Newry City AFC Manager Darren Mullen and Captain Chris McMahon joined Kevin McAllister on Q Radio Station yesterday, speaking about the clubs success at the weekend winning Mid Ulster Intermediate B ahead of the presentation of the cup tonight after the Newry City AFC v Laurelvale game.
Click on the link below to listen to their interview again.
Newry City secured the Mid Ulster Intermediate League B title with games to spare at Richhill on Saturday. In what has been a tremendous first season for the reformed club, the reserve team having already won the Wilmor Johnston cup, this was the turn of the first team to claim some silverware and more importantly take the first step in a long ladder in their quest to bring senior football back to the city of Newry.
Obviously many people have worked long and hard to get the club to this point but none more so than the visionary manager Darren Mullen who perhaps had the biggest smile after Saturdays win “It’s been a terrific end to a long 20 months since we decided to reform the club. A lot of work has gone on both on and off the field in that time. I told the players before the game that they had the chance to create a bit of history and that’s exactly what they did. We have been the best team in the league and we will look forward to receiving the league trophy on Tuesday night. It gives our loyal fans, sponsors and all those who helped us rebuild something to celebrate after all that has gone on at the club.”
As for the game itself, as with so many of the previous games this season, Newry played some terrific passing football and ran out convincing 4-0 winners. They almost went a goal in the lead after only four minutes when Conor McCaul rose highest to win a Jimmy Walker corner only to see his effort cleared off the goal line by a Richhill defender stationed at his back post. The game swung immediately to the other end of the field for the home side’s best chance of the day which needed a goal line clearance from Niall Crilly, for the second game in a row, to keep the Newry goal secure.
The opening goal was not long coming. On seven minutes Neill Barr, on the edge of the box with his back to goal, controlled a pass from Chris McMahon before laying it back to Jimmy Walker. Walker worked his way across the edge of the box to create a shooting angle before shooting low into the corner of the Richhill net to put Newry 1-0 up. 
Newry doubled the advantage on 22 minutes through Mark Patton. Crilly was again involved battling down the right wing to win a throw in which he took himself. Patton, who has been in tremendous goal scoring form of late, rose majestically to power a header from the middle of the penalty area past the helpless Richhill keeper to put Newry well on their way to securing the points. Crilly almost grabbed a goal for himself on the half hour mark and a picture goal it would have been. Gary McVicker floated a ball from the half way line to Barr who nodded it down to Patton on the edge of the box. Patton spotted Crilly steaming up from his right back position and laid the ball into his path, Crilly drilling his shot from 30 yards out inches over the home crossbar.
The game was over as a contest on 56 minutes thanks to Barr’s 29th goal of the season. McMahon sprayed the ball wide to Crilly who took a moment to look up and with the defence expecting a long cross to Patton at the back post Crilly picked out Barr at the front, Newry’s top scorer stooping to head the low cross into the top corner of the net.
The best goal of the day was manufactured by the Man of the Match Jimmy Walker on 70 minutes. The Newry midfield maestro who had given an exhibition of ball skills all day picked the ball up on the half way line and skipped past tackle after tackle as he took the ball to the by line before pulling it back across goal where it was met on the volley by Mark Lowry who deftly flicked it past the Richill keeper for the fourth and final goal of the game.
From that moment on the 90th minute could not come soon enough for the large contingent of Newry supporters who joined in with the players on the pitch for scenes of celebration on the final whistle.
However with three league games and hopefully a cup run to come its back to business for the players on Tuesday night when they will be presented with the league trophy after the home match against Laurelvale which kicks off at the Newry Showgrounds at 19:30. Tonights match at the Showgrounds is FREE in for everyone:
https://newrycityafc.co.uk/?p=3163
Destination Newry will also be covering tonights match at the Showgrounds with Mo Ruddy & Gareth McCullough commentating once again.
Newry will then travel to Broomhedge on Saturday 3rd May with a 2:15 pm kick off. The Newry travel club bus will leave the Stonebridge at 1pm, all welcome.
Newry City: Murphy, Crilly, Annett, McCaul, McVicker, Hand, McMahon, Walker, Lundy, Barr, Patton. Subs: Lowry, Edgar, Martin, Campbell, Anderson, Mooney.
Admission to tomorrow night’s match against Laurelvale is FREE for all men, women and children!
After the game the league trophy will be presented to the team, so get down to the Showgrounds for what is sure to be a great night’s entertainment!
Newry City AFC moved within one victory of winning the Mid Ulster Intermediate B title with a comprehensive victory over Bourneview Young Men at the Showgrounds on Thursday night. After a game in which both sides could have had many more goals than the five which all came the way of the home team Newry now turn their sights to Saturdays away fixture at Richhill where a win will secure the league title for the reformed club in it’s first season.
Although Newry eventually dominated they started the game slowly, their first attempt on goal coming after thirteen minutes when Chris McMahon rose highest to win a Jimmy Walker corner but was unable to get above the ball, his effort going narrowly over the crossbar. However, the second chance which came the Newry captain’s way on 17 minutes was much more to his liking. Niall Crilly took a short ball from his keeper Peter Murphy and fed Sean Hand wide on the right wing. Hand skipped past a few Bourneview challenges bringing him level with the edge of the box from where he drilled over a low cross which the Bourneview defence could only clear to the danger area just outside their own box. Having anticipated the clearance McMahon was the first to react meeting the ball at full pace and cracking the sweetest of shot’s off the underside of the crossbar and down into the net with a little help from the back of the prostrate Bourneview goalkeeper for the opening goal of the evening. 
Surprisingly Newry did not immediately build on this goal and sandwiched between home chances Bourneview spurned two excellent chances of their own. On the half hour mark Newry broke quickly from inside their own half with Neil Barr spearheading a three on two attack. Barr took the ball to the edge of the Bourneview box before choosing to pass to his right to Hand who was unfortunate to see Andrew Neill in the Bourneview goal advance quickly from his line to smother his shot. Spurred by this Bourneview made two excellent chances in as many minutes, first Crilly came to his sides rescue instinctively positioning himself behind Murphy to make a goal line clearance and then Dale Compton and Wayne Holland engineered a clean break away from the Newry defence leaving Holland with only the keeper to beat, Murphy fast off his line to narrow the target, the Bourneview man unfortunate to see his lobbed shot bounce wide of the Newry goal.
Newry continued to play possession football content to build slowly from the back. On 38 minutes Gary McVicker took the ball from deep in his own half and picked out Walker on the Newry left. Walker turned inside and played a one two with Mark Patton across the edge of the box which gave him a clear sight of goal, Bourneview again saved by the legs of keeper Neill. McVicker was not to be denied. With three minutes of the half remaining he found space to receive a quick throw out from Murphy and immediately played a long ball down the left wing where Barr had got himself isolated with the Bourneview right back Ross McDonald. Barr won the race for the ball, shrugged off McDonalds challenge on the side line and bore down on goal before drilling a right foot shot from the corner of the box past Neill and into the far side of the Bourneview net to double Newry’s advantage at half time.
Ten minutes into the second half Barr claimed his 28th goal of the season. Again McVicker was involved linking up with Shane Lundy, McVicker overlapping his winger before laying the ball back to Lundy who swung in a tantalising cross which Neill could only punch to the edge of the box where Barr controlled with his first touch and with his second smashed the ball into the roof of the net for goal number three. 
Bourneview continued to compete and went close to scoring on 65 minutes when a powerful Mark Boyce header from a corner forced Murphy to fling himself to his right to save. This was the start of an action packed ten minutes which saw chances both missed and taken.
On 67 minutes McMahon won the ball in yet another tackle and found Hand on the halfway line. Hand instantly played a through ball to Barr on the edge of the Bourneview box with passing options on both sides. Barr went for goal forcing another excellent save from Neill in the Bourneview net. Two minutes later Hand and McVicker set up Patton on the edge of the box, the big man full of confidence from a hat trick last time out shooting first time to the corner of the Bourneview goal to put Newry 4-0 up. Two minutes later Newry were at it again Walker shooting from outside the box with Neill doing well to get his body behind the ball but unable to hold it, the ball spilling out to Hand who was pulled down in the act of shooting, the referee having no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Alas goal number 29 did not come Barr’s way, the Newry top scorer pulling his spot kick wide.
The final goal scoring opportunity came the home side’s way on 75 minutes. Mark Lowry won possession inside the Bourneview half and laid the ball back to Crilly. Crilly immediately looked for Patton finding his striker with an incisive pass through the Bourneview defence, Patton running onto the ball and calmly sliding his shot under Neill for the fifth and final goal of the game.
Newry manager Darren Mullen was typically keen to keep a lid on expectations after the game “It’s another good performance and takes us within touching distance of the title. We never looked troubled but our passing in the final third in the first half was letting us down. The second half was a lot better in terms of tempo and our movement off the ball. As with a lot of our games this season our superior fitness told in the later stages of the game allowing us to finish the game off. It set’s us up for a chance to seal the title this weekend. Saturday is a massive day for the club and we will be treating Richhill with the utmost of respect and the game itself as just that, another game.”
Best for Newry in another team performance were Gary McVicker and Paul McElroy in defence whilst Mark Patton was again involved in most of the attacking plays. However Man of the Match was Chris McMahon who simply never stopped running, tackling, passing and enthusing those around him and topped all of this with a picture goal which all but the meanest of dubious goals panels would award to the Newry captain.
Supporters Bus to Richhill leaves the Stonebridge tomorrow (Saturday 26th) a 1.15pm sharp!! All are welcome.
Newry City Team: Peter Murphy, Niall Crilly, Joel Annett, Paul McElroy, Gary McVicker, Chris McMahon, Jimmy Walker, Sean Hand, Mark Patton, Neil Barr, Shane Lundy. Subs: Mark Lowry, Conor McCaul, David Anderson, Graeme Edgar, Joe Campbell, Stefan Martin, Andy McLarty.
Bourneview YM Team: Andrew Neill, Ross McDonald, Mark Smith, Andrew Topley, Dale Compton, Gary Hill, Steven Elliott, Jeff McElure, Mark Boyce, Jeff Neill, Wayne Holland. Subs: Tom McClelland, Wayne Kelly.
Photographs courtesy of Brendan Monaghan.
Both Peter and Niall’s selections failed to win on Saturday! Rather than picking teams again next week, both men have agreed to split the prize money, pocketing £250 each. Well done lads!
Thanks to everybody that took part in the competition, it was great craic but more importantly it raised plenty of money for the club. We’re hoping to run another one for the start of next season.
