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Lisburn Rangers 0 Northend United 1 Saturday 17th December 2016

Northend's 2002s last match before the Christmas break was against Lisburn Rangers. Rangers had won the reverse fixture earlier in the season 3-2, and so the Ballymena boys were looking for some revenge.

The match however started in a low tempo, with little quality, and both teams looking as though they were already on their Christmas holidays. The first half-chance however came from a Northend mistake, as Joseph Dallas' back pass was short and left his keeper, Jacob Logan stranded, and Logan excellently stuck a leg out to deny the oncoming Rangers striker.

A half devoid of chances however sparked into life whenever a tackle on the edge of the Northend box led to some confrontation between the teams, and resulted in Northend's Ryan Mcmullan finding himself sent off. The half ended 0-0 with no further drama, which was actually a fair score on the balance of the half. Half time 0-0

After a stern word or two were thrown about at half time, the team with less players started to play the better football in the second half. However, it looked as though both defences were going to come out on top. That is, until a Conor McDonald through ball found its way to striker Rossi Kerr, who continued his rich form of late by finishing past the keeper. It was nothing less than the 10 men deserved after their hard work and endeavour against the odds.

Rangers obviously pushed for an equaliser, and Northend looked dangerous on the break. However, apart from Logan dealing with a couple of routine long shots and crosses, his defence protected him well, and Logan picked up his second clean sheet of the season at the final whistle.

A battle and hard working performance had brought rewards for Northend, who can now enjoy their Christmas slightly better Full time 0-1

Panel: J Logan, C Meeke, J Dallas, L Rea, J Agnew, R McMullan, M Stewart, S Stewart, J Coates, C McDonald, R Kerr, S Foster

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TW Braga 1 Northend United 1 Saturday 10th December 2016

In the run up to Christmas, Northend approached Saturday's game against TW Braga in good form and high spirits after 2 consecutive wins against Loughall and Distillery, shooting up the Lisburn League.

The team however knew they would face a tough game, against a Braga team who had won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier in the season. However, Northend started by far the better team, and immediately saw the benefits. Conor McDonald picking up the ball in the Braga half, turned, and showed vision, technique and guile with a scooped pass to fellow forward Matthew Stewart. Stewart closed on goal, and was felled by the Braga keeper, winning a penalty. The striker confidently dispatched the following penalty to the bottom corner.

The Stewart-Mcdonald combination continued to cause problems, with both strikers having chances, one particularly good one when Stewart, again through on goal, scuffed a finish and watched the ball slide past the right hand post. The midfield trio of Mcmullan, Agnew and captain Forsythe offered both excellent protection for their defence and danger going forward, suppressing the influence of Braga's extremely talented midfield.

Jack Agnew also missed a glorious chance when a Forsythe free kick found him free in the box, but he could not connect with the header cleanly. The half finished 1-0, a deserved lead for the Ballymena boys who could have been further ahead. Half time 0-1

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, both teams looking to play attacking football and pass the ball quickly. While Braga probably had more possession, again it was Northend who looked most dangerous, with the counter attacking pace and passing slicing the defence time and again, only for chances to be spurned. As Braga searched for an equaliser, they were awarded a jubious penalty when McMullan got shoulder to shoulder with a Braga midfielder but was penalised. The captain took the free kick, and Jacob Logan made a tricky save, with the ball bouncing right infront of him, but he could only palm it to the lurking Braga attack who tapped in to equalise.

Both teams wanted to win, and continued to push. When it seemed the match was destined for a draw, Joseph Dallas made a good tackle in defence, and then started a counter attack in which he ran the full length of the pitch with the ball. His low cross was heading for substitute Ross Kerr, who looked destined to score, but was intercepted at the last minute by an excellent Braga slide tackle.

The game did end 1-1, a result that left Northend feeling disappointed, but a performance that showed a lot of what is possible from the current crop of players.

Panel: J Logan, R Boomer, J Dallas, L Rea, C Forsythe, J Agnew, R Boomer, S Stewart, J Coates, C McDonald, M Stewart, R Kerr, C Meeke, S Foster

Northend United 4 Lisburn Distillery 1 Saturday 3rd December 2016

Northend United U15s faced a Lisburn Distillery side in the Lisburn League. After a good win against Loughall last time out, the Ballymena team were in good form and high on confidence. The start of the game reflected this change of attitude, as the quick flowing attacking play and high press from Northend cause early problems for Lisburn. Throughout the half as Northend pushed they could not find the clinical chance, with Northend's attack and midfield winning a lot of possession high up the pitch but the final ball just lacking. Eventually the pressure told and a free kick from just outside the box was converted by Conor Mcdonald. At half time the score was 1-0, a well deserved lead which could have been more. Half time 1-0

The second half however started with Distillery's best period of the game. They came out of the blocks quickly, while it seemed Northend took 5 minutes to restart after the break. The loss of concentration did tell and a good tackle from Luke Rea unluckily fell to Lisburn feet, and within 2 passes the ball was in the net to make it 1-1.

This gave the Northend boys the wake up that they needed, and straight away they went back on the attack. Ross Kerr came on to change the formation to give the impressive Matthew Stewart and Mcdonald some support, and his great runs stretched the defence further. This opened up space for the midfielders to run into and support the front men.

The breakthrough eventually came when McDonald played a wonderful through pass to Kerr from wide on the right, and he calmly slotted past the keeper to score. Once the breakthrough was made the floodgates opened, and soon after a Jack Agnew shot found the bottom corner. With nearly the last kick of the game a good Callum Forsythe cross was volleyed in by Scott Foster. A deserved 4-1 win for Northend at the final whistle. Full time 4-1

Panel: J Logan, S Stewart, J Coates, C Forsythe, J Dallas, L Rea, J Agnew, R McMullan, D Robinson, C McDonald, M Stewart, R Kerr, S Foster, C McAuley, J Morrow

Northend United 2 Loughgall 1 Saturday 19th November 2016

Northend U15 this week took on Lisburn league newcomers Loughall. After a few tough matches in recent weeks the players knew they had a good chance against a team who were in a similar position in the league.

The game started with Northend playing the ball around in midfield and trying to keep hold of the ball, and work it forward through good passing, while when Loughall took possession they attempted to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. Early on Ross Kerr received a great through pass from Ryan McMullan and from a tight angle fired narrowly past the far post. The game continued in a similar fashion, with Northend squandering good chances when the ball dropped in the box from 3 different corners, and Ryan Boomer taking his turn to slot Ross Kerr in behind the defence, only for the keeper to close down the ball before Ross could get a clean shot away. Throughout the half Jacob Logan was largely untested, with Joseph Dallas, Luke Rea and Ryan Boomer marshalling the Loughall attack with relative ease. However neither team could make the breakthrough before the half time whistle and the half finished 0-

With Northend's half time sub an attacking one, with Matthew Stewart coming on, they showed they were eager to get the win and felt they had control, however Loughall seemed to start the second half better than the first, getting players in closer vicinity to their striker but still posing no threat. After all of Northend's neat intricate passing, it was a surprise in the nature that they managed to find a breakthrough. After a period of sustained attack by Northend, Loughall eventually managed to clear and with their striker closing down goalkeeper Logan, he cleared the ball. The clearance however evaded all of the Loughall defence and striker Conor McDonald chested down and finished well under pressure. It was Conor's second goal of the season but a very important one. The game then began to open up a bit, Northend looking for the killer second goal and Loughall still attempting to counter. It was the counter attack that eventually undid the Northend defence, Dallas getting under a header and the Loughall winger not being tracked back by Northend wing back, took possession, and still with plenty to do, struck a left footed shot over Logan and into the top corner, clipping the bar on the way and giving Logan no chance whatsoever.

It was a wake up call for Northend who had started to dwell on the ball too long. Dylan Robinson came off the bench to fix that problem, and his quick and early passing started to raise the tempo of the game in midfield again. Then some lovely team build up from Northend led to a second goal. Jack Agnew spreading the ball for Matthew Stewart, who held the ball well, twisting and turning the full back. Robinson provided support behind and when he got the ball his first time cross fell straight onto Ross Kerr's head who had made a great run across the front post, he flicked the ball across goal and there was Josh Coates to head in, sparking jubilation and a goal well deserved for a player who had been outstanding all game.

The ballymena boys managed to hold on in the last minutes with no further scares, and claimed a deserved win, that could have been by a much greater margin. Full time 2-1

Panel: J Logan, L Rea, J Dallas, R Boomer, C Forsythe, J Agnew, R McMullan, S Stewart, J Coates, C McDonald, R Kerr, M Stewart, D Robinson, C Meeke, S Foster

Willowbank 5 Northend United 0 Saturday 12th November 2016

Northend continued their Lisburn league campaign against high flying Willowbank, who sit top of the league after a string of good results. A repeat fixture of the shield match from the week before, Northend knew first hand of the quality and dangers that the team from Belfast possessed.

The game however started evenly, with neither team making clear cut opportunities and the team from Ballymena holding their own. Willowbank had more of the ball, creating a few half chances around the edge of the area, but Northend also looked dangerous on the counter, Conor McDonald and Jack Agnew having chances to shoot when only faced with the keeper, however both times a fantastic last ditch tackle was made. Northend's best chance came when the same two players combined, Agnew making a good run, finding a cross right onto McDonald's head, but he failed to get the power or accuracy from a standing start and headed straight at the keeper.

The deadlock was broken when a free kick on the edge of the Northend box was well dispatched and the lead quickly doubled when the defence fell asleep and a throw in for the Ballymena team somehow ended in a goal for Willowbank.

At half time, 2-0 was a harsh scoreline on the Ballymena team who had matched Willowbank performance-wise but lacked the killer instinct held by Willowbank. Half time 2-0

The second half could not have started worse for Northend, the ball falling to a Willowbank player who finished magnificently with a volley from outside the box.

Northend should have had a goal soon after as Ross Kerr had the ball in the back of the net following a Dylan Robinson through ball, but was wrongly called offside. The goal could have sparked a revival in the Northend attitude but the injustice made the heads drop, and from there, Willowbank seized further control, scoring a header from a free kick and then a midfielder made a strong run through the defence to make it 5-0.

A scoreline that was not reflected in the respective performances, especially in the first half, but a deserved win for Willowbank. Full time 5-0

Panel: L Rea, S Stewart, C Forsythe, J Dallas, R Boomer, J Agnew, R McMullan, M Stewart, J Coates, C McDonald, R Kerr, D Robinson, C Meeke, S Foster

Northend United 0 Willowbank 6 Saturday 5th November 2016

Northend were the second best team in this encounter, with the skilful Willowbank team in control from the start. Northend conceded the first goal following some poor defending from a corner. Willowbank went on to run in another two goal before half time with the Willowbank No 7 getting too much space to run at the Blues defence Half time 0-3

Into the second half and with all the substitutes on, it was a different Northend until the half way mark. However, the Blues again allowed the Willowbank midfield too much room and they ran on to score 3 goals in the last fifteen minutes' Full time 0-6

Panel: J Logan, R Boomer, C Forsythe, L Rea, J Dallas, R McMullan, D Robinson, C Meeke, S Stewart, J Coates, M Stewart, Z Clarke, C Metrustry, S Foster