Newry City were dumped out of the Irish Cup in a foul ridden game at The Showgrounds on Saturday during which the visitors had eight players booked and another sent off along with their assistant manager, a price which the visitors would no doubt accept for a tactic which set about stifling Newry City’s football style from the kick off.

Without creating any clear cut chance’s the early exchanges belonged to the home side, the Newington goal threatened early only when a diagonal ball from Mark Hughes had to be turned wide at the back post by Matthew Reid as Stephen McCabe closed in. With a quarter of an hour gone Newry managed to slip the home defence, once more Hughes delivered the cross for Decky Carville, who had beaten the Newington off side trap, to try his luck from the penalty spot with a headed effort which flew wide of the post with Newington keeper Dean Smyth rooted to the spot.

In reply Newington also had a half chance, Richard Gowdy turning to make room on the edge of the box only to be denied by a late block from Conor McCaul. In a game littered by both petulant and nasty tackles any fluency which Newry looked like bringing to the game was snuffed out by a succession of fouls for which it somehow took to the late stages of the game before a player was dismissed from the pitch.

The visitors opened the scoring with 20 minutes gone. In a heavily congested box there appeared to be no way to goal for Newington until a clever back heel flat footed the Newry defence giving Sean McCauley the chance to toe poke a shot past Peter Murphy.

Newry’s reply was swift. Jordan King with a long pass to the feet of Carville, the big man playing a one two with Marty Havern before cutting back inside his marker and drilling a low shot past Smyth to level the scores. The rest of the half belonged to Newry with King, Hughes and Mark McCabe all showing up well, the later the most unfortunate after he won the ball wide on the left before switching infield and firing in a speculative shot which had Smyth diving to save.

Newington regained the lead early in the second half.  Well placed with a free kick midway inside the Newington half the home side imploded, first by not getting the dead ball into the Newington penalty area and subsequently by getting out numbered in defence, Newington breaking swiftly up the right flank before switching the ball to the back post where Neil Quinn was left with an open goal which he simply could not miss.

Similar to the first half Newry created a super chance straight after conceding, Mark McCabe rising highest to knock the ball down to Carville who was unlucky as the ball bounced high denying him the chance to get power onto his shot which still tested Smyth. The keeper doing well to block the ball to the edge of the box from where Thomas McCann, who had been on the end of several overly robust challenges attempted to guide his shot into the far top corner once more Smyth coming to his teams rescue.

With Newry piling forward in search of an equalizer and Newington seemingly prepared to deny them by whatever means tempers were becoming frayed, matters culminating when the referee ordered Stephen McCabe from the dugout as he reacted to yet another foul in front of the Newry bench.

And as so often happens when a team piles forward in search of an equalizer Newry were caught with a second Newington breakaway goal, Murphy coming much too far off his line in an attempt to act as sweeper exacerbated by blasting his clearance straight at Newington’s Conal Burns who was fortunate to see the loose ball rebound towards the Newry goal leaving him with the simple task of walking the ball into the empty net.

To their credit Newry refused to give up, Smyth forced into a fine save diving full length to get his finger tips to deflect a Hughes free kick onto the cross bar, the ball swirling up in the air to the far post where McCabe’s header was deflected wide for a corner. But in reality the tie was gone for the home team with manager Darren Mullen in philosophical mood after the game “This was a harsh lesson for us and the only positive is that it was in a competition that we were never going to win. I thought the referee lost the game in terms of discipline early on and that set the tone for the rest of the game.

“We were the best team in the first half but in the second became embroiled in seeking retribution for some bad tackles rather than concentrating on our own game. As with every game we need to learn something from it and from today’s we now know that we need to be cuter in dealing with a physical game. It was a really good test which unfortunately we came out the wrong side off but if we can learn from it both individually and as a group then we will be a better team from it.”

 

Newry City Team: Peter Murphy, Neil Mullen, Jordan King, Ian Curran, Conor McCaul, Chris McMahon, Mark Hughes, Thomas McCann, Declan Carville, Marty Havern, Stephen McCabe. Subs: Sean McMullan, Keith Johnston, Mark Patton, Mark McCabe, Padraig Smith.

Newry City now return to league duties travelling next Saturday, 8^th October to play Tobermore. NCAFC Travel Club bus will leave the Stonebridge at 12:30.

Photographs courtesy of Brendan Monaghan Photography.

Newry City secured a semi-final spot in the Bob Radcliffe Cup with a 4-2 win over Mid Ulster opponents Tandragee at The Showgrounds on Saturday. Despite a first half deluge of rain both sides served up an entertaining cup tie and although Newry looked the more likely winners throughout the visitors as always proved to be dogged opponents the tie not safe until Sean McMullan’s late goal.

With a close recent history between the teams Newry would have expected a tough game against Tandragee but apart from a few early feisty tackles, which went unpunished by referee Glen Buchannan, the home side had things much their own way in the opening period, Decky Carville coming close with only minutes on the clock after Mark Hughes switched the direction of play releasing Stephen McCabe down the left wing, his low cross met by Carville at the front post with a first time effort just the wrong side of the post. Newry’s second chance came minutes later, Marty Havern picking the ball up in the middle of the park before driving forward playing two give and goes first with Jimmy Walker, the second with Carville which presented Havern with a shooting opportunity from the edge of the box, unfortunate to pull his shot wide of the far post.

It was all Newry possession at this stage and the opening goal was not long in coming. Once more Havern picked the ball up inside his own half before moving forward, exploiting a gap between two Tandragee midfielders to burst into the opposing half before laying the ball into the box for McCabe to run onto and with the deftest of flicks dink the ball over the advancing Richard McGivern for a super goal.

Despite dominating play it took the home side a further 15 minutes before they created another chance. Once more Hughes was the architect, holding play up outside the box before playing the ball wide to Havern, his cross to the back post nodded wide by Jimmy Walker. Newry doubled their advantage on the half hour mark when Neil Mullen played a superb long cross field pass which was lost in the air by the Tandragee right back, McCabe making the most of the lapse picking out Carville with a low cross which the striker clinically finished past McGivern.

With Tandragee having seen little of the play that appeared to game over but the visitors had other ideas pulling a goal back on 40 minutes when Peter Murphy did well to push a low free kick which skipped off the wet surface wide of the goal only for Chris Mackle to latch onto the rebound and somehow score from an acute angle. The home side had chances to regain the two goal advantage before the break both of which fell to Havern, first a header back across goal which was easily claimed by McGivern and then a blasted shot after being set up by Hughes, once more McGivern came to Tandragees rescue to leave the half time score 2-1 to Newry.

Tandragee had a great chance to level the score soon after play resumed when Johnny Black beat the Newry offside line before closing in on goal only to be denied by a fine reaction block from Murphy. The danger was far from gone as the rebound fell straight to Cecil Corbitt who had the whole goal at his mercy but somehow missed the target screwing his shot wide. Newry were soon to need Murphy again, this time Corbitt beat the offside trap before crossing low across goal finding Mackle arriving into the box, his first time shot requiring a reaction save by the Newry keeper.

Newry were stung into action and came close to goal number three, Carville cutting the visitors defence with a slide rule pass which gave Havern sight of goal, the wee man choosing to go for power only to find McGivern once more in his path to goal. There was nothing McGivern could do with Newrys next chance. Receiving a throw in midway inside the visitors half Walker had time to spot that Hughes had peeled off the Tandragee centre half swinging in a perfect cross which floated over the centre half perfect for Hughes to place his header wide of McGivern to put Newry 3-1 up.

The game was still not won, Tandragee pulling a goal back on 75 minutes after they were awarded a very soft free kick outside the Newry box. The danger appeared to have passed when Aaron Gallagher scuffed his shot into the box but the Newry boys failed to deal with the loose ball which fell to Corbitt who made up for his earlier miss from close range. Although the home goal did not come under any threat for the remainder of the game it took Newry until the late stages to finally kill off their opponents, Carville playing the ball wide for Havern who crossed to inside the six yard box from where McMullan was never going to miss to end the Tandragee challenge to put his team into the semi-final.

 

 

Speaking to Manager Darren Mullen after the game he commented “As per several of our other games not taking our chances makes games more difficult than they should be. We had enough chances to win two games and need to start finishing teams off earlier.

They had a great chance to equalise but we were well worth our victory and can now look forward to a semi-final appearance. The conditions were difficult at times but I thought some of our attacking play was excellent. It’s good to get back to winning ways and there’s a great spirit among the lads so hopefully we can continue to build on our good start to the season.”

Next Saturday (October 1st) NCAFC welcome Newington FC to the Showgrounds in the second round of the Irish Cup, KO 1.30pm. Tickets are still available for our ‘Audience with Dermot Gallagher’ which is taking place next Saturday night. Contact Laura on 07857077176 for tickets & info.

Newry City AFC Team: Peter Murphy, Neil Mullen, Jordan King, Mark Patton, Ian Curran, Thomas McCann, James Walker, Mark Hughes, Declan Carville, Marty Havern, Stephen McCabe. Subs: Sean McMullan, Keith Johnston, Josh Durnin, Padraig Smith, Mark McCabe.