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Northend United 2 Glenavon 3 Saturday 27th April 2013

The Wakehurst Academy Side continued their impressive end of season form turning in a good team performance against Irish League side Glenavon. Missing Lewis McFall and Andrew Milligan from their midweek team, the young Blues settled well into the game with Sam Millar and Glenn Stewart getting to grips with the more experienced Glenavon midfield.

The Blues defence of Johnny Carson, Jamie Crawford, Connor Graham and Ryan McKenna were in top form against the speedy Glenavon strikeforce and Ross Horner in the Northend nets dealt comfortably with the long range shots.

As play flowed from end to end, the young Blues found themselves 1-0 down after fifteen minutes when the Glenavon striker, clearly in an offside position, picked up the ball ahead of the Northend defence and ran on and slipped the ball past the advancing Northend keeper.

The goal spurned the young Blues on and Stephen Olliver and Oliver Boyle were combining well up front and Stephen Olliver saw a good shot well saved by the Glenavon keeper.

Glenavon further increased their lead, minutes before half time, when their left winger picked up the ball on the touchline and cut inside, skipping past two half hearted tackles, before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Ross Horner in the Northend nets.Half time 2-0

Northend introduced Jack Anderson and Archie Magill at the start of the second half, making some tactical changes and immediately took the game to Glenavon. Jack Dawson and Jack Anderson were linking up well down the Northend right wing and Anderson saw the keeper make a good save from his shot.

Play continued to flow from end to end before Glenavon further increased their lead to 3-0, with twelve minutes of the match remaining, when their striker scored a good goal from just outside the Northend penalty box.

At 3-0 down and ten minutes of the match remaining, all looked lost for Northend. However such is the spirit in this team, that the boys had other ideas and almost immediately Sam Millar went on a surging left wing dribble, beating two defenders before being hauled over in the box. The same player dusted himself down and coolly slipped the ball past the keeper from the resultant penalty, to leave the score 3-1.

In a frantic final ten minutes the Blues dominated the play and Millar again beat his marker down the left wing and slipped the ball past the Glenavon keeper to leave the score 3-2. With barely time left to take the centre the young Blues finished the game knowing their performances are improving week on week.

This was a good team performance with some outstanding performances on the day with Ross Horner, Johnny Carson and Sam Millar catching the eye but it was captain Conor Graham, revelling in his sweeper role, who won this weeks man of the match for an outstanding leadership performance.

Man of the Match: Conor Graham

Panel: R Horner, J Carson, R McKenna, J Crawford, C Graham (c), J Dawson, S Millar, G Stewart, S Stewart, S Olliver, O Boyle, J Anderson, M Waide, A Magill

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Northend United 0 Carniny 4 Wednesday 24th April 2013

This match was very similar to the Champions League semi final with Northend playing the football against Carniny's up and over style of football. In the first minute Northend nearly took the lead when Carniny's captain smashed the ball against his own crossbar when under pressure from Northend's Stephen Olliver. The game moved from end to end with Carniny's backline thumping the ball up field at every opportunity made it embarrassingly easy to catch their front players offside with Conor Graham leading the Blues backline brilliantly. This lead to a lot of frustration from the Carniny touch line and their players towards the referee but they kept playing the ball over the top hoping the referee would miss one and on twenty minutes they got their chance when another ball came over the top and all the Northend players stepped out leaving two Carniny players clearly in a off-side position but the referee waved play on and the Carniny player placed his shot well into the top corner. Northend settled down again spreading the ball well around the pitch with Sam Millar making great runs down the Carniny left wing and putting dangerous balls into their box, but again on the twenty fourth minute another long ball from the Carniny back line lead to them going two up when another off-side decision went their way when their left winger was again five yards off-side, but he finished well to leave the score 2-0 to Carniny at half-time

Northend started well in the second half forcing Carniny to go on the backfoot and they thought they had pulled one back when Andrew Milligan and Sam Millar linked up well at the Carniny eighteen yard line with a neat one two resulting with Milligan's shot flying into the top corner but the referee just blew his whistle as he struck the ball for a foul on Millar. The resulting free-kick was played short and forced the keeper into a save. Ross Horner in the Northend goal was having a quiet day with the Blues defence cutting out any balls near the eighteen yard line and playing balls from the back down the wings and this is were Carniny's third goal came from when a miss-timed pass was again thumped upfield from the corner flag catching the Northend defence napping and allowing their striker to finish well. Carniny then added a fourth goal when a pass from their player was over hit but their midfielder chased after it. As Ross Horner in the Northend goal came out to gather it up, it hit a davit and flew into the air allowing O'Mullan to chip the ball over the keeper. The last fifteen minutes was all Northend with Johnny Carson and Conor Graham moving the ball from defence to the strikers with link up play from Glenn Stewart who was having a brilliant game but they just could not find that pass into the Carniny box.

This was an outstanding performance from all the Northend players, who are looking forward to another season in the National League with additional established players coming in for next season to bolster the Wakehurst Academy Side.

Man of the Match: Team Performance

Panel: R Horner, J Carson, A Milligan, J Crawford, C Graham (c), L McFall, S Millar, A Magill, S Olliver, O Boyle, R McKenna, S Stewart, G Stewart, J Dawson, J Anderson, M Waide

Northend United 1 Ballymena United 6 Wednesday 10th April 2013

Football is a funny old game and this midweek match certainly lived up to this statement with a scoreline which doesn't reflect how the match really went.

This was a game that Northend should have got something from as they had plenty of goal scoring chances and lots of possession, but Ballymena's clinical finishing and individual mistakes by Northend allowed Ballymena to win this Derby match.

Ballymena led 2-0 at half time after the Northend Blues conceded two late goals in the half after losing their influential captain Conor Graham. Half time score 2-0

Into the second half and with Northend's midfield of Lewis McFall, Archie Magill and Sam Millar pulling the strings for the Blues, they created a number of chances for their strikeforce which were all squandered.

Ballymena scored two further goals after defensive lapses allowed their strikers time in front of the Northend nets to place their shots before Northend's Sam Millar scored goal of the game when he beat two players and lifted his shot into the top corner of the Ballymena net.

A defensive lapse and an offside goal allowed Ballymena to further increase the score before the end of this match.

Man of the Match: Lewis McFall

Panel: R Horner, J Carson, A Milligan, J Crawford, C Graham (c), L McFall, S Millar, B Cairns, A Magill, S Olliver, O Boyle, S Stewart, J Anderson

Northend United 0 Lisburn Youth 5 Saturday 6th April 2013

This score line does not reflect the hard work that Northend U14s put in, but the difference was in finishing between Lisburn Youth in the National A League and Northend in the B league as Lisburn took advantage of early mistakes made at the back as Northend tried to settle into the game. Lisburn Youth a far larger team in height were dominating in midfield with the ball being played in the air constant, but when Northend did win the ball they were quick to move the ball down the wings and should have scored after great link up play from Glen Stewart, Sam Millar and Conor Graham put Stephen Oliver through but his well struck shot brushed the far post. Lisburn added two more goals after Northend players gave their opposition to much space and time to finish. Half time score 4-0

Northend made a number of positional changes at half-time with Conor Graham moving into a sweeper role and this allowed Northend more of the ball with his well timed tackling and passing but for all their hard work Northend could not find a way through a well drilled Lisburn defence. This was a great game to watch from a spectator's view and a lot of positives from this Northend display as they rebuild for next season.

Man of the Match: Conor Graham

Panel: R Horner, G Downey, A Milligan, S Stewart, J Carson, C Graham, G Stewart, S Millar, J Dawson, S Olliver, J Anderson, O Boyle, L McFall, J Crawford, R McKenna

Northend United 0 Cookstown United 3 Saturday 16th March 2013

This was an even game that was lost in the last three minutes for Northend when they were caught pressing for an equaliser. Cookstown started the brightest and took the lead on five minutes when their striker ran onto a well timed pass behind the Northend defence to place the ball into the bottom corner, past Ross Horner in the Northend nets.. The Blues went close to equalising when Sam Millar saw his shot go inches past the post, with the keeper well beaten. Northend were having a good spell in the game and went on the attack again with the Cookstown keeper pulling of the save of the season from a brilliant header by Stephen Olliver when he dived full length to push the ball around the post and then another from Sam Millar when his shot was pushed away, but Northend just could not find the shot to beat the Cookstown keeper in the first half. Half time score 1-0

The game again went from end to end with both teams attacking and defending well and with time running out Northend keep pushing for that all important goal and when Millar broke down the Northend left wing, his thunderbolt of a shot was well saved by the Cookstown keeper with minutes of the game remaining. From the breakaway, Cookstown won a corner with three minutes of the match remaining and caught the Northend defence cold when they took a quick corner. As the Northend players were only getting into position when the ball came in and the Cookstown player placed the ball into the bottom corner they then got a third goal from another corner right on the final whistle. This was a great game from both teams and a great team performance from the Northend team who deserved more from this match.

Man of the Match: Team Performance

Panel: R Horner, J Dawson, A Milligan, B Cairns, J Carson, O Boyle, G Stewart, S Millar, S Olliver, S Stewart J Livingstone, J Crawford, C McHugh, L McFall, G Downey

Northend United 1 Coleraine YA 6 Saturday 9th March 2013

Coleraine went infront on the fourth minute when the Northend keeper misjudged the speed of the ball coming of the wet ground and it flew into the bottom corner. Northend had plenty of the ball but it was Coleraine who added to their tally when the smallest player on the pitch was able to volley the ball unchallenged in off the crossbar and then the post and into the back of the net from their first corner on the thirty third minute Glenn Stewart in midfield was having a great game with his perfect passing in behind the Coleraine defence but Northend just could not get that bit of luck to find the back of the net, and they did not have any on the last minute of normal time when confusion between the referee and the Northend players allowed the Coleraine players to score a third just before half-time. Half time score 3-0

The game was moving back and fore with Northend still seeing plenty of the ball but again they could not hold on to it and Coleraine scored again before Stephen Oliver scored the goal of the game when he lopped the ball over the Coleraine keeper from twenty yards, before Coleraine went on to score three more goals.

Man of the Match: Glenn Stewart

Panel: R Horner, O Boyle, A Milligan, J Carson, J Crawford, B Cairns, S Millar, G Stewart, S Olliver, J Anderson, J Dawson, G Downey