Tomorrow’s match against Seagoe has been postponed due to an unplayable pitch.
Category: Senior
Newry smash five past Lurgan!
Newry City AFC regained sole possession of the league’s top spot with a comfortable victory over visitors Lurgan Town at the Showgrounds on Saturday. Played almost throughout in bleak rain swept conditions this was a game Newry never looked likely to lose though it did take them until the second half to break the deadlock and eventually pull away.
Playing into strong wind and rain in the first half Newry played the way they know best with neat passing and movement on the ground creating their first good chance after only two minutes when James Walker slipped a through ball to Mark Lowry who’s shot was tipped onto the crossbar by Davison in the Lurgan goal. Newry continued to press and were unlucky when a Gary McVicker cross found Neil Barr, who had judged the flight of the ball better than his marker to find some space inside the box, only for his shot to be blocked on the line.
Walker was also enjoying his role as playmaker, taking and giving passes. On twenty minutes Patton and debutant Paddy Mooney linked well down Newry’s left before finding Walker. Walker in turn slid a first time pass to Chris McMahon arriving at the edge of the box, his shot on the run saved by Davison. Although it was virtually one way traffic Newry were wary of a wind assisted break from the Lurgan side, Joel Annett having to be spritely in a race with Hamilton for a long through ball which the Lurgan player seemed to have won only for Annett to nip in to deflect the ball for a corner. This was as good as it got for Lurgan in attack and the play was soon back in their half with Walker again the instigator spraying the ball wide for Niall Crilly. When Crillys high cross was caught by the wind Davison, who later went on to make some fine saves, misjudged its angle and dropped the ball to the feet of Barr only to be bailed out by Carson who deflected Barr’s shot for a corner keeping the half time score 0-0.
Newry resumed on the attack in the second half, again with neat passing creating opportunities the first of which fell to Walker his curling shot with the outside of his right foot being well saved by Davison. Newry opened the scoring on 53 minutes when a Gary McVicker clearance was latched onto by Mark Lowry. When Lowrys first attempt to pass was intercepted he was quickly onto the loose ball before passing to ace goal scorer Barr on the edge of the box, Barr took one look up before unleashing a shot into the far top corner of the Lurgan net to put Newry 1-0 up. Barr rather fortuitously soon doubled Newry’s advantage when he deflected a Mooney shot from the edge of the box past Davison for number two. Mooney was not to be denied his goal for long however and again his chance was crafted by Walker who found him inside the box with a deft chip. Mooney still had a lot to do as he flicked the ball over the defenders head and allowed it to bounce before crashing a half volley off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Newry continued to attack in numbers and at this stage it looked like more goals were sure to come. Goal number four duly came from the unlikely boot of right back Crilly who had an excellent game both in defence and in bolstering the attack. Unlucky with his first effort from inside the box which was parried wide by the goal keeper Crilly stayed with the attack and was in the right place at the right time to nick the ball to the net after Davison had blocked another shot from Patton. Newry’s fifth and final goal of the day was scored by another debutant. McVicker, the other full back was also venturing forward at will and his persistence in the tackle paid dividends on 75 minutes when he forced a ball through to Andy McLarty who’s shot was excellently diverted round the post by the overworked Davison. Debutant McLarty also was not to be denied however as he nipped in at the front post to divert Sean Hand’s corner to the net to make the final score 5-0.
This was an excellent squad performance from Newry. Manager Darren Mullan will be delighted with the options that he now has at his disposal. Composed at the back where Murphy was rarely troubled with Paul McElroy outstanding, the rest of the players worked hard throughout at first to break the dead lock and then to enhance the goal difference with most of Newrys attacks instigated by Man of the Match Jimmy Walker.
Newry now look forward to their next league game, next Saturday 1st February away to Seagoe. The NCAFC travel club will be running a bus to this game. The bus will leave the Stonebridge @ 13:00hrs.
Newry City AFC Team: Murphy, Crilly, McVicker, Annett, McElroy, McMahon, Walker, Lowry, Patton, Barr, Mooney. Subs Hand (Lowry) McLarty (Mooney) Edgar (Annett) Thompson, Campbell.
Photography courtesy of Brendan Monaghan.
Newry v Lurgan Town match on Destination Newry
The match between Newry City AFC and Lurgan Town will be screened today by local Media Outlet Destination Newry at approximately 4:30 pm. To view the game, click the image below.
MOTD on early this Saturday!!
Newry City AFC are pleased to announce that tomorrow’s Intermediate League B game v Lurgan Town will be shown on Destination Newry TV. This can be viewed through either a ROKU LT Media Streamer Box or via a link from the Newry City AFC Website.
http://www.vadio.ie/newrycityafc
The deferred coverage of whole game is scheduled for tomorrow at approximately 16:30hrs and will be screened in the Newry City AFC Social Club. Well known dedicated NCAFC fan Mo Ruddy will be joined by our very own David Anderson in the commentary box. So, make sure you don’t miss out and tune in!!
Remember, It’s Your City, It’s YOUR club!!
Newry taste defeat in Marshall Cup.
Newry City’s first competitive fixture for four weeks on Saturday ultimately ended in a Marshal Cup exit to Hanover FC on a sodden Portadown pitch. Whilst the Newry management will not be happy to bow out of another cup they will have been glad to blow away the December cobwebs in time for the more important league fixtures to come.
The Newry boys, in the early stages of the game, however were not showing any signs of rustiness and could have been three goals up inside the first ten minutes. First Peter Thompson glanced a headed effort from a Niall Crilly cross narrowly wide. This was immediately followed by another Newry attack, Chris McMahon finding centre forward Mark Patton wide on the left wing forty yards from goal. Patton beat the defender and cut inside before unleashing a right foot dipping shot which looked destined for the far top corner only to smack off the cross bar. And Patton was soon involved again when he controlled a Peter Murphy kick out before setting up Shane Lundy on the edge of the box, Lundy’s first time shot flying over the bar.
On the half hour mark the spectators were given an insight of what was to come in the second half when a mix up in the Newry defence left goal keeper Murphy stranded out of his goal, the Newry net saved by the quick thinking of Paul McElroy who took up position on the goal line right on time to head a looping shot away from under his crossbar. McElroy also had the final chance to score in the first half when he volleyed over after Patton had headed a Lundy corner back across the box. The second half started disastrously for Newry when they gifted a goal to Hanover. In control of the ball in the middle of the field a poorly executed back pass put the Newry defence under pressure and choosing to play their way out of trouble spurning at least two opportunities to hoof the ball out of danger before a further back pass to Murphy was intercepted by a Hanover attacker who slipped his shot past the keeper for the opening goal.
In response the Newry management made two attacking substitutions bringing on Neil Barr and Mark Lowry to play up front with Patton. On the hour mark Crilly and McMahon again combined on the right wing for McMahon to put in a low cross which Barr met on the volley, his shot however not troubling the Hanover keeper. Barr had better luck minutes later for the equalizing goal. A McMahon free kick to the back post was headed across the six yard box by Patton, was helped towards the goal by Lowry and Barr stooped low to head in from close range for a deserved goal to level the score.
At this stage all the Newry attacking play was coming from their right flank. On 70 minutes Crilly picked the ball up in his defensive position before embarking on a fine solo run skipping past four Hanover tackles which took him to the edge of the home box before laying the ball off to Lowry who had his shot was blocked. The Crilly and McMahon partnership was to the fore for Newry’s next chance, McMahon using the overlapping Crilly as a decoy to give him space to float a pin point cross which found Patton between two Hanover defenders, Patton’s header alas missing the target.
Looking much the more likely team to score Newry were stunned with 10 minutes remaining when a Hanover corner found a home attacker completely free inside the 6 yard box and unchallenged he had little trouble planting his header past the helpless Murphy from close range. Newry resumed on the offense, as they had to, in search of another equalizer and in the final minutes they forced a series of corners which eventually bore fruit when a Lundy corner from the right bounced around the box before being forced over the line by Joel Annett to make the final score 2-2.
Two 10 minute periods of extra time could not separate the two sides and the tie was settled on penalty kicks which the home side won easily scoring their first 4 with only Neil Barr registering for Newry. On a soft slippy pitch played in almost constant rain this will be a game that Newry will be keen to forget and to concentrate on important league games to come.
Man of the Match: Chris McMahon
Newry City AFC: Murphy, Crilly, McElroy, Annett, McVicker, Edgar, Walker, McMahon, Lundy, Thompson, Patton. Subs: Barr, Lowry, McClarty, Campbell, Curran.