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Northend United 9 Roe Valley 3 Saturday 25th October 2014

Northend U10s continued their impressive start in the league with an emphatic victory over a dogged Roe Valley side. In truth 9 goals perhaps didn't do justice to the attacking flair which the Northend white's displayed for most of the game as each time they went forward, they were nearly always a whisker away from hitting the net.

After a frustrating start with a few missed chances, the man in form at the moment, Jay McKeown was on hand to tap in from close range after a fantastic long range effort from Shea O'Broin was parried by the keeper. Ryan Campbell then illustrated his prowess coming forward from defence as he bamboozled the Roe Valley defence with a mazy run before dispatching a low driven effort from just outside the box.

Northend were relentless in attack with Ben O'Neill proving to be an ominous threat each time he bombed down the left wing. O'Neill was to provide the avenue for the third as Jay McKeown was on hand to blast in from a perfect cross, netting his second of five goals. Roe Valley responded well though despite the comprehensive four goal margin as their number nine tucked home from a neat cross.

However the Ballymena side were able to flip the switch again as they came forward with yet more purpose and this time it was substitute Charlie McGarry who was on hand to tap in after some memorising trickery from O'Broin. McKeown and O'Broin have formed a formidable partnership so far this year, notching a staggering twenty five goals between them and it was this pairing who worked to great effect again for McKeown to add two more to his tally.

Roe Valley though refused to give in and continued to search for goals of their own but the ice cool Stevie Bristow and Adam Long in defence proved to be their Achilles heel. Shea O'Broin who had been knocking on the door finally got his first of two goals following some fine work from Tyler Boyd as he jinked his way through the Roe Valley defence to slot through for O'Broin who finished as ruthlessly as ever.

Roe Valley did manage to grab two consolation goals but fittingly the last word went to Northend as McKeown and O'Broin were unstoppable in tandem with the later finishing off a cross from his attacking partner, leaving the final score 9-3 in favour of the Ballymena side.

Man of the Match: Tyler Boyd

Panel: PJ McDonnell, R Campbell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, T Boyd, J McKeown, S O'Broin, C McGarry, A Long

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Northend United 10 Ballymena Town 4 Saturday 18th October 2014

This was a cracking game between the two Ballymena sides with plenty of goals for the supporters. Northend started on the attack with Ryan Campbell's shot being well saved and soon after Campbell's long ball got all the way through to striker Jay McKeown who finished with a first time shot. Ballymena came back strongly and levelled to make it 1-1 after 10 minutes. McKeown then made a goal out of nothing collecting the ball just outside the area, beating two defenders and putting the ball into the far corner to restore the lead. Shea O'Broin and Eoin Mitchell were pulling the strings in midfield and O'Broin firstly shot just wide and then hit the post with a beautiful left footed curled effort. Mitchell made a great run and shot just wide and then Campbell burst through from defence and hit a shot towards the goal which McKeown diverted into the back of the net to complete his hat-trick. Northend finished the half strongly with Shea O'Broin having two more efforts just wide of the target. Half-time 3-1

Ballymena started the second half strongly and pulled an early goal back which sparked Northend back onto the attack with good link up play between McKeown and Mitchell putting the ball just wide. The defence of Stevie Bristow, Ben O'Neill and Ryan Campbell played magnificently to cut out any Ballymena attacks and PJ McDonnell pulled off a couple of fine saves. A spell of three goals in three minutes finished this game off, first Zach Erwin played a superb cross field pass to Mitchell who ran from deep to finish with a first time strike, then Mitchell scored again and Jay McKeown scored his fourth closely followed by his fifth of the game. Callum Lutton got his first goal of the season and Tyler Boyd went close. Shea O'Broin scored a couple of superb goals before Ballymena pulled two goals back late on. Final score 10-4

This was a super performance from the whole squad and you can see the improvement in many of the players each week - keep up the hard work lads

Man of the Match: Eoin Mitchell

Panel: PJ McDonnell, R Campbell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, E Mitchell, J McKeown, S O'Broin, Z Erwin, C Lutton, T Boyd

Northend United 3 Dungiven Celtic 4 Saturday 11th October 2014

This game started at a frantic pace with both teams looking for the early goal and it was Dungiven who were first on the score sheet after three minutes. Within a minute Northend were back on level terms when the ball was played through by Ryan Campbell for Jay McKeown to burst through and fire the ball high into the net. Callum McAvoy and Shea O'Broin were slowly gaining control in midfield and it was O'Broin who found himself in space but his left footed shot was blocked. A quick throw by Campbell gave McKeown the opportunity for a shot but the keeper saved and then on fourteen minutes McKeown's free-kick was tipped over the bar. A minute later McAvoy played the ball through to McKeown who muscled his way past the defence and his shot came off the inside of the post and into the back of the net to make it 2-1. Dungiven came back on the attack but Stevie Bristow and Ben O'Neill were outstanding in dealing with anything that the attackers threw at them and O'Neill was setting up numerous attacks with his trademark burst down the left wing. O'Broin and McAvoy combined well resulting in a corner which Campbell floated across for McKeown to head into the back of the net to make it 3-1 at half-time.

If the first half belonged to Northend it was Dungiven who dominated the second half as they pulled an early goal back and were putting the defence under pressure. Callum McAvoy and Stevie Bristow were playing superbly making tackles, defensive blocks and setting up counter attacks and PJ McDonnell pulled off a couple of fine saves. O'Neill went on a run down the left side and squared the ball to O'Broin who shot just wide and Eoin Mitchell run from midfield but couldn't get past the defence. The Dungiven pressure was beginning to build and the equaliser eventually came with only 5 minutes left. Dungiven now with their tails up kept attacking and got the winner in the last minute but there was still time for one more Northend attack with O'Neill bursting down the wing but his shot hit the side netting. This match was a great spectacle for the loyal supporters with plenty of goals and excitement and the young Northend players can count themselves unlucky to get nothing out of the game. Final score 3-4

Man of the Match : Callum McAvoy

Panel: PJ McDonnell, R Campbell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, C McAvoy, J McKeown, S O'Broin, Z Erwin, E Mitchell

Northend United 6 Ballymena Youth 2 Saturday 4th October 2014

The early kick off against Ballymena was obviously too early for some of the Northend defenders who were caught out with a goal against them in the first minute and to the shock of the supporters Northend went two down in the third minute with more sloppy defending. The midfield of Shea O'Broin and Callum McAvoy began to take control and Jay McKeown was causing problems up front and it was O'Broin who pulled the first goal back with a fine left foot strike from the edge of the area. Ryan Campbell was making good progress down the right hand side and on one of his strong runs deep into the opposition territory he crossed for McKeown to finish at the near post to bring the scores level. The Northend attackers were piling forward and another McKeown shot was well saved for a corner and O'Broin was unlucky with an effort that went wide. The defence of Stevie Bristow, Ben O'Neill and Campbell were able to get to grips with the speed of the Ballymena forwards and anything that got past them keeper PJ McDonnell was able to deal with. In the twentieth minute a neat move between McAvoy and O'Broin gave Ryan Campbell the space for a lofted long range shot which beat the unlucky Ballymena keeper. Half-time score 3-2

Ballymena came out strong in the second half and put the Northend defence under pressure but McDonnell saved anything that was fired at him. Ben O'Neill made a couple of his trademark runs down the left wing taking the pressure off the defence and setting up fast counterattacks which led to a chance for McKeown to finish from close range. McAvoy was working hard in midfield to close down the Ballymena attacks and Bristow was able to snuff out any danger from the Ballymena forwards. A shot from O'Broin resulted in a corner which McKeown took and scored to complete his hat-trick. Tyler Boyd was combining well with O'Broin in midfield and in the twentieth minute played a through ball to McKeown who slotted the ball into the corner of the net. There was still time for Zach Erwin to put his header over the bar from a corner in the last minute. Final score 6-2

Man of the Match: Ryan Campbell

Panel: PJ McDonnell, R Campbell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, J McKeown, S O'Broin, Z Erwin, T Boyd, C McAvoy

Northend United 2 Coleraine Olympic 0 Saturday 27th September 2014

This was a much better performance than last week with Northend immediately going on the attack with Jay McKeown firing an early shot from the edge of the area which the Coleraine keeper saved. From the resulting corner Eoin Mitchell had a headed opportunity which went just wide. Zach Erwin was playing superbly in attack and sent a ball across from the left which the Coleraine defence cleared only for Ryan Campbell to hit a long range shot narrowly wide. The defence of Stevie Bristow, Ben O'Neill and Ryan Campbell were well on top and keeper PJ O'Donnell pulled off a couple of fine saves. Bristow made a great block and quickly played the ball forward to McKeown who scored from a tight angle. O'Neill was making some excellent runs down the left wing and causing the Coleraine defence all sorts of problems and tested the keeper on several occasions. On 21 minutes O'Neill shot from distance which the keeper did well to save but McKeown was on hand to tap the ball home for his second of the match. Northend continued to attack with McKeown hitting the post, Mitchell's shot saved and O'Neill shooting wide. Half-time 2-0

In the second half the Northend defence had to work overtime to keep the Coleraine attackers at bay with Bristow particularly impression with several blocks and interceptions and McDonnell pulling off a series of top class saves. O'Neill and Campbell were strong in defence and made outstanding runs down the wings to relieve the pressure. McKeown kept the opposition defence occupied when he got the ball and tested the keeper on a couple of occasions but couldn't get his third goal. After 15 minutes Tyler Boyd made a bursting run from midfield and passed wide to McKeown who played the ball into Charlie McGarry who shot just wide. With Coleraine pushing hard for a goal, McDonnell was called into action and Campbell and O'Neill made goal line clearances to keep a clean sheet for the Ballymena boys. Final score 2-0

Man of the Match: Ben O'Neill

Panel: PJ McDonnell, R Campbell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, J McKeown, E Mitchell, Z Erwin, T Boyd, C McGarry

Portrush 8 Northend United 3 Saturday 20th September 2014

Northend started their league campaign against a Portrush side who they had many close contests with last season full of hope and expectation. The first 5 minutes of the game was a close affair with both sides battling for control in midfield. Jay McKeown made a good run into the opponents area and from the resulting corner Ben O'Neill shot narrowly wide. The next 5 minutes was all Portrush and some poor defensive play and weak clearances gifted Portrush 3 quick goals leaving keeper PJ McDonnell no chance. Callum McAvoy and Zach Erwin began to get into the game more and striker Ryan Campbell started to cause the Portrush defence more problems but a mix up at the back let their striker through for an easy finish. In the last 10 minutes of the first half Northend were getting to grips with the physical Portrush team and Stevie Bristow and Ben O'Neill were dominating in defence and a good run by O'Neill and pass to McAvoy resulted in a free kick that McKeown fired just wide of the target. More good inter-play between Erwin and McAvoy ended with a chance for Campbell whose effort was saved by the keeper. Half-Time 0-4

Early in the second half Portrush broke through the Northend defence only for Tyler Boyd to put in an excellent block but the loose ball fell to a Portrush midfielder on the edge of box who fired his shot into the top corner of the net leaving McDonnell no chance. In the seventh minute O'Neill went on a dazzling run down the left wing and crossed the ball into McKeown who finished first time into the bottom corner. The Northend midfield were taking control of the match with Charlie McGarry and Tyler Boyd making excellent runs down the flanks with one of McGarry's crosses falling to O'Neill whose shot was well saved and another lead to a corner where McKeown shot just wide. Portrush hit 3 more goals before a final 10 minute spell where Northend controlled the game. Firstly Boyd went on a strong run down the left wing with the resulting shot just wide, then McGarry hit the back of the net after a goal mouth scramble and O'Neill hit a deflected shot which flew past the Portrush keeper. Bristow was winning the tackles in defence and McDonnell pulled off a couple of fine saves with the Ballymena club finishing the game strongly. Final Score 3-8

The match was harsh on the Northend players and was a reminder that any defensive mistakes can be costly. It was a superb second half display with the players looking more like themselves with O'Neill, McKeown and Boyd having strong performances and looking forward to next week.

Man of the Match: Jay McKeown

Panel: PJ McDonnell, S Bristow, B O'Neill, J McKeown, C McAvoy, Z Erwin, T Boyd, R Campbell, C McGarry

Andrew Eakin Tournament Saturday 13th September 2014

The U10's continued with their successful pre-season matches and were involved in the Andrew Eakin tournament at Ballysally on Saturday.

Northend United 0 Berties Little Ants 5

In the first match they came up against the eventful winners of the competition Bertie's Little ants who demonstrated a master class in passing and movement. Within the first 5 minutes Northend were 3-0 down but the boys dug in to show real grit and determination to stem the flow of attacks. The defence of Stevie Bristow and Ryan Campbell began to get used to the movement of the Little ants forwards and Tyler Boyd and Jay McKeown made some strong runs from midfield to peg their opponents back. Callum Lutton pulled off some fines saves but could do little to prevent another two goals against the Ballymena club.

Northend United 3 Ballymena Town 0

The second match of the morning saw Northend come up against their local rivals Ballymena and it took the first few minutes for the players to settle. The midfield trio of Eoin Mitchell, Jay McKeown and PJ McDonnell were starting to put some good passing moves together resulting in a chance for McKeown whose shot was just wide of the post. Mitchell went on a bursting run from midfield and his effort was well saved by the keeper. The Ballymena defence kept out the Northend forwards until the tenth minute when Shea O'Broin unleashed a long range effort which came off the post and into the net. This opened the floodgates for more attacking play from Northend with a superb shot by McKeown well saved and a 20yd effort from O'Broin narrowly wide. The defence of Stevie Bristow and Tyler Boyd had to be on their guard against the Ballymena counter attack and it took a fine save from Ryan Campbell to keep a clean sheet. Good play from Mitchell and McDonnell in midfield resulted in a chance for McKeown on the left edge of the penalty box to slot the ball into the bottom corner. A late goal from O'Broin from close range rounded off a super performance to the delight of the travelling supporters.

Scorers: Shea O'Broin (2), Jay McKeown

Northend United 4 Roe Valley 1

Northend went into the final group game knowing a win would put them into the semi-final of the plate competition and the players continued from where they left off in the previous game with good attacking play. A shot from Shea O'Broin from the edge of the box after just 3 minutes saw Northend take the lead and 2 minutes later his effort flew over the bar. Stevie Bristow and Ryan Campbell were marshalling the defence well and Campbell made a good block to prevent a certain goal. The forwards of O'Broin, Jay McKeown and Eoin Mitchell were really starting to click with Mitchell running from deep ending with his shot being well saved. A good ball from Tyler Boyd to O'Broin gave the striker the opportunity on the left side of the box to slide the ball into the corner of the net. Roe Valley never gave in and after a goal mouth scramble the ball ended in the back of the Northend net giving keeper PJ O'Donnell no chance. Northend stepped up the pace again and a nice pass from Bristow to McKeown gave the forward the opportunity to burst through the defence and slide the ball into the net. In the last minute Callum Lutton played the ball through for Campbell to beat the keeper to the ball and slide it into the net to secure all 3 points and second place in the group.

Scorers: Shea O'Broin (2), Jay McKeown, Ryan Campbell

Northend United 1 Dungiven Celtic 4

The semi-final of the plate was always going to be a touch encounter without the firepower of Shea O'Broin and the clash was all but over in the first 5 minutes. First of all some poor defending lead to a soft goal in the second minute, then a minute later Dungiven scored with a header from a corner and before the Northend team could get re-organised they were 3-0 down. Eventually the defence of Stevie Bristow and Ryan Campbell got to grips with the strong Dungiven forwards and some timely interventions from Bristow prevented further goals. Eoin Mitchell and Callum Lutton battled hard in midfield and created some chances for Jay McKeown up front. Dungiven got another goal towards the end of the game but Northend battled to the end and were rewarded with a late consolation goal from McKeown in the last minute.

Scorer: Jay McKeown

Overall it was a very enjoyable day in the Coleraine sunshine and the players will have benefited from the experience of playing against some good quality opposition. A big thanks to the parents and spectators for their loyal support and to the organisers for a well ran event.

Panel: C Lutton, S Bristow, J McKeown, E Mitchell, T Boyd, R Campbell, S O'Broin, PJ McDonnell

Ballymena United 0 Northend United 0 Saturday 6th September 2014

The Northend U10 team continued their pre-season playing in a mini tournament with Ballymena United and Ballymena United Youths. Their first match was a hard fought draw against a strong Ballymena United team. With a few new additions to the squad from last year it took time for them to settle and had to survive a lot of pressure in the first 10 minutes but the defence of Stevie Bristow and Ben O'Neill came to the rescue on several occasions and keeper Callum Lutton producing some fine saves. The midfield slowly got into the game more and new signing Eoin Mitchell was beginning to impose himself with some strong runs with Zach Erwin and Tyler Boyd providing support on the wings. As the half went on Northend began to find their rhythm and some neat play gave Jay McKeown a couple of half chances but the Ballymena keeper was equal to them. Half Time score 0-0

The second half was a more equal affair with both sides having limited chances as the strong defences were on top. Adam Long was working hard in midfield and Charlie McGarry kept the Ballymena defence on their toes with good movement up front. As the half wore on Northend forwards had several chances but the defence always had to be on their toes against the fast Ballymena counter attack. Northend had to withstand some Ballymena pressure in the last 5 minutes but all the boys put in a tremendous effort to end up with a goalless draw. Final score 0-0.

Ballymena United Youths 0 Northend United 5 Saturday 6th September 2014

The second match of the day started at a fast pace with both teams setting out to attack and try and score goals. Stevie Bristow and Ben O'Neill were composed at the back and played some nice passes out for defence for the midfield to set up the attacks. Tyler Boyd was impressive on the ring wing with some strong runs and after 5 minutes hit a shot from outside the box which flew over the crossbar. Zach Erwin and O'Neill were working well together down the left flank setting up numerous chances which Callum Lutton was unlucky not to convert. The impressive Eoin Mitchell was running things in midfield and after a bursting run from the halfway line coolly slotted the ball into the corner of the net. Half Time score 1-0

Northend started the second half full of energy and attacking flair with the introduction of Jay McKeown proving the difference between the teams. Charlie McGarry came on to play on the right wing and was taking the opportunity to show what he could do with some mazy runs down the wing. Five minutes into the half saw the first goal for McKeown after good work by Mitchell. The Northend midfield were really dominating now and further runs by McGarry and O'Neill resulted in a mistake in the Ballymena defence with McKeown quickest to react to slot the ball home. Adam Long was getting plenty of chances up front and one effort resulted in a corner. Jay McKeown swung the ball in and it took an unlucky deflection off a Ballymena player to end in the back of the net. McKeown rounded off an impressive display with a cool finish into the corner of the net to complete his hat - trick. Final score 5-0

It was a great display from the new look squad with some impressive displays from newcomers Eoin Mitchell, Adam Long and Callum Lutton and good to see the progress made by last season's players. With the Coleraine league due to start in 2 weeks it is set up for an exciting season ahead.

Panel: C Lutton, S Bristow, B O'Neill, J McKeown, E Mitchell, T Boyd, Z Erwin, C McGarry, A Long