Newry City cemented their position at the top of Mid Ulster football with a comfortable victory over Broomhill at The Newry Showgrounds on Friday night.  Although the win was secured with four first half goals like many previous games this season the foundation for the win was yet another clean sheet, a fact which was not lost on manager Darren Mullen  “Whilst it’s good to score another four goals it’s also very pleasing not to concede a goal. We have been very solid defensively conceding only nine goals in thirteen league games and that work starts from the front three. Anyone watching us this season will see how hard the whole team works off the ball. Our first half performance was some of the best football we have played this season. In comparison to last week we moved the ball quicker in the right areas and our movement off the ball caused them all sorts of problems.

“Kevin McArdle scored two, set up the first and has been a great addition to the team which shows the benefit of Robbie Casey’s role at the club. With the adverse weather our pitch hasn’t been in great condition but that hasn’t stopped us playing the way we like to and it’s a credit to the players in adapting to it. Although we didn’t score in the second half we still played well and were rarely troubled. We are now at the half way point in the league and I’ve no doubt the players will continue to work equally as hard in our quest for success.”

The home side opened the scoring after ten minutes with a beautifully worked goal started by Chris McMahon. Receiving the ball on the half way line McMahon made ground into the Broomhill half before picking out McArdle at the back post with a diagonal pass. In turn McArdle cushioned a header back across the box to Newry’s goal machine McMullan who nodded the ball back over the advancing Broomhill keeper to put Newry a goal up.

It was all Newry pressure with chances coming thick and fast. On 20 minutes a home corner was cleared to the edge of the box from where Jimmy Walker picked his spot in the bottom corner of the Broomhill net only to be denied by an excellent diving save from Mark Gough. Minutes later and Gough was once more in action, Walker cutting the Broomhill defence apart with a ball inside the left back which Paddy Mooney ran on to before drilling a ball across the box which Keith Johnston met with a first time shot unfortunately straight at a grateful Gough.

On 25 minutes those involved in goal number one repeated the dose for number two. Again McMahon made his way forward before playing a neat ball into the feet of McMullan who wasted no time laying the ball into the path of McArdle as he arrived inside the box, McArdle firing a first time shot into the Broomhill net to double Newry’s advantage.

And five minutes later Newry’s stand out player on the evening McArdle grabbed his second courtesy of a strong challenge from Thomas McCann which won possession and then a clever pass from Walker which picked out the run of McArdle into the box, the Dundalk man taking one touch to beat his marker before shooting across Gough into the far bottom corner of the net to wrap the points up for the home side with only 30 minutes on the clock.

That however didn’t end the scoring in the first period, goal number four for Newry coming on 40 minutes when McMahon released Johnston on Newrys left, the winger speeding past his marker before threading a ball across the face of goal and with McMullan waiting to tap in a Broomhill defender got there before him to turn the ball into his own net to put Newry four goals up at the break.

The second half never scaled the entertainment heights that the first had set, the momentum for the home side seemingly lost minutes into the second half when a poor tackle on the recently introduced Conor McCaul saw the stylish defender stretchered off but thankfully after treatment able to take his place on the bench. And so the second half was notable only for two moments, Johnston rattling a shot from 25 yards off the Broomhill crossbar and a fine save from Newry keeper Peter Murphy who had to show quick footwork along his goal line to save at the base of the post after a diagonal ball to the back post found Broomhills Ben Steen, his downward header turned around the post by Murphy for a corner.

Newry City’s next game is on Saturday 27^th Feb away to Ballyoran in the Marshall Cup, kick off 2pm. Newry City travel club bus will leave The Stonebridge at 1pm sharp, all are welcome.

There will also be a fundraiser on Saturday night (27^th Feb) in association with NCAFC in Belinis Bar & Restaurant Newry. The evening will include a quiz, raffle, auction and live music from David Anderson. Doors will open at 8.30pm, £5 entrance.

Newry City AFC Man of the Match: Kevin McArdle

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

Photographs  Courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

The Newry City AFC Committee and Management would like to congratulate Newry City AFC First Team player Jimmy Walker on his recent call up to the Northern Ireland Regions Squad.

Speaking to Newry Manager Darren Mullen he commented “Jimmy’s call up to the Regions Squad is not only a great boost for him but also for the club. He has always been a very talented footballer but because he has bought into the work ethic that we have installed in the squad his game has greatly improved. It’s also a tribute to his teammates who have helped Jimmy develop and we are all delighted that he is representing the club in this manner.”

Newry City moved seven points clear at the top of the table with a resounding win over AFC Craigavon at The Showgrounds on Saturday. In a game which marked Newry manager Darren Mullen’s 100^th competitive game in charge five goals from the league’s top goal scorer Sean McMullan and one each from Keith Johnston and Neil Mullen completed a seven goal winning margin which could easily have been doubled were it not for the heroic effort’s of Craigavon goal keeper Martin Geoghan who produced a string of top class saves.

The first of these came after only two minutes when a Newry corner was cleared to the edge of the box from where Jimmy Walker curled a shot which was destined for the top corner of the Craigavon net only for Geoghan to dive full length to tip the ball around the post.

From the resulting short corner Geoghan was at it again this time to thwart a low drive from Kevin McArdle.  He was however unable to stop McMullan from opening the scoring with seven minutes gone, the big man composing himself after being tripped inside the box to earn his side a penalty which he calmly slotted past Geoghan to put Newry an early goal to the good. Such was Newrys dominance that in the next ten minutes they could very easily have been out of sight were it not for some wasteful finishing and more excellent goal keeping by Geoghan.

On ten minutes a flowing move down the Newry right wing ended with Mark Lowry finding McMullan inside the box. In turn he laid the ball into the path of Johnston who’s low shot from the left side of the box was blocked for a corner by the advancing Geoghan.  The danger had not gone however as the corner was cleared to the edge of the box from where Thomas McCann drilled a shot towards the top corner which needed another one handed diving save from Geoghan.  The visitors struggled to get out of their own half but held Newry until the half hour mark when Walker picked the ball up midway inside the Craigavon half, skipped past tackles and from 25 yards out forced Geoghan to push the ball around the post with another diving save. From the corner the pressure had to tell and again it was McMullan, nipping in front of Geoghan to help Ian Curran’s header over the line to put Newry 2-0 up at the break.

Newry started the second half as if they meant business, grabbing number three shortly after the restart. McCann surged forward from his own half before finding Walker.  Walker slipped the ball to McMullan who side stepped his marker before picking his spot in the bottom corner of the Craigavon net.

On 55 minutes Newry almost made it four, Johnston spotting that Geoghan was off his line and from some 40 yards out hit a dipping shot which cannoned off the junction of post and cross bar with the keeper beaten.  It was to be 4-0 however minutes later when McArdle swung a cross from the right wing straight onto the head of McMullan who planted his header back across Geoghan and into the Craigavon net for his and Newry’s fourth goal.

On the hour mark Geoghan was in action again, this time diving low to his right to stop a Paddy Mooney shot from the edge of the box and he followed this with an even better save from Walker after the Newry playmaker had got on the ball wide on the right, waltzed his way in field before curling a shot to the far post which Geoghan somehow got to to tip round his post.

The home support had to wait until the 83^rd minute for goal number five. With Craigavon unable to get out of their own half Neil Mullen stayed forward after a corner and was in the right place on the edge of the six yard box to turn a loose ball into the net to put the home side 5-0 up.

On 85 minutes it was six, from the right wing Mark Lowry pulled a low ball back across goal, Mark Patton helped it on and cleverly McMullan stepped over the ball allowing it to run out to the corner of the box where Johnston met it first time with a curling side foot shot high into the far top corner of the Craigavon net for a picture goal.

And there was still time for McMullan’s fifth, the returning Sean Hand marauding forward from defence before slipping a pass through the centre of the Craigavon defence which Patton diverted into the path of McMullan who with fleet of foot rounded the keeper and finished to the net to top of a comprehensive win for Newry.

Obviously content after the game Newry manager Darren Mullen was also not getting carried away  “ It’s not too often we will win a game 7-0 and still find room for plenty of improvement but that was the case in this game. We started well but were poor for the remainder of the first half. Our decision making, distribution and running off the ball wasn’t good enough and we made hard work off the amount of possession we had. The second half was a lot better and we ran out easy winners. The good thing is the players also know we can play a lot better especially with tougher games to come. Sean McMullan deserves a lot of credit for his five goals and is having a terrific season. His confidence is sky high and although he will admit he’s not the quickest anymore his speed of thought is a lesson for any young striker. The games will be coming thick and fast over the coming weeks but we are more than ready for the challenges ahead.’

Newry City AFC: Murphy, Mooney, Curran, Mullen, McMahon, Walker, McCann, McArdle, McMullan, Lowry, Johnston Subs: McCaul, Hand, Patton, McVerry, Edgar

Newry City’s next game is this Friday, 19^th February at home to Broomhill in an Intermediate League A fixture. Kick off 7:45pm