clearance by Anthony McAvoy was intercepted by an Oxford striker and his resultant shot gave Ross Swan, in the Blues nets, no chance.

Defending into a strong wind in the first half, the Northend defence of Hanlon, Etherson, McAvoy and Brady soaked up the early Oxford pressure. Lee Scroggie and Connell lemon on the Northend flanks were getting forward, causing the Oxford defence all sorts of problems.

However as Oxford attacked the Northend defence a speculative shot from all of twenty-five yards found its way into the back of the Northend nets assisted by the strong wind.

All credit to this Northend team; they didn't drop their heads but again came back strongly at Oxford. After some great play between Stevie Hare and Lee Scroggie out on the Northend wing, the ball was picked up by Jamie Speirs who jinxed his way past three Oxford defenders before blasting the ball past the Oxford keeper to reduce the score to 2-1. This goal lifted the Blues and Lee Scroggie could have equalised just before half time, when he beat a defender and shot from a tight angle, only to see the ball go inches wide of the upright. However the half time score remainded 2-1 to Oxford.

Northend started off the second half and introduced Michael Laverty at centre-half. The Blues played some of their best football of the tournament in this half with Speirs and Swann in the thick of the action.

Keith Hall proved to be a constant threat in this half to the Oxford defence and was unlucky after five minutes when his shot went narrowly wide. In between the Northend attacks, Michael Laverty was on hand to clear from a dangerous Oxford break.

Keith Hall was next to go close for Northend, when he found himself with time in front of the Oxford goal, but the keeper pulled off a good save.

Ryan Gault came on for Northend and immediately made his presence felt with some good passing from the Northend midfield. Jamie Speirs was having an inspirational game in midfield and was driving the Blues forward at every opportunity looking for the equaliser. From a Gault throw in, Jamie Speirs crossed the ball into the Oxford danger area and Lee Scroggie got the all important touch to score for the Blues and leave the score level at 2-2.

With ten minutes of the match remaining, Northend went all out looking for a winner that would see them finish second in the group of death behind SPL side St. Johnstone and from a cross into the Oxford goal mouth Keith Hall rose above everybody and powered a header goalwards only to see it cannon off the crossbar and get cleared to safety.

Northend weren't finished yet and a Jamie Speirs free kick right on the stroke of full time was delivered inch perfect to the back post but nobody was able to get on the end of it. The referee blew for full time and Northend knew they had come oh so close to finishing second in the group, leaving Oxford and Glentoran in their wake.

St. Johnstone 5 Northend United 0 Tuesday 17th July 2012

This glamour match saw a Northend team missing their midfield general Niall Swann, due to injury, come up against Scottish Premier League side St Johnstone, featuring a number of players who have already been included in their first team panel.

Played on an excellent surface at the Vale Centre, Greysteel, the Blues started off strongly and played some good passing football in the opening ten minutes with Jamie Speirs and Connell Lemon prominent in every move.

However the Professional SPL team began to gain the upper hand against the Blues and scored their first goal when a cross found their striker at the back post and he scored giving Richard Sloan no chance in the Northend net.

This goal rattled the Blues and St Johnstone went on to score another two goals in this half with two very soft goals.

At the other end, Keith Hall had a good run at the St. Johnstone defence but his shot went narrowly past the post. However the score remained 3-0 to St. Johnstone at half time.

Northend again started the second half strongly and Keith Hall had a half chance which was well blocked by the St. Johnstone defender.

Northend made a number of chances just after the break with Ross Swan going in nets, Michael Laverty filling in at left back and Ryan Gault coming on in midfield. Northend kept battling but St Johnstone scored another soft goal when a corner slipped through the hands of the Northend keeper and the big striker had a simple tap in to make the score 4-0.

Northend brought on Anthony McAvoy and young Michael Carberry midway through the second half as legs began to tire.

Northend's best chance of the game fell to Jamie Speirs when after some persistent dribbling; his shot narrowly shaved the top of the crossbar with the keeper well beaten.

St Johnstone scored another goal minutes before the end of the match, to leave the final score 5-0.

This was a hard lesson learned by the Northend Blues against a super St. Johnstone side who by their own admission were playing at the top of their game and who made enquiries about some of the Northend players after the match. Some good contacts were made with the Scottish team's Head of Youth Development. Best for Northend on the day were Jamie Speirs, Jonny Hanlon, Bryan Etherson and Connell Lemon against the side from the Scottish Premier League.

Glentoran 0 Northend United 0 Monday 16th July 2012

This match saw the winners of the Lisburn Youth League come up against the winners of the Belfast and East Antrim Youth League in the 2011/12 season. It would be fair to say it was a match of two halves, with the Glens on top in the first but Northend dominating the second half.

Northend started the strongest in the opening minutes with Connell Lemon and Keith Hall causing the Glens defence all sorts of problems, but gradually Glentoran came more into the game with their midfield starting to pull the strings.

However the found the Northend defence of Hanlon, O'Neill, Etherson and McAvoy were in top form and Richard Sloan in the Northend nets dealt comfortably with whatever Glentoran could throw at him. Glentoran had the ball in the net midway through the half but the striker was blown for offside.

Northend came more into the game and created some good chances in the half with Keith Hall and Connell Lemon both finding themselves clear of the Glentoran defence but they delayed their shots and allowed the Glens defenders time to get blocking tackles. However as play became bogged down in midfield, nobody could get on the scoring and the half time score remained 0-0

A reorganisation in the Northend midfield at half time saw Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann come more into the game in the second half and gain the upper hand in the key midfield battle.

However, Glentoran got the first scoring chance in the half when their striker theatrically went to ground in the Northend penalty box. Instead of booking the player for diving, the referee awarded a penalty much to the dismay of the large Northend support. However justice was done when the Glens striker fired the ball over the bar from the resultant spot kick.

Northend made a double substitution with Lee Scroggie and Michael Laverty coming on for McAvoy and Swan. This substitution almost paid dividends, when from a Scroggie cross, Connell Lemon found himself with space in front of the Glens net but he drove his shot into the side netting, with the goal at his mercy.

Northend piled on the pressure and from a series on O'Neill corners, Northend saw chances go narrowly wide of the Glens upright from Niall Swann, Bryan Etherson and a Benny O'Neill thunder bolt.

It was all Northend at this phase of the game and Stephen Hare was unlucky when he saw his shot cleared off the Glens goal-line, with the keeper well beaten.

Probably the best chance of the game found Keith Hall race clear of the Glens defence with only the keeper to beat but unfortunately the keeper pulled off a great save to keep the Glens in the game.

Stephen Hare was proving to be a thorn in the Glens defence in the second half with some excellent wing play and he was linking up well with Lemon, down the Northend right.

With time in the game running out, Northend introduced Thomas Brady, to shore up the Northend midfield and with nobody able to get on the scoresheet in the final minutes, the match ended up 0-0.

This was a good second half performance from the Ballymena Boys and one that gives them comfort going into the next match against St. Johnstone.

Foyle Cup Panel: R Sloan, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, B Etherson, M Laverty, J Speirs(c), N Swann, A McAvoy, S Hare, C Lemon, K Hall, T Brady, R Gault, L Scroggie, M Carberry

Larne Youth 3 Northend United 4 - Friendly Monday 9th July 2012

The Northend Blues travelled to Larne's impressive Seacourt Complex on Monday night to play local side Larne Youth in the last of their Foyle Cup warm-up games. Although missing a few of last season's regulars due to holidays, this still proved an excellent display from the Northend Boys and had they taken some more of their chances, would have won the match more comfortably.

The match started off with both teams attacking each other and Larne opened their scoring after five minutes when a good move down their left wing ended up with a cross being headed home past Sloan in the Northend nets.

Northend lifted their game after this and Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann began to dominate the midfield play. It wasn't long before the Blues forward line of Keith Hall and Conall Lemon began to cause the Larne defence all sorts of problems and Lemon twice went close with good efforts from just inside the Larne box.

Team Captain, Jonny Hanlon, was providing some good overlapping play from fullback and from one of these runs, he linked up with Anthony McAvoy to create a great throughball for Lemon, who made no mistake to slide the ball past the keeper and level the score at 1-1, on his Northend debut.

Northend introduced Ryan Gault and Lee Scroggie for the second half of the match. From the start the Blues were on top and forced a series of corners. From one of these, Benny O'Neill's in-swinging corner found the back of the net, to give Northend a 2-1 lead.

As play swung from end to end in the match, Larne were awarded a penalty for a heavy tackle on their striker from a Northend defender. The Larne striker sent the Blues keeper, Richard Sloan, the wrong way to level the score at 2-2.

Northend weren't finished yet and in a very entertaining half, Lee Scroggie gave Northend the lead when after a good run at the Larne defence, he unleashed a powerful shot which gave the Larne keeper no chance.

As Larne came back at Northend, they were awarded a free-kick twenty-five yards out. From the resultant kick, a Larne striker found himself unmarked at the back post and had the simplest of tasks of steering the ball home to level the score at 3-3. With time running out, this half of the match came to an end, with Northend again on the attack.

For the final part of the match, Northend introduced Jordan Millar and Leon Devlin as they went all out, looking for the winner. Jonny Hanlon, who was playing the true Captain's role, was instrumental in most of Northend's best moves in this half. Thomas Brady went close with a half chance before Lee Scroggie marked his debut with his second goal of the match, when he scored from inside the box, to give Northend a 4-3 lead.

The Northend defence of Hanlon, O'Neill, Etherson and Millar saw out the remainder of the game to give the Blues a deserved win. This was a good final work-out for the Blues, with the whole team now looking forward to playing in the Foyle Cup Tournament next week.

Man of the Match: Team Performance

Panel: R Sloan, J Hanlon (c), B O'Neill, B Etherson, M Laverty, J Speirs, N Swann, A McAvoy, C Lemon, K Hall, T Brady, R Gault, L Scroggie, J Millar, L Devlin