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Ballymoney United 2 Northend United 2 Saturday 20th October 2012

The Blues travelled to play Ballymoney United at the Joey Dunlop Centre on Saturday in an eagerly awaited derby match against their local neighbours. The Blues started strongly with Conor Graham and Glenn Stewart pulling the strings in the industrious midfield. Oliver Boyle and Simon McSparron were providing width down the wings.

In the opening exchanges, Johnny Carson went close with a chance for Northend but forced a good save from the Ballymoney keeper. As Ballymoney came more into the game, the Northend defence of Dawson, Galbraith, McHugh and Dennison dealt comfortably with whatever Ballymoney could throw at them.

In an entertaining first half, play flowed from end to end with some good attacking play from both teams, with Dennison and Horner looking composed for the Blues.

Ballymoney took the lead towards the end of the first half when their striker slipped the ball past Ross Horner in the Northend goals, after some good build up play. Half time score 1-0 Ballymoney.

Northend started the second half with Bradley Cairns and Ryan McKenna on and immediately took the game to Ballymoney. It wasn't long before the Blues drew level when a ball into the Ballymoney box found Zack Herbison, who turned his marker, slipped the ball past another and planted his shot into the bottom corner of the net. This goal lifted the Blues who now played some of their best football of the half. Scott Wilson and Andrew Milligan were introduced to the match to replace some tiring legs and this proved an inspired substitution when from a Wilson cross, captain Conor Graham rose majestically to had the ball past the Ballymoney keeper to put the Blues 2-1 up in the match.

Ballymoney started to play the long ball game but with Dennison and Horner in top form, it was looking like the Blues would take all the points. Indeed it was going to take something special to penetrate the Blues defence and this came in the form of another throughball which found three Ballymoney players in an offside position but allowed to play on by the referee. When the ball was played across the Blues goal line Ballymoney's first shot was well blocked by Ross Horner with a top class save but the rebound fell to a Ballymoney player who found the net.

With time in the game running out, Harry McNally was introduced for the Blues but with no further scoring in the match the final score remained 2-2 in the Blues second derby match of the season.

Man of the Match: Ross Horner

Panel: R Horner, J Galbraith, J Dawson, C McHugh, R Dennison, G Stewart, C Graham (c), O Boyle, S McSparron, S Wilson, Z Herbison, J Carson, B Cairns, A Milligan, H McNally, R McKenna

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Northend United 1 Ballymena United 3 Saturday 13th October 2012

Northend U14s hosted Ballymena United U14s at the Smithfield pitch in their first derby match of the season but with Northend squandering a host of clear cut chances, especially in the first half and Ballymena scoring what chances they had it was the

Sky Blues who left with the three points with a 3 1 win.

Bradley Cairns was the scorer of Northend's goal. This scoreline flattered the visitors

in a game where Northend dominated large parts of the match but just couldn't find the net.

Man of the Match: Jack Galbraith

Panel: R Horner, J Galbraith, R McKenna, R Dennison, J Dawson, G Stewart ,C Graham, B Cairns, J Carson, Z Herbison, S Wilson, A Milligan, O Boyle, H McNally, S McSparron, C McHugh, S Olliver

Glendowan 5 Northend United 1 Saturday 6th October 2012

The Blues travelled to Mallusk to face one of the favourites for the league title in Belfast team Glendowan and hopefully put in a decent performance. With defender Ryan McKenna being ruled out of the match just before kick off, due to an injury,once again some boys had to be shuffled about and asked to play in different positions. The Blues got the game underway and started well and from the off went at Glendowan and when Zack Herbison won a free kick just outside the box Scott Wilson stepped up to hit a great strike which had the keeper having to dive to his left to tip the ball wide and it was cleared for a corner. The ball was crossed back into the box to Wilson and once again his first time effort was saved but this time Conor Graham was on hand to smash the rebound into the net,1-0 to the Blues.

A few minutes later Glendowan equalized when a sloppy back pass was intercepted by the striker and he rifled the ball past the helpless Eamonn Elliott in the Blues nets. Scott Wilson and Stephen Olliver both went off injured and were replaced by Bradley Cairns and Harry McNally, but as the team was being reshuffled again Glendowan quickly scored twice to send them in 3 1 up at the break.

The second half didn't get any easier for the Blues with Glendowan scoring two more goals without reply and Oliver Boyle and Jack Dawson both going off with injuries.

The boys were taught a harsh lesson today that you can't give anything away in this league or they'll get punished and they all have to play and give 100% or they won't get anything out of these games. Once again hopefully they can take this on board in what will be a learning experience this season in this league. Heads up boys and battle on.

Panel: E Elliott, J Galbraith, O Boyle, R Dennison, J Dawson, S Olliver, G Stewart, C Graham(c), S Wilson, Z Herbison, S Olliver, H McNally, A Milligan, J Carson, B Cairns, R Horner

Cookstown United 3 Northend United 3 Saturday 29th September 2012

The U14s travelled to the Fairhill Recreation Pitches to play Cookstown in a league match on Saturday. With a few players missing the coaches had to shuffle the squad about.

Cookstown won the toss and Northend got to kick the game off. Straight from the start the Blues went on the attack down the left with Stephen Olliver and won a throw in. The ball was played to Olliver and he whipped a cross in where Zack Herbison was quickest to react and volleyed the ball past the keeper and put Northend in front. The Blues kept the pressure on Cookstown's back line but couldn't add to the tally with a couple of free kicks going wide of the mark. It was all Northend and they were playing some nice football with some slick passing but just aren't having that bit of luck in front of goal, From Cookstown's only break up field in the half they scored, A dubious free kick was awarded just outside the box, and the player hit a shot which took a slight deflection giving Horner in goals no chance.1-1 at Half-time

Cookstown got the second half underway but once again it was Northend who went on the attack and kept Cookstown pegged back in their own half, and with the ball being played about in the box it struck a defender on the arm and the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped Herbison to slot it home and put the Blues 2-1 up. Mid way through the half the Blues forged further ahead when Conor Graham played the ball over to Herbison who hooked the ball over the defender and keeper to complete his hat-trick. The Blues were well in front but seemed to take the foot off the pedal and let Cookstown back into the game. They pulled a goal back. With the Blues holding on, the match well into injury time, Cookstown were on the attack and from a perfectly timed challenge with the ball being cleared out of play and the attacker going down the ref pointed to the penalty spot. The player stepped up and thumped the ball home to give Cookstown an undeserved share of the points.

The Northend boys were devastated by this draw as they outplayed Cookstown for most of the game and if not for bad decisions by the referee would have taken home all the points. Hopefully the boys can come back stronger from this.

Men of the Match: Zack Herbison, Scott Wilson

Panel: R Horner, J Galbraith, R McKenna, R Dennison, G Stewart, C Graham(c), P Maybin, J Dawson, S Wilson, Z Herbison, S Olliver, H McNally, B Cairns, J Carson

Northend United 2 Magherafelt Sky Blues 2 Friday 21st September 2012

The 14s hosted Magherafelt Sky Blues at the Showgrounds on Friday for their first home league match in Ballymena, the boys having won their match last week were confident in adding points to their tally.

Northend kicked the game off and for the first time this season got their passing game together from the start, with some great interchanging the boys looked well up for this game and put the Sky Blues on the back foot from the start. However as of recent weeks the ball just wouldn't go into the net. The back three of Dennison, McKenna and Galbraith were breaking up any Sky Blues attack. Maybin, Stewart and McHugh were battling hard in midfield and linking up well with Graham and Olliver on the wings. Northend did break the deadlock after twenty minutes, after some good build up work in midfield; Wilson slipped the ball to Maybin who fired a left foot shot into the corner of the net.

Wilson and Maybin nearly doubled the lead but their efforts narrowly went wide. On the half hour Magherafelt got their equalizer when their forward nipped through and with no communication between keeper and defender was able to tuck the ball home, leaving the half time score 1-1

The Sky Blues got the second half underway and this time started to put more pressure on Northend's goal but the Blues back line were putting in some timely tackles and Horner in goals was dealing with long range efforts. Northend however did take the lead again when a great through ball from McHugh had Herbison sprinting for goal and as he held off a challenge, he hit a great low strike from the edge of the box past the outstretched keeper.

Once again Magherafelt came back at Northend and from a resulting corner scored to make it 2-2.

Maybin nearly won it for the boys when his excellent strike from outside the box cannoned back off the bar but was cleared to safety. The game finished 2-2 and the boys picked up another point.

With quite a few new signings to the team it will take a while before the boys will be able to gel properly but the early signs are there with some very good passing moves especially in the first half of the match. This is going to be a hard year in this league where the boys will have to find their feet and hopefully enjoy the experience.

Man of the Match: Ryan McKenna

Panel: R Horner, J Galbraith, R McKenna, R Dennison, P Maybin, C McHugh, G Stewart, C Graham (c), S Wilson, Z Herbison, S Olliver, J Dawson, B Cairns, R Kelly, J Carson, E Elliott

Northend United 2 Warrenpoint Town 0 Saturday 15th September 2012

The Boys travelled away from home for the third week running, Mallusk was the venue and Warrenpoint Town were the opponents. After two defeats the 14s were well up for this game and determined to put in a good performance and this is what they did from the first whistle.

The game got underway with Northend playing against a light breeze and playing in a different formation didn't take the Boys long to adapt with some neat passing football against their larger opposition. The Blues had a few chances with Philip Maybin striking the bar and Conor Graham having a header cleared off the line and the Warrenpoint keeper pushing three more efforts around the post but the ball just wouldn't go into the net. Jack Galbraith, Robbie Dennison and Ryan McKenna were snuffing out Warrenpoint' s attack but on the only time Northend's back line was breached in the half Ross Horner in the Blues goal was quickly off his line and made a great save. The game remained scoreless to half time.

The Boys were told at the break to keep playing the way they were and hopefully the goals would come. Once again Northend went on the attack from the whistle and after five minutes they had won a corner. Philip Maybin floated the ball into the box and big Rory Kelly, in his first game for the Blues, headed the ball goal bound but once again the ball was cleared off the line but as the ball fell to Kelly again this time he made no mistake and volleyed the ball home from ten yards.

Now the Blues were finding more confidence with Glenn Stewart, Philip Maybin and Conor Graham linking up well in the middle of the park and Scott Wilson and Zack Herbison up front giving the Warrenpoint defence no time on the ball. Herbison's audacious overhead kick just cleared the bar and another shot had the keeper tipping the ball onto the bar but it was only a matter of time before they scored again. Stephen Olliver playing in Herbison on the edge of the box and he slipped the ball to Wilson who hammered it into the corner of the net.

Warrenpoint did break through the Northend defence but once again Horner reacted quickly with a good block. The score remained 2-0 to Northend for a good confidence booster for the boys.

Men of the Match: Jack Galbraith, Glenn Stewart

Panel: R Horner, J Galbraith, R McKenna, P Maybin, R Dennison, G Stewart, C Graham (c), C McHugh, S Wilson, Z Herbison, A Milligan, S Olliver, H McNally, J Dawson, R Kelly, E Elliott

Portadown 5 Northend United 1 Saturday 8th September 2012

The U14s travelled the distance to Craigavon to play Portadown, another Premiership Academy Team and came up against probably the best passing team they have ever played.

The match got underway and within fifteen minutes Portadown had taken a two goal lead through costly mistakes by some of the Blues players who seemed to be in aura of the opposition.

The Blues had a bit of bad luck near the end of the first half when Stephen Olliver's curling shot rebounded off the bar and was cleared to safety and Portadown went down field and added a third, leaving the half time score 3-0

After the break things didn't get any easier for Northend as Portadown added another two goals to go 5 up but on the hour mark Zack Herbison made the keeper work with a snapshot and five minutes later Herbison got in front of his marker to volley the ball home for a consolation goal.

This was a rude awakening for the boys just how good some of these teams in this league are and hopefully they can take the hard work they put in at training and bring it on to the pitch.

The team would like to wish Oliver Boyle a speedy recovery from his broken thumb he sustained playing another sport.

Panel: E Elliott, J Galbraith, R McKenna, P Maybin, R Dennison, C McHugh, G Stewart, C Graham(c), B Cairns, Z Herbison, S Wilson, S Olliver, A Milligan, H McNally, J Dawson, R Horner

Crusaders 3 Northend United 1 Saturday 1st September 2012

Northend United Youth U14's travelled to Mallusk on Saturday to play top Irish league Academy side Crusaders in their Elite National Leagues first game of the season, with a couple of players on holiday still missing and some new faces in the team this was always going to be a very hard match for the lads.

The game got underway and Northend kept the Crues at bay with some very good marking and tough tackling, with Phillip Maybin partnering Robbie Dennison in the centre of defence for the first time and Ryan McKenna and Jack Galbraith at fullback. The Crusaders forward line were being frustrated, but did get a couple of shots away but Eamonn Elliott in goals was equal to it showing some very good handling and quickness off his line when need be. Unfortunately for the Blues, Crusaders did take the lead after twenty minutes when their right winger slipped a tackle on the edge of the box, Elliott got his fingers to the cross but unluckily for him the ball fell to a Crues player to tuck the ball home from closs range. Northend's heads didn't drop and they went on the attack, the ball was slipped through to Zack Herbison but his shot from just inside the box was well held by the keeper. The match stayed like this with the new central midfield partnership of Glenn Stewart and Conor Graham battling hard with their bigger opponents. Half time score 1-0 to Crusaders

Crusaders doubled their lead not long into the second half, when again a mistimed tackle let the winger cross the ball only for it to ricochet off a Blues player into the net. The Northend heads still didn't drop and they pulled a goal back midway through the half. A free kick was won 25yrds out and Maybin hit an excellent shot to give the keeper no chance. This definately unsettled Crusaders and Northend were seeing more of the ball and putting pressure on them. Scott Wilson did break into the box and was pushed in the back only for the referee to wave play on. Crusaders were guilty of a few late tackles which the referee didn't punish much to the annoyance of the Northend line. Crusaders added their third goal in injury time, when a corner was headed in at the back post by the big defender to leave the final score 3 1.

This was a good hard match for the boys which is what the team needs to make them better. With a few new players and more to come in hopefully it'll not be long before they can gel together. All the boys battled hard and there was some very good performances from the likes of Maybin, playing out of position for most of the

match, Elliott in goals but Robbie Dennison just shaded it for man of the match with a solid show at the back.

Man of the Match: Robbie Dennison

Panel: E Elliott, J Galbraith, R McKenna, P Maybin, R Dennison, G Stewart, C Graham (c), S Wilson, B Cairns, Z Herbison, A Milligan, S Olliver, J Dawson, H McNally, O Boyle, R Kelly