Newry City AFC returned to winning ways at the Showgrounds on Tuesday night in their Mid Ulster league game against Seagoe. Delighted to have a quick chance to get Saturdays draw out of their system the Newry boys rattled home five goals, two each for the striking duo of Patton and Barr and one from Jimmy Walker, to give them some breathing space at the top of the table. Although manager Darren Mullen would have been happy with the points he was not fully convinced by the performance “It was a game we played very well in parts but like any young team there are always things to work on. We had plenty of possession but just need to be more patient in the final third”.

The Newry managers comments were perhaps directed at the first half hour of the match when his team had lots of possession up to the final third of the pitch but in that red zone could not manage to find the killer pass to open up the Seagoe goal. That’s not to say that the home side didn’t have any early chances the first coming after only five minutes when captain Chris McMahon rose highest to get his head to a corner kick on the penalty spot, his effort marginally over the cross bar. Indeed this was the first of a flurry of corners for Newry all of which brought half chances. 

With 10 minutes gone Seagoe were fortunate to see a Walker corner deflect off a defender and bounce the wrong side of the post from a home perspective for another corner, this time Walker laying the ball back to Sean Hand who shot across the goal and wide of the far post. Walker was instigating all the Newry attacking play. On 20 minutes he took the ball out from his own defence to inside the Seagoe half before laying the ball off to David Anderson, Anderson running across the face of the box before his shot was charged down for a corner.

On 25 minutes the roles were reversed Anderson controlling a long Peter Murphy kick out before setting up Walker who also pulled his shot wide of the far post. Seagoe’s answer to Newrys neat passing and movement was a series of niggling foul’s which strangely did not result in a yellow card or two but did bring the goal that the Newry supporters had been waiting on. Mark Patton has worked tirelessly up front for Newry creating many chances and goals for his team mates but has been completely out of luck in the past few games personally. That record was put straight on the half hour mark when Newry were awarded a free kick in a central position inside the Seagoe half. From this unpromising position Walker floated a straight free kick into the penalty area and Patton did the rest, rising to loop his header over Jamie Greenaway in the Seagoe goal to put Newry 1-0 up. And once Patton’s drought had ended you would have always fancied him for another and it duly came on 42 minutes. McMahon won possession back for Newry deep in his own half and released Niall Crilly to push forward. Crilly took the ball to outside the Seagoe penalty area before rolling it to Barr, Barr back heeling the ball into the path of Crilly who had continued his run. When Greenaway could only parry Crillys shot Patton was the first to react planting the loose ball to the net to make the half time score 2-0 to Newry.

The second half was only a minute old when Newry had a chance to go further ahead. Jimmy Walker picked the ball up in the Newry half and ran unchallenged half the length of the pitch before slipping a pass to Patton inside the box. Patton feigned to shoot but instead played the ball back to Walker who had a better sight of goal but pulled his shot harmlessly wide.

While Walker does the creative work McMahon does the hard graft to win possession as he did again on 48 minutes again deep in the Newry area. This time he gave the ball to Walker who made ground before sliding a through ball to Barr now with only Greenaway to beat. However the Seagoe keeper was quickly off his line blocking Barrs effort with his legs.

Seagoe took advantage of these Newry misses when they pulled a goal back almost on the hour mark when William Kerr rose highest to head a corner ball past Peter Murphy to half the Newry advantage.

The home side were not about to drop more points and showed this intent from the restart when Sean Hand skipped down the left wing, cut inside and laid a perfect pass into Patton who was unfortunate to see his shot deflected for a corner.

This was only a temporary reprieve for Seagoe as Newry sealed the points with a three goal burst between the 74^th and 82^nd minute. On 72 minutes Newry introduced fresh legs in the shape of Mark Lowry, his impact almost immediate when he picked up a long ball from Paul McElroy in space on the right wing. Lowry used the space to look up and pick out Walker inside the box. Walker always appears to have time on the ball, this time turning onto his left foot and curling his shot from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner of the Seagoe net to restore Newrys two goal advantage. Number four came two minutes later again generated by McMahon winning the ball inside his own half. This time he did the creative work himself finding Patton at the back post. Composed, Patton drew two defenders towards him before chipping a pass over their heads to his partner Barr who had the easy task of finishing to put Newry 4-1 up. And Newrys top scorer made it 5-1 on 82 minutes after Walker danced around three Segoe defenders on the edge of the box before sliding a through ball to Lowry who unselfishly squared to Barr again in the right place at the right time to tap in his 25th goal of the season.

Speaking after the game Newry manager Darren Mullen had a word for Seagoe “For a team lying second from bottom they were very well organised and we had to work very hard to break them down. I was also pleased that parts of this game showed that we can be aggressive in our play when the opposition are physical with Paul McElroy and Chris McMahon leading the way”. 

With Man of the Match Mark Patton back amongst the goals and leading scorer Barr notching another brace Newry now look forward to the league run in starting with Tuesdays Match away to Valley Rangers.

Seagoe Team: Greenaway, Megaw, Brown, R Simmons, Willis, A Simmons, Kerr, Corkin, Hanna, Argue, McClelland. Subs: Currie, G Simmons, Wilson.

Newry Team: Murphy, Crilly, McVicker, Annett, McElroy, McMahon, Walker, Anderson, Patton, Barr, Hand. Subs: Lowry (Anderson), Martin, McLarty (Crilly), Campbell (Walker).

Photographs Courtesy of Brendan Monaghan.

Newry City AFC regained sole possession of the top spot in Mid Ulster B with a comprehensive victory over Moneyslane in a much anticipated league clash at Crystal Park, Banbridge on Saturday.  While every game has to be approached correctly, with 11 league games remaining, Newry would have looked at this as potentially one of the tougher remaining and for the first twenty minutes of the match that looked to be correct as both teams probed without managing to get a foot hold in the game.

When the first chance did come on 20 minutes it really should have been taken by Newry. Sean Hand slipped a pass through Moneyslanes flat back four which was latched onto by Mark Patton now with only Ivan Blevins in the home goal to beat. Patton took his time in the hope that Blevins would commit but the keeper got the better of this tussle blocking Pattons first effort with his legs and then palming the rebound round the post for a corner.

From this point on good chances kept coming Newrys way. Again Hand and Patton combined this time to set up David Anderson at the back post. Anderson chose not to shoot instead picking out Neil Barr on the edge of the box Barr pulling his first chance of the day wide of the far post. Having weathered the early battle Newry were in control all over the field allowing their back four who had withstood the early pressure to now join in the forward play.

On the half hour mark Conor McCaul won the ball in his centre half position and waltzed up field before being cynically fouled some 40 yards from goal. Hand clearly fancied his chances from distance and when his free kick took a slight deflection the opening goal seemed certain except for a brilliant reaction save from Blevins who got his finger tips to the ball to divert it wide. Minutes later another Newry defender, Gary McVicker got forward taking a pass from Jimmy Walker and shooting from outside the box the ball flashing across the face of the goal and wide of the far post.

Next it was Niall Crillys turn to get involved swinging in a dangerous cross from the opposite side which Moneyslane could only clear to the edge of the box from where Hand tried to curl his shot to the top corner Blevins again thwarting Newry. With over a half hour gone and nothing to show the Newry fans were getting a little uneasy and when on a rare home foray forward by Moneyslane the ball bobbled around the Newry box Paul McElroy came to the rescue blocking a close range shot around the post to safety.

However, the pressure on the Moneyslane goal had to bring reward and on 38 minutes Newry went 1-0 up Hand receiving a pass from Walker on the corner of the box and blasting his shot past Blevins to the delight of the travelling support. Newry almost doubled their advantage before half time. Captain Chris McMahon, who is having a tremendous season in the heart of the Newry team, took possession of the ball in the middle of the park before finding Hand wide on the left. Hand sucked the defender into a challenge before skipping past him and hitting target man Patton. As he has done so often this season Patton controlled and laid the ball back to Walker, his curling right foot shot inches wide of the post with Blevins beaten.

The second half started with Newry once again on the attack. Anderson hugging the right wing skipped past two tackles and found Walker again hovering on the edge of the box, Newry again unlucky as Walkers shot thumped off the post and away to safety. The Moneyslane goal really was leading a charmed life at this stage with chances coming thick and fast. McMahon and Crilly are sure to link up many times during a Newry game and on the hour mark they did just this to release Anderson again on the right wing. Anderson cut inside and hit in a low shot which Blevins could only parry with Patton the first to react, the Newry centre forward yet again bringing the best out of Blevins as he quickly recovered to block Patton’s reactive shot with his legs.

On 67 minutes it was the goal post again which came to Moneyslane’s rescue. McMahon won a towering header inside his own half, Patton flicked the ball between the central defenders with a glancing header to which Barr won the race and was very unfortunate to see his half volley cannon of the outside of the post. Amazingly Newry hit the Moneyslane post for the fourth time on 73 minutes and again it was to Patton’s misfortune, Crilly and Anderson once more combining to find the big man with his back to goal. In a flash Patton had turned his opposite number and watched in disbelief as his shot cannoned of the post with Blevins beaten.

Newry however sealed the points with two goals in three minutes both from top scorer Neil Barr. On 77 minutes McMahon played the ball through a gap in the home defence which Barr ran onto before slamming his shot past Blevins before repeating the feat three minutes later arriving at the near post to get on the end of neat passing movement between Walker and Anderson for Newry’s third goal.

With the damn now well and truly burst it was fitting that Newry’s best players on the day made and scored goal number four, McMahon floating in a high ball which was knocked down by Patton and snapped up by Man of the Match Anderson who planted his shot to the back of the Moneyslane net for number four. Moneyslane reduced the arrears with minutes remaining when Greg Harrison ran onto a through ball and chipped a delightful effort over Peter Murphy in the Newry goal for what was to be a consolation effort only with Newry running out 4-1 winners.

Newry manager Darren Mullen was obviously happy after the game but adamant that nothing was in the bag yet “It was another complete team performance from start to finish. We knew Moneyslane would be up for the game but our defence handled anything they had in the opening half hour or so and we never looked troubled. Once we got to grips with the game our fitness and pace showed. Although we missed many chances during the game we kept creating and there were many positive to take, not least another three points which takes us back to the top of the league. We told the players we have 10 cup finals to go and we will ensure that they are focused on the games ahead”

Newry’s next match is Saturday 29^th March away to Lurgan Town. NCAFC Travel club bus will leave the Stonebridge @ 13:15hrs, all welcome.

MOTM: David Anderson

Photograph courtesy of Brendan Monaghan.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, Crilly, McElroy, McCaul, McVicker, McMahon, Walker, Anderson, Patton, Barr, Hand. Subs: Lundy, Lowry, Edgar, Annett.