Three games to go and the destination of the Mid Ulster league title remains very much in Newry City’s control after Saturdays 4-0 win away to St Mary’s. From the first minute Newry showed that their intent was to pick up full points, Jimmy Walker collecting a pass from Newrys best player on the day Kevin McArdle before curling a shot across the penalty area towards the far top corner, the St Marys keeper Danny Devine scrambling across his line to deflect the ball wide. A temporary reprieve however as Newry got the early goal they wanted after 11 minutes, Conor McCaul rising highest at the back post to power a Walker corner past Devine before the keeper had a chance to react.

It was all Newry at this stage with the visitors virtually containing St Marys in their own half. Pressing high up the pitch Paddy Mooney forced a mistake from the St Marys defence to win possession before finding Sean McMullan on the edge of the penalty area, the striker taking a touch to control before attempting to lob the ball over Devine, his effort dropping the wrong side of the crossbar.  It was a full 20 minutes before the Newry goal was threatened, Ciaran Rooney swinging a ball in from the right wing and with Ruairi Feeney about to pull the trigger Neil Mullen nipped in to take the ball out of the danger area.

Play swept immediately to the other end, McArdle and Thomas McCann setting up Walker for another shot from distance, the ball dipping and swerving in mid air, Devine making the wise decision to punch clear rather than attempting to catch. Pinning the home side back created its own problems for Newry as they had to contend with a packed final third of the pitch and too often promising attacks broke down. However on 26 minutes a string of passing to and fro burst into life with a ball into McMullan’s feet, the big man laying a first time ball wide to Walker before turning back into the box to win the crossed ball, his header flashing past the post with Devine rooted to the spot.

On the half hour mark Newry hit the woodwork for the first of what was later to become three times during the game, McCann swinging a high ball into the box which appeared to be going out but held up in the wind allowing Mooney, who had not given it up, to get an out stretched boot to turn the ball towards goal unfortunate to see it hit the post. Newrys final chance of the half almost produced a picture goal. Starting from Chris McMahon at right back a sweeping passing movement between McArdle, Carville and Walker culminated in McCann continuing his run into the box to meet a pass which sat up perfectly allowing him to smash a first time shot on target, Devine producing a fine diving save to push the ball away to keep the half time score 1-0 to Newry.

Newry got the second half off to the best possible start with and an early goal. McMahon made the most of space in front of him down the right wing before playing the ball inside to Carville. Strong on the ball Carville brushed aside a tackle before showing great vision to play a low diagonal pass across the box picking out Mooney’s run from the left wing, Mooney calmly placing his shot low past Devine to double Newrys advantage. Playing with the wind behind them Newry were virtually camped in the opposing half but had to wait until the hour mark until they came close again, McMullan holding play up with his back to goal before sliding a pass once more finding Mooney who this time went for a power finish, the ball rattling off the underside of the cross bar and out.

Now fully recovered from a serious knee injury Mark Patton gives Newry a different attacking option and shortly after being introduced as a second half substitute he gave St Marys an early warning of what he is capable off when he ran onto an Ian Curran pass to drill a low and hard shot from 25 yards unfortunately straight into the mid drift of Devine. The home side did not heed the warning and minutes later Patton claimed the goal of the day. Again Curran provided the ball out of defence, Patton flicked the ball wide to McCabe before spinning to get onto the return pass which he nodded down into his own path before blasting a half volley from the edge of the penalty box high into the roof of the St Marys net.

The St Marys woodwork shook for the third time on 85 minutes. With Newry awarded a free kick which looked perfectly placed for Jimmy Walker just outside the penalty area, the midfielder didn’t disappoint curling the ball over the wall to the far top corner only to hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce down onto the goal line before being cleared. The visitors did claim the fourth goal their performance deserved in the dying moments of the game when Patton was tripped inside the box, Timmy Grant taking the chance to drill the penalty straight down the middle of the goal to make the final score 4-0 for Newry.

With just those three league games to play Newry manager Darren Mullen was pleased with his side performance but knows there is more work to be done “We started the game very impressively with our pace and movement difficult to for them handle. Some of our passing was first class and it was only a matter of time before we took the lead. After we scored although we had loads of possession our decision making in the final third needed to be better. Our second half performance was much better and I can’t remember Peter Murphy having to make a save. We looked solid all over the pitch and never gave them any time or space to play. I was delighted to see Mark Patton get on the score sheet after the amount of effort he has put in since his knee operation. He epitomises the attitude and character we have in the squad this season. We now have three league games left but our sole focus is Fivemiletown this Tuesday night. A special mention has to go to our fans who have been brilliant this season and turned out in their numbers again on Saturday. We are going to need their support and it certainly gives the players an extra lift.’

Newry City now have two home fixtures. First up is the league visit of Fivemiletown to The Showgrounds on Tuesday 26^th, KO 8 pm. Then on Saturday Newry City host Banbridge Rangers in the semi-final of the Marshall Cup, KO 2:15 pm.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, McMahon, Curran, McCaul, Mullen, McArdle, Walker, Carville, McMullan, McCann, Mooney. Subs:  Patton, Johnston, McCabe, Edgar, Grant.

Newry manager Darren Mullen got the response he wanted from his team after the mid week loss to Valley Rangers with a win over basement side Lower Maze at The Showgrounds on Friday night. Presented with an early chance to shake of that disappointment a Newry team inspired by the mercurial skills of Jimmy Walker simply had too much fire power for the visitors, Newry running out 5-1 winners in a game which will be remembered for two stunning strikes from Walker.

That however did not look likely in the opening ten minutes after which the home side could have found themselves two goals down, sloppy defending presenting first Stuart Stevenson with a clear shooting opportunity, Newry relieved to see his effort hit the base of Peter Murphy’s post. And minutes later in midfield two Newry players went for the same ball, the ball deflected forward to centre forward Sammy Davidson who knocked it over the head of the advancing Murphy but unfortunately for Lower Maze with too much pace, the ball going wide of the Newry goal before Davidson could catch up with it.

That was enough to spark the home side into gear, Sean Hand creating the first chance for the home side after 12 minutes slipping a pass into the box for Thomas McCann to run onto, the midfielder having to stretch to get his shot away and so unable to conjure enough power to beat Thomas Neill in the Lower Maze goal. McCann made no mistake minutes later however, this time down the Newry right where a slick give and go with Jimmy Walker created the opportunity for McCann to shoot across the face of the Lower Maze goal, the ball bulging the inside of the far netting to open the scoring. On 20 minutes it was Walkers turn to run at the Maze defence, again a give and go with McCann before Walker skipped around a few challenges and powered a shot off the underside of the crossbar before being cleared by Lower Maze.

The reprieve was short lived however and again Walker was the ring master whipping in a corner which Decky Carville won at the near post, the keepers reactive save only pushing the ball as far as Neil Mullen who nodded the ball back past the custodian to double the Newry advantage. On the half hour mark Walker made a goal for himself. Getting on the ball midway inside the Lower Maze half Newrys player maker exchanged passes with Sean Hand, skipped around a tackle or two and now just outside the box curled the ball into the far top corner for a picture goal. And minutes later Walker repeated the dose. This time set up by Sean McMullan from much the same position as before, Walker put a little more power into this shot, the ball passing the Maze keeper before he had time to react on its way into the roof of the net.

Newry started the second half slowly and were made to pay on the hour mark when they gave the ball away in midfield, Stuart Stevenson trying his luck from distance, the ball skipping off the wet surface just in front of Murphy who couldn’t stop the ball as it bounced over his dive and into the bottom corner to open the Lower Maze account much to the delight of their travelling support who were enjoying their day despite the scoreline.

Like the first half this provoked a Newry reply. McCann found Carville in lots of space on the right wing, Carville holding the ball until McCann caught up before finding his midfield partner in the box. With a wall of defenders to beat McCann tried to bend the ball with the outside of his right foot unfortunately not getting enough curl to find the far corner of the Lower Maze goal.

On 65 minutes a Graeme Edgar throw in made its way right across the box to Carville who made room to recycle the ball back into the danger area where McMullan twisted to get a shot away but was unable to beat Neill. Newry did get goal number five on 70 minutes, Patton winning the ball inside the box before finding McMullan on the penalty spot. Aware of the run outside him the big man played the ball into space for McCann who made light work of the acute angle drilling a low shot in off the base of the near post to make the score line 5-1.

A flood light failure almost led to referee Gerry Murray calling a halt to the game ten minutes early. With the Newry ground staff able to retrieve the situation to allow the full 90 minutes to be played Newry almost scored another, McCann crossing to the back post where Patton climbed highest to nod the ball back to Carville, his first time half volley stinging the finger tips of Neill as he pushed the ball over his cross bar.

After the game Newry manager was pleased to be able to put the dropped points behind him “After our first league defeat we needed a response and the players did so in a positive manner. We didn’t start the game well and could easily have been a goal or two down after some slack defending but once we settled into our game there was only going to be one winner. Some of our goals have been outstanding this year and Jimmy Walkers two goals certainly fall into that category. We had six players missing from Friday night’s squad but they should all be back over the coming weeks. With four league games left and a cup semi-final we are going to need to show the character within the squad. As the saying goes ‘nothing good comes easy’ but with the quality and experience we have in the squad we are prepared for the challenges ahead.”

Newry City’s next game is a league match on Saturday 23^rd away to St Mary’s, KO 2:15pm. Supporter’s bus will leave The Stonebridge at 1:15pm.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, Edgar, Curran, McCaul, Mullen, McMahon, Walker, Carville, McMullan, Hand. Subs: Patton, Wilson, Richmond, McArdle, Grant.

 Newry City tasted a league defeat for the first time this season at Valley Rangers on Tuesday night when a hat trick from Andy Graham helped the home side complete a 4-2 win. With Valley challenging near the top of the table Newry would have known that they would have to be at their best to get anything from the game and as manager Darren Mullen confirmed after the game the visitors did not turn up with their “A” game “We can’t expect to defend the way we did and win a game. The disappointing thing is that they didn’t have to work hard to get their goals. After starting poorly we responded in the right way but then made things difficult for ourselves with some basic defensive mistakes. We had most of the possession second half but credit to Valley they made things difficult for us and were hard to break down. This is our first league defeat of the season so there’s no need to panic. The measure of a team is how they respond to a defeat and I expect a reaction this Friday night.” Graham gave an early warning that he was going to be hard to handle in the 7^th minute when he beat the Newry off side trap, the ball however forcing the striker wide which gave Peter Murphy the chance to narrow Grahams shooting angle and divert his shot for corner. Worse was to follow for the visitors when the resulting corner skimmed off a Newry head at the front post setting up Richard Hamilton arriving at the back post to power a header past Murphy to put Valley a goal up. Newry’s reply was swift, a fine passing movement down the Newry right wing culminating in a Keith Johnston cross which Decky Carville met with a perfect header from the penalty spot to level the score.  Carville grabbed his 2^nd goal on the half hour mark, a clever run to the near post perfectly timed to meet a Jimmy Walker corner, Carville using the pace on the cross to flick the ball past Nathan Teggarty before the Valley keeper had time to react. Newry failed to build on this however with Valley scoring twice before the break. First Andy Graham rose highest at the back post to head past Murphy to level the score’s and the same player got his second and Valleys third on 40 minutes when the Newry defence failed to deal with a low ball into their box, Graham making no mistake with his shot from close range leaving Valley 3-2 in the lead at the break.

Determined to hold onto their unbeaten league record Newry were much better in the second half.  The second period was only minutes old when they created the first of many chances to level the scores. Sean McMullan held the ball up in a central position before playing the ball wide to Sean Hand. Taking the ball to the end line Hand pinged a low ball across goal alas too quickly for Johnston who’s lunge was inches away from turning the ball across the line. Minutes later and it was Thomas McCann’s turn to test Teggarty, picking the ball up on half way and making ground before firing in a shot which had the Valley keeper scrambling across goal, grateful to see the ball go the far side of his post by a small margin. At this stage Newry were camped in the Valley half but were unable to conjure up that one necessary clear cut goal chance. On 70 minutes Mark Patton who had been introduced into the Newry attack found himself wide on the left wing. With fleet of foot the big man nut megged his marker and put yet another dangerous ball across the Valley goal which Stuart Patterson did well to clear. Minutes later Patton was back in his more natural role rising highest at the back post to head a corner agonizingly wide. And as so often happens to a team who do not make the most of possession Newry paid the price when Graham who brought a threat to the Newry defence every time he was near the ball once more caused havoc in the Newry rear guard, his presence causeing a mix up between Murphy and his defenders. Graham quick to latch on to the mistake, round the keeper who had advanced to the edge of his box and calmly grab his hat trick to put the game and points out of Newry’s reach. To their credit the visitors didn’t give up and created one more chance which summed up their evening, McMullan setting up Patton for one last chance, his effort rapping the base of the post with Teggarty beaten.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, McMahon, Edgar, Curran, McCaul, Walker, McCann, Carville, McMullan, Johnston, Hand. Subs: Patton, Mullen, Grant, Mooney.

Newry City moved into the semi final of the Marshall Cup with a comprehensive win at Tandragee Rovers on Saturday when two goals from Sean McMullan and one from Decky Carville secured their eighth win in a row and a home semi final against Banbridge Rangers.

Fresh from a double figure victory last week Newry played some delightful passing football and created a host of chances, the first coming after five minutes when Thomas McCann and Decky Carville exchanged passes in the middle of the park before finding Keith Johnston wide on the right. Johnston, who was to have an excellent game, turned his marker inside out before crossing to the penalty spot where Sean McMullan had his first attempt on goal of the day, a headed effort which was blocked by a Tandragee defender.

Johnston himself had the next strike on goal, once more Carville provided the opportunity, from wide on the right Johnston took the ball into the box and from an acute angle attempted to steer the ball into the far corner unfortunately pitching his shot too close to Richard McGivern. At the other end any danger to the Newry goal was snuffed out by the Newry defence with Conor McCaul and in particular Ian Curran looking unbeatable.

Newry almost opened the scoring on the half hour mark when Johnston once more got the better of his opponent before whipping a cross into the box which was met by Thomas McCann, unfortunate to see his header canon off the cross bar with McGivern beaten. The danger had not passed with McGivern coming to his sides’ rescue, Jimmy Walker picking up the rebound, skipping along the edge of the penalty area to make room for a shot which McGivern gratefully smothered. The visitors were piling on the pressure and almost immediately created another great chance. Beginning in their own half with Graeme Edgar who rolled the ball to Carville, the move burst into life when Carville turned, fed the ball to McMullan before running onto the return pass. Now bearing down on goal and with McGivern advancing from his line Carville flicked a shot with the outside of his foot denied by a Tandragee defender who had retreated to the goal line to clear.

Newrys opening goal came on 37 minutes. In possession mid way inside the Newry half Tandragee attempted to switch play from right to left with a cross field ball which was read by Chris McMahon who intercepted the pass and knocked the ball forward all in the same movement. McMahon continued into the Tandragee half before finding Walker on the edge of the box. With the deftest of flicks Walker laid the ball back to McMullan who swept a curling shot around a wall of players into the bottom corner of the Tandragee net. Newry could have had the game wrapped up by half time creating further chances before the break.

First Conor McCaul strode out of centre defence taking the ball mid way inside the Tandragee half before finding Johnston out wide. Johnston again tormented his marker, this time with a nutmeg, before picking out the run of Timmy Grant along the six yard box, his shot charged down only as far as McMullan who was denied by McGivern.

And on the stroke of half time McMahon once more ventured forward, playing a one two with Walker before drilling his shot past McGivern but denied a goal by a covering Tandragee defender who cleared from his goal line leaving the half time score 1-0 in Newry’s favour.

The second half started slowly taking some 15 minutes before either goal was threatened. This time it was Tandragee who were unfortunate Dean McCammond whipping a low cross to the near post, Johny Black the first to the ball which he poked inches wide of the upright. That was to be as close as the home side came to scoring with McCaul and Curran mopping up when there was a sniff of danger to the Newry goal. In reply to Blacks chance Newry’s response was instant, Grant cutting in from the left to find Walker, he in turn teeing up McMullan and with the big man about to pick his spot the ball took a little bobble which caused him to blast over McGivern’s cross bar. Newry doubled their advantage on 70 minutes with a well worked free kick some 25 yards from goal, Walker picking out the run of Carville to the near post area, Carville flicking the ball with a glancing header back across McGivern nestling inside the far side netting to put Newry 2-0 up.

The visitors kept pressing Walker playing the ball into space in front of Johnston. Again the winger got the better of his marker taking the ball to the end line before pulling it back into the box where Walker stepped over it allowing the ball to run into the path of Patton who kept his strike, from the edge of the box, low but unfortunately straight at McGivern who saved. There was little McGivern could do about the final goal of the day. Created by Neil Mullen who picked the ball up inside his own half Mullen strode forward and with everyone expecting a pass to Walker who had kept pace with him, Mullen cleverly switched play across the box to McMullan who had pulled away from goal and now with time and space picked his spot drilling the ball past McGivern into the back of the Tandragee net to finish the tie.

After the game as ever Newry manager Darren Mullen was keen to take one game at a time “If anyone thought that we wouldn’t put as much effort into the last remaining cup with important league games coming up then they were sorely mistaken. We attacked Tandragee from the first minute and should have been more than a goal up at the break. The strength of our squad showed today with Keith Johnston coming in as a late replacement and he was a constant threat throughout the game.

“Replacing Stephen McCabe so early in the game also allowed Timmy Grant to get a good workout and he will be a big addition in our remaining games. Our goals have been creating headlines lately but our defence deserve great credit for another clean sheet. Any successful team is built on a solid defence and they were super again today. Conor McCaul looked like he had never been away and along with Murphy, McMahon, Edgar and Curran they dealt with anything Tandragee had to offer. Ian Curran in particular reads the game so well and won everything in the air today. Winning becomes a habit and whilst we are on a good run there’s still a lot of work to do and we will now concentrate on Tuesday night.”

Newry now have two league games in quick succession. On Tuesday 12^th they travel to Bignian Park to play Valley Rangers KO 7:30 PM. Travel club bus will leave The Stonebridge at 6:15 PM. On Friday (15th) Newry welcome Lower Maze to The Showgrounds KO 7:45 PM.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, McMahon, Edgar, McCaul, Curran, McCann, Walker, Carville, McMullan, Johnston, McCabe. Subs: Grant, McArdle, Patton, Mullen.