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 28^th 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 26^th) 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.

Newry City secured another valuable three points in their quest for promotion on Friday evening with a very comfortable victory against Richhill at the Newry Showgrounds. Indeed this was a match which was virtually over as a contest after only four minutes with any thoughts of a surprise result having been ruled out by two early home goals which set the scene for a comfortable victory.

The match got off to the very best possible start for Newry with one of the fastest goals ever scored at the Showgrounds. It was Richhill who kicked off and immediately played the ball to Jeff Richardson at left back. Mark Patton who is at the top of his game at the moment, having been awarded the Newry player of the month for March before the game, hurried Richardson into a poor clearance which was intercepted by Sean Hand. Hand made some ground before playing a pass into the path of Patton who got the reward for his early industry as without breaking stride he deflected the ball into the corner of the Richhill net to put his side into the lead after only 13 seconds.

Early chances kept coming Newrys way with Gary McVicker forcing Gary McCoo into a fine save with a drive from thirty yards and then Patton came close with a headed effort from the resultant corner. The home fans did not have to wait long for goal number two. Chris McMahon rose highest to win a Richhill kick out, his header falling to Shane Lundy. Lundy played the ball to the feet of Patton who returned the compliment as Lundy continued his run into the box before placing his shot into the far corner of McCoo’s net for goal number two.

Richhill gradually edged into the game and Newry had Niall Crilly and Peter Murphy in turn to thank for maintaining the lead, first Crilly with a goal line clearance with 10 minutes gone and then it was Peter Murphy’s turn quickly off his line to block a close range attempt on goal.

The home side weathered this phase in play and stretched their lead on 20 minutes when Jimmy Walker swung a corner in from the left and with a mixture of Newrys Joel Annett and a Richhill defender jumping in front of him McCoo missed with his attempted fisted clearance, the ball missing everyone else and sailed into the back of the Richhill net for a Walker goal to put Newry 3-0 up.

Even though they were 3 goals to the good it was not until the 25^th minute that Newry started to play the passing football which has seen them dominate so many games this season. From a move which started on the right with passing between Hand, Patton and Crilly before the point of the attack was switched to the left wing where McMahon and Lundy combined giving McVicker the chance to pick out Patton with a cross to the back post, the Newry striker unfortunate to see his header back across goal miss the far post for what would have been a picture goal. Unfortunate on this occasion Patton really should have had his second and Newry’s fourth goal on forty minutes. Again he was involved in the build this time with Hand combining to release Neil Barr inside the Richhill box. Barr unselfishly squared the ball across the goal line leaving Patton with the simple task of tapping home only for the Newry striker to take his eye off the ball at the crucial moment leaving the ball to roll harmlessly wide.

Patton made amends for this miss straight after half time. Again it was a Walker corner which brought the danger to the Richhill net as Paul McElroy rose highest to meet his cross with a powerful header which was blocked on the goal line with Patton the first to react pouncing onto the rebound and driving the loose ball to the net for his second goal of the night.

Patton’s hat trick goal which came on 55 minutes to put Newry 5-0 up was perhaps the best of his three. McMahon won the ball inside his own half and immediately dissected the Richhill defence with a long through ball which Patton ran onto now with a clear run on goal. Full of confidence Patton took his time forcing McCoo to dive to his left before slipping his shot into the centre of the goal for a hat trick which along with his involvement in just about every Newry attack sealed his Man of the Match award.

Newry captain McMahon delivered an equally incisive ball on 66 minutes which completely took the Richhill defence out of the game and left the recently introduced Mark Lowry with a chance to score, Lowry most unfortunate to see his lobbed effort beat the keeper but to then bounce on the six yard line and over the cross bar.

McMahon was winning all the tackles in midfield and on 68 minutes he made good use of more ball which he himself had won, again beating the Richhill defence with a long pass this time releasing Barr wide on Newrys right wing with clear sight of goal. With time to compose himself Barr took his time before curling a beautiful left foot shot into the far top corner of the Richhill net for goal number six.

Richhill continued to compete and got a little reward for their spirit when Brent Murray latched onto a loose ball inside the Newry penalty area on 75 minutes and hit a dipping half volley which gave Murphy little chance as it went into the Newry net clipping the underside of the cross bar on the way.

Newry were not to be outdone on any front on the evening however and had the last word on the goal scoring chart when Lowry, who had been unlucky with a few previous efforts was on hand to nod a rebound into the net after the Richhill keeper had been unable to hold on to a Barr effort from the edge of the box leaving the final score 7-1.

Newry manager Darren Mullen was delighted with his team’s performance “We could not have wished for a better start scoring, albeit fortunately in the very first minute. From then on we were the dominant team and kept imposing our high tempo pressing game on Richhill. To score seven goals is always pleasing and it leaves us in a great position to gain promotion. We can also win the league by winning another two games but all we are concentrating on is the next match against Bourneview Young Men on Thursday night. Hopefully we get another big crowd down to the Showgrounds and get a win that can set us up for Saturday.”

Newry City AFC: Murphy, McVicker, Crilly, Annett, McElroy, Hand, McMahon, Walker, Lundy, Barr, Patton (Man of the Match) Subs: Lowry, McCaul, Edgar, Mooney, Martin, Campbell.

Newry City’s next game is at home to Bourneview on Thursday 24^th April kick off 19.30 at the Newry Showgrounds. Newry are then away to Richhill on Saturday 26^th April with a 14:15 kick off. Newry City travel club bus will leave the Stonebridge at 13:15hrs.

Cover photo courtesy of Brendan Monaghan.