Newry U19s 1 – 0 LA Sand and Surf

Photo above: Liam Kehoe of Kehoe Kars Newry presents the Man of the match award to Rubén Salas from LA Sand & Surf. Also in the photo is the match referee, Joe Callaghan.

 

by Denis McGuinness, Newry U19 Manager

On our final pre season fixture with LA Sand & Surf before the season starts, it was not all about the scoreline. The guys travelling from America wanted to explore Newry and get to know the players and the surroundings from the place in which their senior coach Carl Dickson was born and raised. They traveled from Belfast this morning and had a light training session before lunch which was kindly donated by Courtneys. Then they went into the city to do a bit of shopping with a few of our players until it was time to return for the match.

The match itself was a great experience for both teams but especially the LA lads as they said the Showgrounds stadium and pitch was the best they have ever played on. Although a friendly, the game itself was very much contested and turned into an excellent battle which remained a stalemate until the last five minutes.  Paul Hadden, who is the reserves first choice goalkeeper, finished the game off in the unfamiliar position of central midfield and won a good challenge before threading through the pass of the night to speedy Paddy O’Connell who very calmly slotted into the bottom corner to win the match for Newry.

Kehoe Kars Man of the Match tonight was LA Sand and Surf defender Ruben Salas who was excellent keeping our strikers at bay most of the game. The Newry Man of the Match was Kyle Mooney for making some excellent saves to keep a clean sheet and secure the win for his new club after signing from Warrenpoint Town, just a week ago.

I would also like to give thanks to Gerry Hillen, Barry Trainor, Mandy McGuinness, Joe Callaghan and Sean Gaffney for all their work today and for helping to make the occasion a huge success for the club, both on and off the pitch.

Finally congratulations to my squad tonight who represented Newry City AFC on the pitch and afterwards in a very professional manner.

 

See Video highlights from the match below (Courtesy of Ally McKenzie):

Newry U19s looking forward to season ahead

Newry U19 Manager Denis McGuinness
Newry U19 Manager Denis McGuinness

by Newry U19 Manager Denis McGuinness

Myself and my assistant Paul Torley been busy over the summer months scouting for new players  and we have been very fortunate to add no less than 17 new players to the squad. I believe we have now got a squad capable of competing in the upcoming Lisburn League, who are running an under 19 league for the very first time. The league is compiled of top clubs such as Linfield, Portadown and Ballymena.

As like Newry senior team, we are doing our best to move the club forward to try and get Newry City AFC back to the highest level possible. The newly formed u19s have had some really good challenges during the summer friendlies and put up superb performances against Glenavon and Bessbrook United senior side. But the quality shown recently when the lads beat Oxford Sunnyside 5-0, with one of the new signings Abdul Azeez scoring his first hat trick for the club, was outstanding and very promising for the season ahead. Also, already this summer six youth players have made their reserve team debuts and U19 player Shealan Fegan made his first team debut, which is great to see.

This Monday night (15th August) we are welcoming a team from Los Angeles California to the Showgrounds, who are over for a tour of Northern Ireland. It will no doubt be another good challenge for our lads and a great experience for both sides. Kick off is at 7:30pm.

Finally, I would like to thank our new team sponsor Kehoe Kars for their generosity and support for the forthcoming season.

Newry kick off season with win

Newry City enjoyed a successful first game back in the ranks of the Irish League this afternoon with a 3-2 win against Moyola Park at the Showgrounds!

Goals from Timmy Grant, Marty Havern and Man of the Match Mark Hughes gave the hosts a resounding 3-0 lead going into the closing stages of this encounter before two quick-fire Moyola goals in the last few minutes ensured there would be a nervous finish to the match. But thankfully Newry held on to claim a historic win. Full match report to follow.

In other news at the club, Newry have been drawn away to Premiership side Glenavon in the first round of the Mid Ulster Cup. The game will take place on Tuesday 20th September, kicking off at 7:45 pm.

Manager’s Corner (12.8.2016)

As we prepare for our return to Irish League football this weekend there is a great sense of excitement about the club. We have worked extremely hard both on and off the pitch for this to happen. Once the players take the field there will be a moment to appreciate what we have done but that will quickly be replaced with a determination to keep pushing forward. I am under no illusion how difficult this season will be for us but it’s where we want and deserve to be. We have gathered a squad that we feel will be able to compete at this level and our preparations for the new season have gone very well. The games, training sessions, our away day and our hike up Slieve Donard have all helped to create a good team spirit. The new signings have not only added experience and quality to the squad but have contributed to what was already a very good atmosphere within the changing rooms.

It’s always nice to kick off our season at home but Moyola will offer a stern test in our first league game. With the league now condensed into 12 teams there really won’t be any easy games this season. We are going to have to adapt very quickly to a quicker, more physical league and a higher standard of football than we have been used to. That said we won’t be a pushover for any team and are more than ready for the challenges ahead. We have worked too hard as a group to bring the club back to this level and we intend to keep progressing. Our away draw to Ards in the league cup has been rightly described by many as a very tough draw especially as they were last year’s beaten finalists. However these are the games that we want to be playing in and we should be looking forward to testing ourselves against Premiership teams.

Credit must also be given to the work being done by the reserve and youth team management in preseason. They are all ensuring that the best young players within the area are being given the best opportunity to step up to first team football. This is by no means easy but it’s vital we have a continuous supply of local players feeding into the senior team. As with any team that progresses we have lost some players along the way and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Sean Hand, Mark Lowry and Ben Wilson all the best in their future careers. They have all contributed to the success at the club and will always be welcome at The Showgrounds.

Finally I would like to thank our sponsors and fans who continue to back the club. Whilst we are working hard to achieve success on the pitch we couldn’t function without your unwavering support off it. Hopefully we can continue to give you something to cheer about and I can guarantee you that we will give all that we have to continue the good work at the club.

Yours in Sport,

Darren

NCAFC Academy Manager required

Newry City AFC is currently accepting applications for the position of Academy Manager. This is a voluntary role and will involve coordinating coaching sessions, training, attending games and general administration of the youth academy. It will also involve liaising with the senior coaching staff at the club. Applications are to be emailed to darren@newrycityafc.co.uk detailing previous experience and relevant coaching qualifications.