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Carrick Rangers U16s 2 Northend United U16s 4 Plate Final Monday 23rd April 2012

Northend got off to a slow start in this match and found themselves a goal down after two minutes when some slack defending allowed the Carrick striker to score. This early goal gave the advantage to Carrick Rangers and Northend found themselves on the defensive for the next fifteen minutes before their midfield gradually fought their way back into the game.

Matt Kirk, Emmet Kerr, Ciaran Ferris and Conan Dunne began to pull the strings in midfield and David O'Brien and Simon Cunningham were causing the Carrick defence all sorts of problems.

Northend drew before half time when Emmet Kerr was on hand to strike the ball into the bottom corner of the Carrick net from a goalmouth scramble. Half time score 1-1

Both teams had a go at each other immediately after half time as play swung from end to end. Carrick were awarded a dubious penalty after ten minutes of the half and their striker made no mistake, beating Dylan Little in the Northend net.

This goal forced Northend to take the game to Carrick with David O'Brien proving to be a thorn to the Carrick defence. Chances went a begging for Northend and it looked like it was going to be Carrick's day.

With three minutes of normal time remaining, a high ball into the Carrick box was met with a great header from substitute Rory Kinney, beating the Carrick keeper to send the game into extra time. Full time score 2-2

The goal at the end of normal time lifted the Northend Blues and in the first period of extra time, Northend began to dominate the play with Williams and King proving to be a rock in the centre of the Blues defence.

Emmet Kerr put Northend ahead in the first period of extra time when he scored a good goal. The Northend players sensed a win was within their grasp and substitutes Glen Murphy, Mark Robinson and Tony Sloan were running the Carrick defence ragged in the second period of extra time and indeed Tony Sloan proved an inspired substitution when he outpaced the Carrick defence and slipped the ball past the Carrick keeper to leave the final score 4-2 to the Ballymena Boys.

Man of the Match: David O'Brien

Panel: D Little, R Douds, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, M Kirk, E Kerr(c), C Dunne, C Ferris, D O'Brien, S Cunningham, M Robinson, T Sloan, G Murphy, R Kinney, R Kennedy

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Carrick Rangers U16s 0 Northend United U16s 3 Wednesday 18th April 2012

Northend travelled to Mallusk on Wednesday night to play Carrick Rangers in a League Match in what was a dress rehearsal for their forthcoming Plate Final.

Northend started brightly with the midfield of Kerr, Kirk, Dunne and Ferris playing some good football. Up front Tony Sloan and David O'Brien were causing the Carrick defence all sorts of problems with their persistent play.

With play swinging from end to end, Dylan Little pulled off a good save to keep Northend in the game. The Ballymena Blues opened the scoring in the game when David O'Brien found himself in space on the edge of the box and lifted his shot over the Carrick keeper and into the net.

Carrick came back at Northend but Douds, Kirk, Kind and Williams kept the Carrick forward line at bay for the rest of the half. With no further scoring, the half-time score remained 1-0 to Northend.

The second half started with Carrick again on top in the match and Dylan Little, in the Northend net, pulled off some good saves to keep the Blues in the game. On one particular occasion he got down to his right hand side to push the ball round the post that had the Carrick coaches also applauding.

As the half worn on, Northend began to put some good moves together and Glen Murphy gave the Blues a two goal cushion when he scored a goal from a loose ball in the Carrick penalty box.

This goal lifted the Blues and they went on to dominate the rest of the game and Captain Emmet Kerr scored the goal of the game, when his shot from twenty-five yards gave the keeper no chance and hit the back of the Carrick net, leaving the score 3-0 to the Ballymena Blues.

Northend saw out the rest of the game to seal a good win which gives them confidence going into the Plate Final against the same team next week.

Man of the Match: Dylan little

Panel: D Little, R Douds, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, M Kirk, E Kerr(c), C Dunne, C Ferris, D O'Brien, T Sloan, G Murphy, R Kinney, S Cunningham, M Robinson, R Kennedy

Northend United U16s 3 18th Newtownabbey U16s 3 (lost 4-2 on penalties) Wednesday 4th April 2012

Northend started off this Cup Quarter Final match in great form and took the lead on fifteen minutes when Tony Sloan volleyed the ball past the Newtownabbey keeper on fifteen minutes to give Northend a 1-0 lead.

With Ryan Douds , Conan Dunne, Matt Kirk and Ciaran Ferris pulling the strings in midfield, Northend looked like they could increase their lead but chances went a begging.

Newtownabbey pulled level ten minutes before half time when their striker scored with a good shot. giving Dylan Little no chance. With no further scoring, the half time score remained 1-1.

Newtownabbey started off the second half the stronger but the Northend defence of Robinson, L Kirk, Williams and Kerr dealt comfortably with Abbey's shots until the fifteen minute when they went ahead after their striker outpaced the Northend defence.

This was the queue for the drama to unfold in this Cup match and Northend looked dangerous with Tony Sloan and Simon Cunningham causing the Newtownabbey defence all sorts of problems.

Newtownabbey couldn't sustain this Northend pressure and Conan Dunne equaliser for Northend when he was on hand to convert a loose ball in the Newtownabbey box to level the scores at 2-2.

Again Northend took the game to Abbey but couldn't get the all important goal and with time running out the match ended all square and headed for extra time.

Again in extra time, there was nothing to separate the teams, with play flowing from end to end until two minutes to go, when Newtownabbey scored in what looked like the winner.

Such is the togetherness of this team that straight from the kick-off Northend went on the attack with nothing to loose. Newtownabbey conceded a free-kick on the edge of their box and up stepped free kick specialist Dylan Little. His powerful shot cannoned off the Newtownabbey wall and went for a corner.

Like last week's match, everyone went forward in the last corner of the game. From Conan Dunne's cross the Northend keeper, Dylan Little scored for Northend in the last kick off the game as the drama unfolded.

There wasn't time to take the centre after this as Extra Time ended all square 3-3. Now the dreaded penalties!

Manager Sayers was confident that Northend would reach the net round with Dylan Little, the Northend keeper, having been putting in some good performances lately.

However luck was not on their side and Newtownabbey went on to win 4-2 on penalties in a cruel end to the game.

Man of the Match: Ryan Douds

Panel: D Little, M Robinson, L Kirk, E Kerr (c) G Williams, M Kirk, R Douds, C Dunne, C Ferris, T Sloan, S Cunningham

Northend United U16s 2 Comber Rec U16s 2 Saturday 31st March 2012

Northend U16s travelled to Mallusk to play Comber Rec in their home match and were left wondering how they didn't win this game with some dubious refereeing decisions causing them only a share of the points.

Northend took the lead after ten minutes when diminutive striker burst through the middle of the park only to be hauled down inside the Comber penalty box. The same player dusted himself down and took the penalty kick to give the keeper no chance and Northend a 1-0 lead.

As play began to get bogged down in the middle of the park, the Northend defence of Ferris, Williams, King and L Kirk dealt comfortably with whatever Comber threw at them until ten minutes before half time, when the Comber centre-half headed past Dylan Little, in the Northend nets, from a corner kick. With no further scoring, the half time score remained 1-1

Northend started off strongly in the second half and midway through the half regained the lead. From a Gareth Williams free-kick, Emmet Kerr headed the ball down and Matt King was on hand to volley the ball into the net from twelve yards.

Northend were now on top in this match, and Simon Cunningham went close with another shot. With Conan Dunne and Matt Kirk covering every inch of the pitch the signs were looking good for a Northend win. However with three minutes of the match remaining in normal time, Ryan Douds and a Comber striker challenged for the ball in the Northend box which Douds cleared. As the Comber striker placed the ball to take the corner kick, the referee inexplicably blew for a penalty kick, much to the amazement of the Northend bench.

The Comber striker scored the penalty for Comber to draw level in this match at 2-2. The referee then proceeded to play an additional five minutes in the match of injury time. However the final score remained 2-2 at the final whistle.

Man of the Match: Team Performance

Panel: D Little, C Ferris, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, M Kirk, E Kerr(c), T Sloan, C Dunne, D O'Brien, S Cunningham, R Douds

Northend United U16s 4 Ballynure OB's U16s 3 Saturday 24th March 2012

Played in bright sunshine on Saturday, Northend proceeded to the quarter finals of the Cup competition, when they eventually beat Ballynure OB's 4-3 in a very tense affair.

In a first half that flowed from end to end, Northend took a 1-0 lead, when Lee Kirk played a good pass to Tony Sloan on the Northend left wing, and he cut inside the full-back and unleashed an unstoppable stop into the roof of the Ballynure net, from the edge of the 18 yard line.

Northend kept pressing at Ballynure but couldn't extend their lead any further in the first half, leaving the half-time score 1-0 to Northend.

The second half burst into life and Northend were in dominant form early on. Emmet Kerr burst through the Ballynure defence was eventually brought down inside their box for a penalty. Conan Dunne gave the keeper no chance with his spot-kick, to give Northend a 2-0 cushion.

However Northend now thought they were cruising and took their foot off the pedal to allow Ballynure to pull back to goals. Their striker found himself in space and pushed the ball past Dylan Little in the Northend nets.

Worse was to follow with twenty minutes of the second half gone, when Little was adjudged to have pushed over the Ballynure striker in Northend's penalty box. They made no mistake with the kick to level the scores at 2-2 in this tense game.

The Northend manager made some tactical changes which seemed to lift United and a David O'Brien shot was only parried by the Ballynure keeper and Emmet Kerr followed up the score the rebound to give Northend a 3-2 advantage with only ten minutes of the match remaining.

Instead of shutting up shop and seeing out the last few minutes of the match, a throughball with four minutes remaining caught the Northend defence and keeper sleeping and in the ensuing mix-up, the Ballynure striker lobbed the ball over everyone and into an empty Northend net.

It was one of those days but Northend weren't finished yet and Simon Cunningham got the ball out on the Northend wing with seconds of the match remaining and crossed the ball into the Ballynure box where Matt Kirk volleyed the ball into the Ballynure net, giving the keeper no chance. This was surely a contender for Goal of the Season?

When the referee blew the final whistle, Northend had won the match 4-3 in a pulsating second half performance.

Man of the Match: Emmet Kerr

Panel: D Little, C Ferris, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, M Robinson, M Kirk, E Kerr(c), T Sloan, D O'Brien, S Cunningham, C Dunne

Northend United U16s 3 Barn United U16s 1 Saturday 17th March 2012

The U16s turned in a team-like performance on Saturday against Barn United to win 3-1 in the Plate competition. Play flowed from end to end in the first half with Dylan Little the star of the show for Northend, when he pulled off two outstanding saves to keep them in the game.

At the other end, Emmet Kerr, Mark Robinson and Simon Cunningham all had chances for Northend but were unable to turn them into goals. Half time score 0-0

Northend came out more determined for the second half after a good talking to by their Manager. Ten minutes into the half they opened the scoring when from a Mark Robinson cross, Conan Dunne chested the ball and volleyed into the net.

It was all Northend now and five minutes later they further increased their lead when a long clearance from Dylan Little was chased by Tony Sloan and David O'Brien, with O'Brien eventually scoring for Northend.

The Northend midfield of Kerr, Dunne, Douds and Ferris were pulling the strings for Northend and they further increased their lead with ten minutes remaining. From a Lee Kirk corner, the ball was only partially cleared and there was leading goalscorer David O'Brien to volley the ball into the back of the Barn United net, giving Northend a 3-0 lead.

Almost on full-time, Barn United got a consolation goal when a long clearance caught the Northend defence up looking for more goals and the Barn striker slid the ball past Little to leave the final score 3-1 to Northend.

It was great to see diminutive striker David O'Brien back today for Northend after his recent injury and how the U16s have missed his goals in recent matches.

Man of the Match: Dylan Little

Panel: D Little, M Robinson, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, E Kerr(c), R Douds, C Dunne, C Ferris, S Cunningham, T Sloan, D O'Brien

Northend United U16s 2 Newington U16s 7 Saturday 10th March 2012

Playing only their second match in Ballymena this season, Northend entertained Newington to Smithfield on Saturday. Northend knew they would be up against it against a team who have recently reached the quarter finals of the NIBFA Cup by eliminating Linfield.

Northend got off to the worst possible start, when they conceded two goals in the first ten minutes, both from through balls which beat the Northend defence. Worse was to come on twenty minutes when the Newington winger cut in from the left wing and beat Dylan Little, in the Northend net, at his near post.

Northend got back into the game on thirty minutes when they won a corner. From Lee Kirk's cross, Conan Dunne's powerful header beat the Newington keeper to leave the score 3-1.

After coming back into the game, Northend were dealt a cruel blow on the stroke of half time, when Newington scored their fourth goal from a free kick which effectively killed off the game. Half time score 4-1 Newington

Northend started off the second half on the back foot and Newington scored a fifth goal with some sloppy play in the Northend defence.

Newington was winning the midfield battle at this stage although Matt King was giving his all for Northend. They further increased their lead when the midfielder save Little off his goal line and his shot from all of thirty-five yards flew into the top corner of the Northend net.

Northend, to their credit, didn't give up and from another Lee Kirk corner, Mark Robinson's header beat the Newington keeper again to leave the score at 6-2 to Newington.

With time running out, Newington scored their final goal of the match.

Man of the Match: Matt King

Panel: D Little, M Robinson, L Kirk, M King, G Williams, M Kirk, E Kerr(c), R Douds, C Dunne, C Ferris, S Cunningham, T Sloan

Carrick Rangers U16s 2 Northend United U16s 2 Saturday 3rd March 2012

Missing a few regulars for this game, Manager Johnny Sayers was forced to reorganise his team and they made the worst possible start when they conceded a penalty in the first few minutes. The Irish League Club Academy side's striker scored the penalty kick to give them a one goal advantage.

However this goal was a wake-up call for Northend and gradually their midfield of Ferris, Dunne, Robinson and Kerr began to dominate the play. Northend drew level on twenty minutes when Simon Cunningham was pulled down inside the Carrick box and Mark Robinson sent the goalie the wrong way with his resultant penalty kick.

Northend kept up the pressure for the rest of the first half and got another goal five minutes before half time.

The move started with Carrick on the attack and forcing Dylan Little in the Northend nets to make a great point blank save. Little released the ball to lee Kirk who carried the ball up the Northend left wing and after some great passing play between Conan Dunne and Tony Sloan, Sloan's cross found Simon Cunningham and he gave the Carrick keeper no chance with a low shot into the corner of the net. Half time score 2-1 to Northend

Northend started off the second half playing into a strong breeze but the defence of Ryan Douds, Matt Kirk, Gareth Williams and Lee Kirk were outstanding in this half. Dylan Little was equal to anything Carrick could shoot at him and pulled off two great saves early in the second half.

However Northend took the game to Carrick after fifteen minutes and were unlucky with a Gareth Williams free kick which struck the top of the bar. Sloan and Cunningham were causing the Carrick defence problems with their darting play.

With time running out, Carrick got their equaliser with ten minutes of the game remaining.

However the Northend heads didn't drop and they should have got a stonewall penalty with five minutes of the match remaining, when Emmet Kerr was pulled down in the Carrick penalty box but the referee waved play on.

The final score ended up a 2-2 draw, with Northend feeling aggrieved they didn't get all the points from this entertaining game.

Man of the Match: Dylan Little

Panel: D Little, R Douds, L Kirk, M Kirk, G Williams, M Robinson, E Kerr(c), C Dunne, C Ferris, T Sloan, S Cunningham