This season Loughgall Youth under 9s played 7 a side matches. Next season the boys will move up to play 9 a side matches. In order to prepare the boys for this they played Hillsborough Boys in a friendly and came out with a 6-2 victory.

The Youth took the lead through a Chris Lindsay shot after about 5 minutes. Sam Kerr doubled the lead and then on the stroke of half time Josh Irwin made it three.

In the second half Hillsborough pulled two goals back but Sam Cochrane made it 4-2 with a fine shot and then Sam Kerr made it 5-2 before Josh Irwin scored direct from a corner right on the stroke of full time.

The Youth had John Forde in goals and apart from pick the ball out of the net twice was a virtual spectator throughout. In defence they started with Jordan Bentley, Nathan Stoops and Peter Spence The guys all played very well and looked solid throughout. Andrew Bond came on as a sub and he performed well as well.

In midfield they had Matthew Monaghan on the right. He was outstanding from the start creating chances and having a few shots himself. In the centre of midfield was Josh Irwin and Sam Cochrane. They both covered every blade of grass on the pitch and both were on the scoresheet as was Chris Lindsay who started on the left. Marcus Stevenson came on and played in the centre of midfield during the second half and he looks to be one for the future with his running at defenders and his tenacity in the tackle.

Up front Sam Kerr played and chipped in with two goals.

Overall a satisfactory start to the 9 a side matches and special mention to Matthew Monaghan for his brilliant performance on the right hand side of midfield. His all round display was excellent with his wing play, tracking back and he was unfortunate not to score on a few occasions with excellent strikes.

Squad: John Forde, Jordan Bentley, Nathan Stoops, Peter Spence, Josh Irwin, Sam Cochrane, Matthew Monaghan, Chris Lindsay, Sam Kerr, Andrew Bond, Marcus Stevenson.

Loughgall Youth took part in the Loughgall tournament on Saturday.  They played 5 matches in their group winning 2, losing 2 and drawing 1. They ended up with 7 points which meant finishing third in their group and unfortunately this meant they took no further part in the tournament.

In the first match they played Portadown Boys and drew 0-0. The Youth dominated the match going close on numerous occasions with the closest being a Josh Irwin shot which struck the post. Indeed their failure to convert chances nearly cost them dear with Sam Kerr pulling off a great save at the end of the match.

In their second match the Youth beat Celtic Boys from Belfast 3-1. James Black opened the scoring with a fine shot and he then turned provider for the second crossing for Chris Lindsay to open his account. Chris added a second to put the Youth three up before Celtic pulled one back at the end.

The third match saw the Youth lose 2-0 to Ballinmallard. Two defensive errors by the Youth were punished by the visitors. A misplaced pass was intercepted and the Ballinmallard forward made no mistake with the finish. The Youth had chances to equalise through Jordan Bentley and Sam Cochrane but they could not find the net. Nathan Stoops then went close with a freekick and then in the final minute a free kick from distance gave the visitors a 2-0 victory.

The fourth match saw a 2 -0 victory against Moira with Chris Lindsay and Jordan Bentley scoring the goals.

The Youth went into the final game knowing a victory over St Marys would take them through to the quarter finals but they could not find a way through the St Marys defence and then conceded a goal to go down 1-0.

It was disappointing not to progress to the next stage of the competition. Too many of the boys did not perform to their true potential today but despite this today overall a very encouraging season. Well done boys.

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott, Josh Irwin, James Black, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley, Chris Lindsay, Sam Cochrane

Loughgall Youth

Loughgall Youth took part in the Sunnyside tournament on Saturday.  They played 4 matches and lost 3 and won 1.

In the first match they lost 2 -1 to the hosts Sunnyside. They went a goal down but fought back bravely to equalise through a Jordan Bentley header. Alexander Black had a great chance to put the Youth ahead at the start of the second half but put his shot wide of the post.  Sunnyside then went up the park and went and front and held on to the final whistle.  To only lose 2 – 1 to Sunnyside shows how far the boys have progressed.

In their second match the Youth beat Windmill from Newry 2-0 with Josh Irwin and Chris Lindsay scoring the goals.

The Youth lost their final 2 games 1-0 against Warrenpoint and Banbridge. Loughgall controled both games but just couln’t score with Warrenpoint and Banbridge having one shot each and scoring on both occassions!!

The results were disappointing but the performances were encouraging and all the boys can take heart from their performances and look forward to the Loughgall tournament this Saturday .

Sam Kerr pulled for some crucial stops against Sunnyside , Ryan Scott and Nathan Stoops were impressive at the back, Josh Irwin was the engine in midfield, with the Black twins , James and Alexander, playing well on the wings. Jordan Bentley and Chris Lindsay worked well up front.

The Youth finsihed the day with off with a resounding victory over Sunnyside Colts with Alexander Black scoring a hat-trick, Chris Lindsay and Sam Kerr both scoring 2 and Nathan Stoops scored a cracker from about 25 yards, his first of the season.

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott, Josh Irwin, James Black, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley, Chris Lindsay

Loughgall Youth completed their matches at the Development Centre on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Banbridge Town and a 3-1 victory over Lurgan Predators.

In the first match against Banbridge Town the Youth went 1-0 down but fought back to win 2-1. The first half saw the Youth go 1-0 but they bombarded the Banbridge goal striking the woodwork a a couple of occasions in the first half.  The second half was much of the same with the Youth playing some tremendous football and they were rewarded when Jordan Bentley scored the equaliser.  Sam Kerr made a good save to keep the scoreline at 1-1 and then in the last minute Jordan scored his second of the match and the winner to give the Youth a deserved win.  Nathan Stoops played well at the back along with debutant Daniel Brown.  Josh Irwin and Sam Cochrane pulled the strings in midfield and the Black twins tormented Banbridge down the wings.  Jordan was the star of the show with his hold up play and goals vital in the victory.

In the second match the Youth recorded a deserved  3 – 1 victory over Lurgan Predators.  Daniel Brown made way for Chris Lindsay in this match with Chris going up front and Jordan Bentley moving to defence.  After conceding a goal against the run of play the Youth fought back and equalised through Josh Irwin after he quickly closed down the Lurgan defender and poked the ball home.  Nathan Stoops, Chris Lindsay and Alexander Black all went close but the score remained 1-1 at half time.  In the second half a James Black corner was turned into his own net by the Lurgan defender to give the Youth the lead.  Chris Lindsay should have made it 3-1 minutes later when he controlled the ball, went through on goal but scuffed his shot making it easy for the keeper to save.  The Youth did not have to wait long before they made it 3-1.  Chris Lindsay was brought down on the edge of the box and James Black smashed the free kick home to give the Youth a deserved 3-1 victory.  All the boys can be pleased with this result and performance.  Sam Kerr was again solid in goals and Nathan and Jordan missed nothing at the back.  Josh and Sam again dominated the midfield and James and Alexander worked hard on the wings along with Chris up front.

Overall another pleasing and encouraging day for the Youth. Well done to you all and we can now look forward to the 2 tournaments coming up at Sunnyside and Loughgall over the coming weeks.

Since Christmas the statistics at the Development Centre have been as follows:
P22 W13 D3 L6

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Daniel Brown, Josh Irwin, James Black, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley, Sam Cochrane, Chris Lindsay

Player of the day was Jordan Bentley
 

Loughgall Youth

Similar to last week, Loughgall Youth played Portadown Youth and St Marys. They were beaten 3-0 by Portadown Youth and then defeated St Marys 3-0.

In the first match against Portadown the Youth the scoreline of 3-0 to Portadown did not really reflect the balance of play. Portadown had three chances and scored all three. Loughgall Youth had about 80% possession but could not convert it into goals. The Black twins, James and Alexander, celebrating their ninth birthday, were enjoying plenty of possession on the wings. Jordan Bentley, and then Jamie Cupples who came on at half time, worked hard up front but had no real chances. Josh Irwin and Sam Cochrane worked hard in midfield with Sam unfortunate not to score with a half chance. At the back as usual Nathan Stoops and Ryan Scott were immense. The goals to be fair to them were 3 crackers from Portadown and there is nothing that could have been done about them. Apart from pick the ball out of the net, Sam Kerr had nothing to do between the posts. Although the result was disappointing the boys could not be faulted for their effort and performance.

In the second match the Youth recorded a deserved 3 – 0 victory over St Marys. It was all one way traffic from the start with Jamie Cupples opening the scoring. It all started from the back with Josh Irwin feeding Nathan Stoops with a pass. Nathan looked up and found James Black with a pass and his cross was met by Jamie Cupples at the back post to make it 1-0. The second goal was also started at the back with Ryan Scott starting the move and he fed the ball to Chris Lindsay who made no mistake with the finish. The scoreline remained at 2-0 at halftime but there were further chances to increase the lead but a combination of good goalkeeping from the St Marys keeper and the woodwork kept the score the same. The second half was much the same with several players going close especially Josh Irwin, Alexander Black and Nathan Stoops. Special mention must go to James Black who terrorised the St Marys defence from start to finish with his tremendous wing play. He hit the bar, hit the post and we all thought it was going to be one of those days were he just was not going to score. He kept persevering and when a corner he took was cleared, the ball fell back to him. He beat the defender, looked up and beat the keeper with a fine shot. Well done James, you deserved your goal and your performance was excellent as was that of all the boys. Sam Kerr did what he had to do when called upon. Nathan and Ryan won everything at the back. Josh and Chris worked hard in midfield. The twins were immense on the wings and both Jamie and then Jordan worked hard up front.

Overall another pleasing and encouraging day for the Youth. Well done to you all and enjoy your Easter break. You deserve it.

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott, Josh Irwin, James Black, Chris Lindsay, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley, Jamie Cupples, Sam Cochrane

Player of the day was James Black

Loughgall Colts

Loughgall U9 Colts continued their recent run of excellent form recording their sixth game unbeaten on Saturday, with a draw and a victory.

The unavailability of players meant that it was a much changed Colts that took on Lurgan Vapors in their first match. It took time for the lads to settle and it was no surprise when Lurgan took the lead giving Sam Cochrane in goals no chance. However barely a minute had passed when Jordan Bentley went on a mazy run down the right and crossed for Jack Somerville to equalise from close range for his third goal in as many weeks. Lurgan once more took the lead after a defensive mix-up let them in for an easy score but with a second half resumption to more or less their normal team, Loughgall raised their game and pressed for the equaliser. The Colts forward line of Jamie Cupples, Matthew Monaghan and Jack piled on the pressure and it was fully deserved when Sam Cochrane now playing once more in midfield struck a sweet shot into the bottom corner. As the game swung again Lurgan regained the lead and it looked like Loughgall had thrown the match away. This was until Matthew Monaghan bravely won the ball, passed to Chris Lindsay who beat two defenders. His shot was saved but as the ball broke in the penalty area Jamie Cupples pounced to turn the ball into the net for Loughgalls third equaliser. There was still time for James Ballantine to send a long range effort narrowly wide and for Sam to bring out a wonderful save from the Lurgan keeper but the match finished 3-3 and it was probably a fair result.

The second match was against Dromore Amateurs and the lads were determined to finish the Mid Ulster Development Centre season with a win. Certainly the Colts started well and Chris scored an excellent and well deserved goal to give them the lead. However, Dromore were not to be rolled over and soon struck back. John Forde in the Loughgall nets had already pulled off a couple of great saves but was finally beaten and Dromore made it 1-1. It was all Dromore at this stage and it got worse for the Colts as Dromore took the lead. It took last ditch tackles from Andrew Bond and Josh Irwin and the strong presence of Nathan Stoops to prevent Loughgall falling further behind. Into the second half with Matthew Monaghan covering every inch of the pitch the Colts dragged themselves back into the match. Matthew won the ball in his own penalty fed Sam who played a perfect through ball to Jamie, he ran half the length of the pitch and coolly slotted the ball into the net for his 2nd goal of the day. Loughgall were on fire and pushed forward for their third, this arrived thanks to Matthew who capped off a superb performance with a well taken goal. This proved to be a fully deserved winner for the Colts with a final score of 3-2.

Well done to all the lads, two good performances, a great never give up attitude and an example of how far the lads have come this season.

Squad: John Forde, Andrew Bond, Josh Irwin, Nathan Stoops, James Ballantine, Chris Lindsay, Matthew Monaghan, Jamie Cupples, Jack Somerville, Sam Cochrane Jordan Bentley

Player of the day: Matthew Monaghan-tenacious tackling and determination to succeed.

Loughgall Youth

Loughgall Youth under 9′ recorded a draw 1-1 against Portadown Youth and then defeated St Marys 2-1 on Saturday.

In the first match against Portadown the Youth drew 1 -1.  The Youth took the lead through Alexander Black.  They were in total control but conceded a goal right on the stroke of half time.  Sam Kerr had to go off at halftime due to illness and Jordan Bentley took his place in goals but had virtually nothing to do.  Portadown put more pressure on the Youth in the second half but the defence held firm with Nathan Stoops and Ryan Scott in outstanding form.  One particular tackle in from Nathan Stoops deserves special mention.  The dangerous Curtis Murphy was through on goal and Nathan timed his tackle to perfection to prevent a certain goal.  Josh Irwin again played brilliant in midfield.  The Black twins on the wings again caused havoc and Alexander nearly won it for the Youth right at the end when his header from his brother James corner went narrowly wide.  Chris Lindsay also blazed one over the bar at the end.  Jamie Cupples came on up front in the second half and worked hard.  Tried as best as they could they could not find a winner but well done boys for the performance you put in.

In the second match the Youth recorded a deserved  2 - 1 victory over St Marys.  The first half was all one way traffic with Jamie Cupples opening the scoring and then James Black doubling the lead before halftime.  They both had chances to increase the lead as did Alexander Black and Chris Lindsay but the St Marys keeper kept them in the match.  The Youth tired in the second half and slightly lost their way.  St Marys pulled a goal back but the ever reliable Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott and Josh Irwin kept St Marys at bay to give the Youth a deserved victory.

Overall another pleasing and encouraging day for the Youth. Well done to you all.  

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott, Josh Irwin, James Black, Chris Lindsay, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley, Jamie Cupples

Player of the day was Nathan Stoops

Loughgall Colts

Loughall Colts won both their matches defeating Lurgan Vapours 1-0 and Dromore 2-0.  The match against Lurgan was a very close affair with the Colts shading the first half and Lurgan the second half.  A draw would probably have been  fair result but in the last 30 seconds the Colts scored the winner courtesy of an own goal.  Sam Cochranes corner was met by Calvin Holland and Morgan White pressured the Lurgan defence and caused one of the Lurgan defenders to put into his own net.  John Forde was outstanding in goals as was the defensive partnership of Andrew Bond and Calvin Holland.  Sam Cochrane and James Ballantine were impressive in midfield as were Matthew Monaghan and Jack Sommerville on the wings.  Morgan White worked tirelessly up front.  Well done boys for your excellent performance which was rewarded with a victory.

Against Dromore the boys won 2-0 with Morgan White and Jack Sommerville on the score sheet. It was all one way traffic from the start with Sam Cochrane going on a mazy run and finishing with a fine shot which went narrowly past the post. Morgan White then opened the scoring for the Colts with a fine shot.  In the second half Matthew Monaghan was unfortunate not to score with an overhead kick and James Ballantine had 2 good efforts on goal as well.  When Dromore ventured forward Andrew Bond and Calvin Holland broke up every attack and it wasn`t long before the Colts went two up courtesy of a composed finish from Jack Sommerville.  There was no further scoring but overall a great display and performance from the Colts.

Well done boys.  Your performances deserved and were rewarded with two victories.

Squad: John Forde, Andrew Bond, Calvin Holland, James Ballantine, Matthew Monaghan, Morgan White, Sam Cochrane, Jack Sommerville.

Player of the day was Calvin Holland

Loughgall Youth

Loughgall Youth under 9′ recorded two victories on St Patricks day. They defeated Banbridge 3 – 2 in the first match and then in the second match, and for the first time this season they defeated Lurgan Predators 1 – 0.

In the first match against Banbridge the Youth won 3 – 2. The Youth were made to work very hard for their victory. They showed tremendous character to come from a goal down to lead 2 – 1 at half time. Jordan Bentley scored both goals in the first half. The first was a real classic with Jordan beating the Banbridge defender and lashing an unstoppable shot into the back of the net. The second saw Nathan Stoops hit a free kick which the keeper saved, but he could only push it into Jordans path and he poked it into the net. The second half saw the Youth go 3 – 1 up with Chris Lindsay lashing in his 20th goal of the season from about 15 yards but all credit for his goal must go to the impressive James Black who never gave up chasing the Banbridge midfielder. He won the ball, played it through to Chris who made no mistake. Indeed James nearly added to the scoreline with a great effort which brought a stunning save from the Banbridge keeper. The Youth had further chances to increase their lead but failed to take them and when Banbridge scored a second the Youth were made to sweat for the last few minutes but they held on for a very commendable victory. All the boys played their part in the victory. Similar to last week, Sam Kerr in goals virtually had nothing to do apart from pick the ball out of the twice. Nathan Stoops and Ryan Scott played well at the back. James and Alexander Black produced tremendous wing play and as usual Josh Irwin bossed the midfield. Jordan worked tirelessly up front and was rewarded with two goals and Chris scored a good goal as well.

In the second match the Youth recorded a deserved 1 – 0 victory over Lurgan Predators. This was the first time this season they have beaten Lurgan. The goal came courtesy of an own goal after great play from Jordan Bentley. The first half was all one way traffic with the Black twins of James and Alexander running the Lurgan defence ragged. James was unfortunate with two good efforts and Chris Lindsay also went close. Right on the stroke of half time the Youth took the lead. A James Black corner caused panic in the Lurgan defence and Jordans Bentleys tenacity resulted in a Lurgan defender putting the ball into his own net. The second half was a more even affair with chances at both ends. Chris Lindsay blasted one over the bar and a Jordan Bentley header also went narrowly wide but the Youth held on for a memorable victory. Special mention must go to Sam Kerr in goals who made two stunning saves at the end of the second half to preserve the lead. Nathan Stoops and Ryan Scott were outstanding at the back. The Black twins worked tirelessly on the wings and Josh was again the lynchpin in midfield. Jordan played in midfield in this match with Chris moving up front and both played their part in the victory.

Overall another pleasing and encouraging day for the Youth. The boys can take heart from their performances and were rewarded with two victories. Two victories and two excellent performances. Well done to you all.

Squad: Sam Kerr, Nathan Stoops, Ryan Scott, Josh Irwin, James Black, Chris Lindsay, Alexander Black, Jordan Bentley

Player of the day was Sam Kerr
 

Loughgall Colts

It was a welcome return to winning ways for the Colts last Saturday when they took on Banbridge Juniors and Lurgan Vapors and were victorious in both matches.

Loughgall came out firing against Banbridge putting the reds defense under pressure from the onset. The lads were playing good passing football and it was fully deserved when Morgan White opened the scoring with a well taken shot after being put through by the ever dangerous winger Jamie Cupples. Shortly afterwards it was two when Jack Somerville, playing only his second match for the Colts pounced at the back post to bundle the ball over the line. With a 2-0 lead the Colts were sitting comfortable as the 2nd half started, Sam Cochrane and James Ballantine were immense in the midfield, controlling the match, leaving John Forde in the Loughgall goals as a virtual spectator. There were no further goals and the match finished 2-0 to the Colts despite the lads best efforts to increase their lead.

In the next match Loughgall came up against a tough Lurgan side, against whom they have battled all year. The Colts however, were on top form, with Jack on the left and Jamie on the right causing the Lurgan defence all kinds of problems. Just as in the previous match the deserved breakthrough came courtesy of Morgan White who gave the Colts the lead with an opportunist strike after Lurgan had failed to clear a Jamie Cupples corner. Morgan struck again minutes later, getting his head to a ‘Rory Delap’ type throw from Sam at the back post. After the half time break Lurgan tried their best to respond, but they could find no way through Andrew Bond and Calvin Holland in the Loughgall defence. Both lads threw themselves into tackles to ensure there was no way back for the Vapors. Even when Lurgan did break through the ever dependable John in goals was equal to every threat. Indeed in was the Colts who looked more like scoring, Jamie, Sam and James all had efforts saved as the Colts pushed forward. The final score of 2-0 did not fully reflect Loughgalls’ dominance in what was probably their best all round team performance of the year.

Squad: John Forde, Andrew Bond, Calvin Holland, Jack Somerville, Jamie Cupples, Sam Cochrane, James Ballantine, Morgan White

Player of the day: Sam Cochrane, inspirational display covering every inch of the pitch