Northend United U15s 0 Southside Youths U15s 0
Played before a large crowd of parents and spectators, this local Derby match certainly lived up to expectations. The Blues started off this Shield Match the stronger and Keith Hall was causing the Southside defence all sorts of problems with his pace. On two occasions he was hauled down with some crude tackling which went unchecked by the referee, thereby setting the scene for the rest of the match.
Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann were dominant in the midfield encounter with their Southside counterparts with Thomas Brady providing width on the Blues wing.
Northend should have opened the scoring when from a Brady corner the ball dropped to Stephen Hare but his first time volley was blocked by a defender on the line with the keeper well beaten.
It was Southside's turn to take the game to Northend and a couple of high balls into the Northend box went narrowly wide of the goals.
Northend kept up the pressure in the rest of this half but couldn't turn their dominance into goals. Half time score 0-0
Southside came out the stronger in the second half and took the game to Northend for the first fifteen minutes. The Northend defence of Jonny Hanlon, Benny O'Neill, Ross Swan and Brian Etherson were outstanding during this period and Richard Sloan in the Northend nets was able to whatever long shots Southside fired at him. Northend brought on Ryan Gault and Simon Scott for the tiring McAvoy and Hare
Southside still kept up the pressure and from a corner their striker got a knock down but the ever alert Ross Swan was on hand to clear the ball. On another occassion, the Southside striker hit the top of the Northend crossbar from a speculative shot.
However Northend weathered this storm and for the last twenty minutes of the match, similar to last week, played some outstanding football. Ross Swan and Benny O'Neill were finding time on the ball to run at the Southside midfield.
The heart of the Northend midfield of Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann began to take control of the game for the Blues.
With the Blues attacking play, on two separate occasions Keith Hall had the ball in the back of the Southside net only for the referee to find fault with both goals.
However the Blues weren't giving up, even with the refereeing decisions always going against them, and they continued to take the game to Southside. Ryan Gault was unlucky when he saw his first time shot just sail over the Southside crossbar, with the keeper well beaten.
In the final minutes, Captain and Man of the Match, Jamie Speirs, saw his fierce shot somehow pushed around the post by an excellent save from the Southside keeper.
This was a good match for youth football in Ballymena and the East Antrim League. Both teams now look forward to playing each other a minimum of three more times before the season is over.
Man of the Match: Jamie Speirs
Panel: R Sloan, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, R Swan, A McAvoy, B Etherson, J Speirs (c), N Swann, T Brady, S Hare, K Hall, R Gault, M Laverty, S Scott, A O'Donnell, N Shannon
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Northend United U15s 5 Antrim Rovers U15s 0 Saturday 18th February 2012
The Blues travelled to Mallusk for this Quarter-Final Cup match against Antrim Rovers on Saturday. In some very blustery conditions the Blues turned in a below par performance for most of the game and really only started to play their fluent passing game with fifteen minutes of the match remaining.
Northend started off the match strongly and Jamie Speirs and Simon Scott went close with early chances before Aidan O'Donnell opened the scoring for the Blues, when he steered the ball home from a Ryan Gault cross.
Niall Swann and Jamie Speirs were pulling the strings in midfield at this stage of the game and from a Swann long throw in, Benny O'Neill further increased Northend's lead when he stroked the ball home in a goalmouth scramble.
Instead of going on to kill off the game, the Blues took their foot off the pedal and allowed Antrim to come back into the game. Defending into a strong breeze, the defence of Hanlon, O'Neill, Etherson and Laverty soaked up whatever Antrim could throw at them and Richard Sloan dealt comfortably with any long range shots that came his way. Indeed Etherson, playing in an unfamiliar sweeper role was having a good game, at the heart of the Northend defence. With no further scoring the half time score remained 2-0 to the Blues.
Northend started off the second half playing with the wind at their backs and it wasn't long before they further increased their lead when Keith Hall got on the end of a Niall Swann cross to steer the ball past the Antrim keeper.
Thomas Brady replaced Gault after ten minutes of the second half and this was the turning point for the Blues to pick up their game again. Brady began to open up the Antrim defence with his wing play and from his cross, Keith Hall scored his second goal of the game to give the Blues a 4-0 lead.
The Blues now began to turn the screw in the game and when Niall Swann was up-ended in the Antrim box, Jamie Speirs scored the resultant penalty, to give Northend a five goal cushion.
Niall Shannon replaced O'Donnell and this almost turned out to be an inspired substitution when he was involved in no fewer than three goal scoring opportunities in the final ten minutes of the game, only for the keeper to come out on top each time.
With time running out, the referee missed a blatant hand ball in the Antrim goalmouth, when the defender made a great save but the Blues couldn't increase their scoring and saw out the remainder of the game to win 5-0 and proceed into the Semi-Final of the Cup, where they meet a resurgent Willowbank team.
Man of the Match: Niall Swann
Panel: R Sloan J Hanlon, B O'Neill, B Etherson, M Laverty, S Scott, J Speirs (c), N Swann, R Gault, K Hall, A O'Donnell, T Brady, N Shannon
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Northend United U15s 1 Glendowan U15s 0 Saturday 11th February 2012
Northend entertained nearest League rivals Glendowan to Dunfane Park on Saturday. Missing four regulars for various reasons, the Blues knew they would be up against it from the kick-off. However Manager Speirs had the team fired up for what was their most important match to date and right from the kick-off the Blues turned in a 5 star performance.
With Jamie Speirs and Niall Swann winning the central midfield battle, the Blues dominated the early exchanges. Simon Scott and Ryan Gault were causing Glendowan all sorts of problems down the Northend wings.
Northend were winning a lot of the ball and forced a series of corners. They should have taken the lead on two occasions but Glendowan somehow managed to clear the ball to safety.
Keith Hall and Aidan O'Donnell were stretching the Glendowan defence with their darting runs and O'Donnell went close with a rasping shot with forced a good save out of the Glendowan keeper. Indeed O'Donnell led the Northend line well, linking up with the overlapping play by Jonny Hanlon, and Michael Laverty.
Northend kept up the pressure in a one-sided first half and it was only a matter of time before they opened the scoring.
From a pin-point Benny O'Neill corner, Ryan Gault scored when he volleyed the ball into the back of the net, giving the Glendowan keeper no chance.
Northend kept up the relentless pressure of the first half and Hall was next to stretch the keeper with a super shot. However for all their dominance, the Blues couldn't extend their lead in the first half, leaving the score 1-0 at half time.
Northend again started off the second half strongly with Speirs and Swann dominating the play. Keith Hall again went close with a half chance and O'Donnell wasn't giving the Glendowan defence any time on the ball.
Niall Swann went close with a jinxing run which ended up with his shot going into the side netting. However, as in all matches, a 1-0 lead makes a comeback possible and Glendowan began to take the game to Northend. Benny O'Neill and Anthony McAvoy were outstanding as Glendowan pumped the high-ball into the Northend half with O'Neill really stamping his authority on the game.
During this spell of Glendowan play, Richard "The Cat" Sloan in the Northend nets pulled off an acrobatic finger tip save to keep the Blues in the game, winning admiration from all the spectators.
Northend weathered this spell of Glendowan dominance and Keith Hall went close with a break down the Blues wing and cut inside to shoot, only to see the keeper make a good save. Next it was Niall Swann's turn to attack the Glendowan defence with another jinxing run which ended up with the defender eventually clearing the ball off the goal line.
Another great move involving Scott and O'Neill saw Jamie Speirs race clear of the Glendowan defence only to see his shot go narrowly wide of the Glendowan upright.
Northend introduced Niall Shannon for his first appearance of the season for O'Donnell. Shannon went on to make his presence felt in the Glendowan rear guard, closing down their defensive play.
Northend saw out the rest of the game to take the points and open up an eleven point gap over their nearest rivals in the League.
This was a super team performance from all with Jamie Speirs and Benny O'Neill dominating play in their areas but Man of the Match today goes to Aidan O'Donnell who had a super game, leading the Northend forward line and not allowing the Glendowan defence to have any time on the ball.
Man of the Match: Aidan O'Donnell
Panel: R Sloan, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, A McAvoy, M Laverty, S Scott, J Speirs (c), N Swann, R Gault, K Hall, A O'Donnell, N Shannon, R Swan
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Northend United U15s 1 Crumlin Colts U15s 4 Saturday 21st January 2012 NIBFA Cup
A injury ravaged Northend United U15s entertained Crumlin Colts, National League Leaders, to Smithfield on Saturday in the NIBFA Cup. Played before a host of visiting football scouts the East Antrim League leaders and the National League leaders battled out a great game of football with Northend just shading the first half and Crumlin going on to finish off their opponents in the second half.
Play started with both sets of defenders on top form. O'Neill, Swan, Hanlon and Etherson soaked up the early Crumlin pressure, with Gault looking assured in the Northend nets.
As the half wore on, Crumlin made a break down their left wing and when the ball was crossed into the Northend box, the Crumlin striker got his foot to the ball to steer it past Ryan Gault to give Crumlin a 1-0 lead.
From the kick off, Niall Swann, Jamie Speirs and Simon Scott began to gain the upper hand in midfield with Northend having their best spell of the game. Northend drew level when a throw in from Niall Swann was only partially cleared and when the ball fell to him again he side-steeped a defender and steered a low shot from a tight angle past the keeper. Game on! This goal visibly lifted the Blues and Keith Hall and Stephen Hare came more into the game with their pace giving the Crumlin defence a torrid time.
From one of a number of Northend corners, the ball was only partially saved and Stephen Hare saw his volley cannon off the Crumlin cross-bar with the keeper well beaten but unfortunately the ball cleared to safety.
Northend kept the pressure on for the remainder of the half but couldn't extend their scoring, leaving the half-time score 1-1
The Blues started the second half defending into a very strong gale blowing down the pitch and Crumlin began to capitalise on the changing conditions. However Etherson, O'Neill, Hanlon and Swan again soaked up the early pressure.
After twelve minutes, a Northend attack broke down and from a cleared ball the Crumlin striker ran through the middle of the park and outpaced the Blues defence to plant the ball past Ryan Gault to give Crumlin a 2-1 advantage.
This defensive lapse visibly shook the Blues and Crumlin went on to gain the upper hand in the match. Five minutes later the Blues conceded the third goal when again the ball wasn't properly cleared and when a cross came in the Crumlin striker was on hand to score with a good header to leave the score 3-1.
Crumlin added their fourth when the referee failed to notice their striker in an offside position and he ran on to sore with a low shot.
Thomas Brady and Richard Sloan replaced Hare and McAvoy who were both carrying injuries but the Blues couldn't get back into the game with the adverse weather conditions having a major impact on the game.
With no further scoring in the final ten minutes of the game, a very good Crumlin Colts team ran out 4-1 winners to go into the last sixteen of Northern Ireland's Premier Boys competition, the NIBFA Cup.
Man of the Match: Brian Etherson
Panel: R Gault, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, R Swan, B Etherson, A McAvoy, S Scott, J Speirs (c), N Swann, S Hare, K Hall, R Sloan, T Brady
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Northend United U15s 0 Glendowan U15s 0 Saturday 14th January 2012
Northend started this match in confident mood and on five minutes, from a Niall Swann throw-in, Michael Laverty's downward header rolled along the goal line with nobody able to get a toe to it.
This was the scene of how the match was to unfold with Northend coming close on a few occasions but nobody able to get the final ball into the Glendowan net.
Thomas Brady and Keith Hall were linking up well together for Northend and from a Brady throughball, Hall went close with a shot which the goalkeeper did well to hold.
At the back, Ross Swan, Benny O'Neill, Brian Etherson and Jonny Hanlon were more than able for the Glendowan strike force and Ryan Gault in the Northend net was rarely troubled.
However as the first half worn on, play began to get bogged down in midfield with Niall Swann and Simon Scott performing well for Northend.
Thomas Brady had a good shot sail narrowly over the crossbar before the half came to a close with a Keith Hall strike which again forced a good save from the Glendowan keeper. Half Time score 0-0
The second half started again with Northend in determined mood with Niall Swann and Simon Scott involved in the action for Northend. O'Neill and Etherson were giving nothing to the Glendowan strike force and Hall was causing the Glendowan defence problems with his pace.
Ten minutes into the half and Niall Swann was unlucky to see his thunderbolt of a shot, cannon off the post and get cleared to safety. It looked like it was going to be one of those days.
Northend continued to dominate this half and from a Swann midfield pass, Thomas Brady beat his marker and unleashed a thunderous shot which hit the crossbar with the keeper well beaten.
An injury to Scott led to a Northend reorganisation, with Richard Sloan go into nets and Ryan Gault drop into the middle of the park for the Blues.
It wasn't long before Gaultie put his mark on the game when from his throughball, Anthony McAvoy beat his marker and his shot forced the Glendowan keeper to make an excellent save.
Northend were in good form and from a Swann thrown-in, Michael Laverty's downward header again rolled along the Glendowan goal line with nobody able to drive the ball home.
With time almost up on the watch, Keith Hall broke down the Northend left wing and cut inside and looked like scoring the winner for the Blues only to see the keeper pull off a great save, to leave the final score 0-0 in an excellent advert for youth football.
Men of the Match: Brian Etherson, Benny O'Neill
Panel: R Gault, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, R Swan, B Etherson, A McAvoy, S Scott, N Swann (c), B Etherson, T Brady, K Hall, M Laverty, R Sloan, S Hare
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Northend United U15s 7 Larne Youth U15s 0 Saturday 7th January 2012
After the festive break, Northend travelled to Mallusk on Saturday to open their account in this year's Shield competition against Larne Youth and the day ended up a personal highlight for Keith Hall who bagged five of the Northend goals.
Northend started off the match bright with Niall Swann and Anthony McAvoy playing some good football in the middle of the park. At the back, Benny O'Neill and Ross swan were dominant in the centre and Brian Etherson and Jonny Hanlon were getting forward at every opportunity down the flanks.
However Larne were giving as good as they were getting and Ryan Gault in the Northend nets had to be alert to deal with a Larne shot on goal.
Northend opened their account on twelve minutes when a great move involving Stephen Hall and Niall Swann resulted in Swann being pulled down in the penalty box. Keith Hall placed the ball past the keeper to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.
This goal spurred Northend on and some good play between Thomas Brady and Niall Swann down the right wing resulted in Niall Swann giving the Blues a 2-0 lead when his shot found its way into the Larne net.
Northend effectively killed off the game just before half time when some excellent play from Michael Laverty and Stephen Hare found Keith Hall with the ball and his clinical finish gave the keeper no chance to put the Blues 3-0 up at half-time.
Northend started off the second half strongly but as the half wore on Brendan O'Neill and Ross Swan were called on to make some timely tackles to prevent the Larne strikers from scoring.
Northend brought on substitutes Jamie Speirs, Simon Scott and Richard Sloan to freshen up their team and with almost his first tough of the ball, Jamie Speirs was hauled down in the penalty area. Keith Hall again placed the penalty wide of the keeper to score his third and Northend's fourth of the day.
The Blues were playing some great football at this stage of the game with Hare, McAvoy and Hanlon all going close with chances before big Keith scored his fourth goal of the day to leave the score 5-0.
Next it was Captain Niall Swann's overlapping play which proved to be the provider of the next goal when he outpaced two defenders and squared the ball for Jamie Speirs to beat the keeper with a low shot.
Goal of the day was scored from the resulting centre when Keith Hall intercepted the ball, almost on the half-way line and went on to dribble past four defenders before shooting past the helpless Larne keeper to score his fifth and Northend's seventh of the day.
Fair play to Larne, who never gave up, and Richard Sloan was called upon to make an acrobatic save to prevent Larne from scoring, leaving the final score 7-0 to the Blues.
This was another good team performance from the Blues with outstanding contributions from Captain Niall Swann and clinical finishing from Keith Hall.
Men of the Match: Keith Hall, Niall Swann
Panel: R Gault, J Hanlon, B O'Neill, R Swan, B Etherson, T Brady, N Swann (c), A McAvoy, S Hare, K Hall, M Laverty, R Sloan, S Scott, J Speirs
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