At this stage of the season it’s all about gaining league points and on Saturday Newry City secured another three at The Showgrounds with a professional if uninspiring performance against Queens. Some credit for that however must go to the visitors as for the second week in a row Newry found their well organised opponents difficult to break down, the home side with virtually all the possession in the opening 25 minutes but limited to speculative efforts from outside the box apart from one good chance for Mark McCabe who forced a fine save from Conor Lally with a half volley when well placed by Thomas McCann.

Although deserved, Newry’s opening goal owed a little to the weather, Lally’s clearance knocked down by the wind to Jimmy Walker before it got over the half way line. From there however Newry were clinical, Walker making ground before playing the ball wide to Keith Johnston, Johnston wasting no time before curling a low cross into the box for McCabe to slide onto diverting the ball expertly into the roof of the Queens net to put Newry a goal up.

Chances were thin on the ground for the rest of the half, Ian Curran unlucky with a glancing header from a Walker corner while Queens spurned a half chance to equalize with the half almost up, Matt Hughes with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area which Peter Murphy pushed wide of the Newry goal, Nathan Jones first to the rebound, but finding Murphy quickly back to his feet to narrow the target, shooting high and wide.

It was all Newry at the start of the second half, a goal scoring opportunity coming almost straight from the kick off, McCann splitting the Queens defence with a pass which left Johnston with Lally to beat, the Queens keeper quickly off his line to save. Newry came even closer to grabbing goal number two on 55 minutes, Kevin McArdle getting forward to place a cross to the near post which Mark Hughes won, unfortunate to see his downward header hit the base of the post.

The hosts had a big let off on the hour mark, a long ball straight down the pitch causing confusion between goalkeeper and defenders, Newry fortunate that the loose ball did not fall to a Queens player before being hacked clear.

The home side sealed the points on 70 minutes with a second McCabe goal, Hughes laying the ball into the path of the over lapping Stephen McCabe, on the run McCabe swung a pin point cross to the near post perfect for McCabe to rise highest at the near post to head into the top corner for his and Newry’s second and final goal.

‘This was a solid if unspectacular win and continues our good run of form. It’s fair to say Queens didn’t cause us many problems but in games where we have plenty of possession our final ball needs to better. That was the case in the first half although the conditions didn’t help either side. I made a few changes to the team and the shape which made us look a lot more solid defensively. Getting the clean sheet was pleasing as it’s something we have been emphasising in recent weeks. Mark McCabe is starting to fulfil his potential and has been leading the line superbly in recent games. That said he will be the first to acknowledge the work the lads do in behind him to create his chances. We have put ourselves back in the mix for a top six position but know how quickly things can change and the game against Newington this Thursday will be a good test for us.’

Newry’s next match is on Thursday 16^th Feb against Newington, kick off at 7.45pm at Seaview, Shore Rd, Belfast. Newry City travel club bus will leave The Stonebridge at 6.15pm.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, S McCabe, McArdle, Curran, Mooney, Patton, Walker, McCann, M McCabe, Johnston, Hughes. Subs: Carville, Grant, McKeown, Taylor, King

Queens: Lally, Plant, Gibson, Harper, McManus, Hannon, Tumilty, Keenan, Rooney, Jones, Hughes. Subs: Orr, Keenen, O’Hare, Briers, Brown.

Photographs Courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

Due to the scheduled matches at Pairc Esler on Saturday, the second of which has a thrown in of 2pm we would advise those travelling to the Showgrounds on Saturday allow a little extra travelling time for their journey. With an expected crowd in excess of 5000 people traffic congestion and parking is likely to be at a premium. However the Newry city car park nearest to Armatile will be available for those attending Newry City AFC v Queens University only.

A goal on his debut for John Boyle helped Newry City to a 2-1 win away to Queens on Saturday in the first of back to back fixtures that the league schedule has thrown up for both sides. It was to be a bitter sweet debut for the Warrenpoint native as he will miss next week’s return fixture at The Showground’s having been sent off in the second half for two yellow card offences. That reduction in numbers didn’t stop his side securing three valuable points which puts them firmly in the mix for an all-important place in the top six in the league once the second round of fixtures are complete.

With the flat surface at the Queens complex suiting their style of play the first half belonged almost exclusively to Newry, goal chances for Mark McCabe and Paddy Mooney both saved by Queens keeper Declan Brown coming before Newry’s best bit of play in the half, Kevin McArdle taking the ball out of defence and after a one two with Keith Johnston laying the ball wide for Mark Hughes who under pressure found the side netting from an acute angle.

Newry came even closer to opening the scoring after half an hour, Timmy Grant winning the ball inside the Queens half before lobbing a pass into the stride of McCabe, his first time shot on the half volley from the edge of the penalty area smacking against the post with Brown well beaten.

Having weathered the Newry attack in the first period Queens started the second in a much more positive fashion and were unfortunate not to take the lead within two minutes of the restart, Matthew Hughes swinging in a cross to which Daniel Hanna got a glancing header, the ball coming back of the Newry goal post. The students were not to be denied as minutes later they grabbed the opening goal, Michael Allison picking the ball up wide on the Queens right wing, some poor defending from Newry allowing him to cut in field along the penalty area before drilling a shot through a crowded penalty box giving Peter Murphy little chance to save.

Newry answered in the best possible manner equalizing almost immediately, Grant rising highest to power a header on goal which Brown could only parry, Boyle the first to the loose ball blasting it into the roof of the net for a debut goal. On 65 minutes the visitors carved out another opening, Jimmy Walker playing the ball wide to McArdle again in an advanced position. From the end line McArdle pulled a clever ball back to Thomas McCann on the edge of the box, McCann most unlucky to see his placed shot clip the outside of the base of the post.

Newry suffered a major blow on 70 minutes when referee Mark Dillon, who had earlier booked John Boyle for hand ball, ruled that an innocuous coming together between Boyle and a Queens forward warranted a second yellow card and therefore a red leaving Newry with ten men for the remaining 20 minutes.

The visitors however were not about to sit on the draw and pushed forward almost snatching the lead on 75 minutes, Stephen McCabe breaking down the left wing before cutting across the end line and pulling the ball back for McCann who drilled a low shot on goal which Brown could not hold, grateful that it was a defensive boot that got to the loose ball first to hack it clear. On the tight Queens pitch it wasn’t all one way traffic and the home side had a glorious chance to take the lead on 80 minutes when Murphy stretched to punch away a dangerous cross, his clearance falling to Daire Rooney who volleyed the ball back over the keeper, most unfortunate to see it clip the post as it flew wide.

Newry answered on 86 minutes with a goal which was similar in build up to their first, this time Mark Patton rose highest to head on goal and once more the Queens keeper was unable to hold, Patton straight onto the loose ball, returning it across the box to Mooney who laid it back perfect for Jimmy Walker to blast a low shot straight into the bottom corner of the Queens net to win the game for Newry much to the delight of Newry manager Darren Mullen “After beating Banbridge last week we knew Queens would be difficult opponents and that proved to be the case. We had the lion’s share of possession in the first half with numerous chances but couldn’t convert them. The warning at half time was to move the ball quicker and up the tempo but at the same time be wary of getting caught on the break. As per last week we didn’t start the second half well and paid the price again. Thankfully we responded quickly with Boyler scoring on what was an eventful debut for him. I thought his sending off was harsh with no need for a booking for the first yellow card. At 1-1 with ten men most teams would have tried to play out for a draw but we are a team who won’t settle for a point and I knew we would create chances. Jimmy gave us that bit of spark we were missing and took his goal brilliantly. That’s three league wins in a row and all away from home so we need to keep that run going against Queens again at home”

 

NCAFC Team: Peter Murphy, Kevin McArdle, Stephen McCabe, John Boyle, Paddy Mooney, Mark Patton, Mark Hughes, Thomas McCann, Timmy Grant, Mark McCabe, Keith Johnston. Subs: Marcus McKeown, James Walker, Ian Curran, Josh Durnin, Jordan King.

A super hat-trick of goals from striker Mark McCabe helped Newry City return to winning ways at Dundela on Saturday securing three very valuable league points which puts them right back into the title race. There was however much more to Saturdays win over Dundela, Newry taking an early lead before conceding two quick goals after the break. That scenario has become all too familiar to the Newry faithful except on Saturday the Newry boys rolled up their sleeves and built a winning lead before toughing out the final 15 minutes with 10 men which pleased manager Darren Mullen “This was a really hard game and one where we are delighted to come away with three points. To be 2-1 down and come back in the manner we did can only be good for the player’s confidence. We’ve been on a poor run of late but the players have never dropped their heads and deserve great credit for turning this game around. Mark McCabe will rightly grab the headlines for his hat-trick especially for his second and third but as a team we worked so hard today. The coaching staff have continuously told the players that no matter what happens if they continue to work hard they will get their rewards. Thankfully that happened today against a Dundela side who will take points off a lot of teams this season especially at home. What we need to do now is take this confidence and work rate into the next game away to Queens.”

The tight confines of Wilgar Park usually mean that goals will flow and Newry had a great chance to open the scoring after only 5 minutes, Mark McCabe cutting the Dundela defence open giving Decky Carville a run-on goal, Jonathan Sergeant quickly off his line to block Carville’s shot. The visitors followed this up with another half chance, Keith Johnston whipping in a cross for Mark Patton to deflect onto the roof of the net with a glancing header. Play was end to end, the Newry goal getting a scare when James Sofley broke down the left wing before fizzing the ball across the face of the Newry net, the danger cleared by Stephen McCabe at the back post.

Newry obviously had their homework done with a changed game plan to hit the twin strike force of McCabe and Carville with long passes and this paid off after 22 minutes when Mark McCabe contested a long ball on the edge of the Dundela penalty area, McCabe the first to react after Sergeant flapped at the bouncing ball, the Newry striker grabbing the opportunity to stroke the ball through Dundela defenders into the net to give Newry the lead. Dundela also had chances, Peter Murphy producing a fine save to turn a shot from Ben Roy around the post. The final chance of the half came Newry’s way, to plan Murphy delivered a long kick out for Mark McCabe to win, knocking the ball down to Carville who was unfortunate to pull his shot wide of the far post.

The home side were quickly out of the blocks in the second half and soon had Newry on the back foot so much so that it looked only a matter of time until the equalizer came, a mixture of bad luck, bad finishing and an excellent save from Murphy keeping the Newry goal intact. However, the pressure had to tell and the equalizer duly arrived after 53 minutes, Roy unfortunate when his effort smacked off the post but equally lucky that the rebound fell perfectly for Mark McCelland to drill the ball past Murphy. With their tail’s up Dundela quickly went a goal up, McCelland setting up Jamie Jackson some 25 yards from goal, the winger giving the Newry keeper little chance with a dipping shot which ripped into the top of the Newry net to give his side the lead.

As they needed to do the Newry boys knuckled down in a bid to rescue the points. Indeed, the chance for the equalizer owed much to a strong fifty fifty challenge from Carville outside the Dundela penalty area, the ball breaking favourably for Mark McCabe. The Newry marksman still had much to do to score but he made it look easy nutmegging the first defender before shooting across Sergeant, the ball hitting the far top corner of the Dundela goal for a precision finish. Newry regained the lead on 65 minutes with a goal set up by the quick thinking of Thomas McCann, his free kick aimed to the feet of Carville on the edge of the penalty area not dealt with by Dundela, McCabe once more alert to the chance latching onto the loose ball before firing an unstoppable shot high into the Dundela net to give Newry a 3-2 lead.

And that’s how it stayed for the remaining 25 minutes despite Newry losing Decky Carville who was sent off for successive yellow cards for technical offences by the very competent referee Matthew Goodricke. That’s not to say Dundela didn’t have their chances to equalize the best of which came after 70 minutes when McCelland, who enjoyed 90 minutes of battle with Newry’s Marcus McKeown, managed to shake off his marker and looked to be clear for a run-on goal only for a perfectly timed challenge from Paddy Mooney who got across to clear the danger and ultimately secure the points for Newry.

Newry now travel to play Queens on Saturday 4^th February, kick off 3pm. Newry City travel club bus will leave The Stonebridge at 1:15pm.

Newry City AFC: Murphy, S McCabe, Mooney, Mullen, McKeown, Patton, McCann, Johnston, M McCabe, Carville, Hughes. Subs: Grant, Curran, Lowry, Walker, King.

Darren Mullen is delighted to announce the signing of John Boyle to Newry. “This signing is a big statement of intent for the club. We had been poor defensively of late and John is exactly what we need. He is a natural leader and comes with a wealth of experience not only in this division but having played premiership football for three seasons. To get someone of his stature is never easy but he believes in what we are trying to achieve at the club and hopefully he will be here for the next 3-4 years. I’m sure our fans will be delighted with this signing and I’ve no doubt he will improve what is already a strong squad.”

John Boyle commented “it has been a long hard week but I am very pleased with how it has all worked out. I know and have played with a lot of the boys and I am excited to catch up with them again and get stuck in to help with the promotion push! I know the club has big ambitions and I hope I can play a big part in helping to deliver that over the coming months.”

 

Photograph courtesy of Ally McKenzie