South Antrim 2nds 2-4 Lisnagarvey 3rds (J.Semple, N.Wilson)

With South Antrim 1sts and 3rds not in action last weekend, it was all eyes on the club’s second XI. The 2nds continued their build up to their Junior 1 league campaign with a hard fought match against Lisnagarvey 3rds at Friends' School. The young South side started brightly creating a number of chances in the early exchanges. Though Garvey inevitably came into the game more as the half wore on, the South defence, marshalled by debutant Matt Frazer, coped admirably with all that the Hillsborough outfit had to throw at them. To the credit of the inexperienced South Antrim team, the scores were level at half time. Lisnagarvey began the second half determined to make up for the lack of goals in the first period. After an extended spell of intense pressure Garvey took the lead with a neat finish. Credit to the Lisburn team that they did not let their heads go down and they came back into the game strongly. It was through some expert wing play from another South Antrim debutant Chris Arnott, on the left side of the pitch that lead to the first short corner of the half. From this set piece Chris Redpath slid the ball towards the back post for John Semple to expertly deflect home bringing the home team level. After this Garvey showed what has made them an ever present in Junior 1 over the last number of seasons, scoring 2 quick goals whilst the Lisburn team were tiring from chasing the game for the majority of the second half. The home side they played to the final whistle and were duly rewarded. Late on, some neat stick work by schoolboy Jamie Dawson bought him time to find James Brown in the Lisnagarvey circle. Brown played a precision pass to Mark Conn through a crowded D, who in turn laid the ball off for Neil Wilson to power home a deserved second goal for the home side. Have seen chances go begging throughout the game, the South know they should’ve salvaged at least a point from the game. Thanks must go to George Redpath for umpiring the game

South Antrim 4ths 0-0 Ballymena 1sts

South Antrim 4ths continued their cup run against a strong Ballymena side with a hard fought draw.  Their unbeaten run still intact, largely due to the heroics of Ashley Sloan between the posts.  The 11 men in red and black played with a lot of heart in a tense affair, without the advantage of any substitutes against the experienced former Senior 2 side.  In an even first half, chances were hard to come by. Ian McElhenny was unlucky to be unable to continue with his fine goal scoring form after a chance was created by good work down the right hand side by Kurtis Gamble who was a livewire all game.  Both teams’ Keepers had a desire to keep clean sheets, with Ashley Sloan making numerous good saves to keep his side in the game.  In the second half Ballymena started strongly with a lot of possession and asked a lot of questions of South Antrim’s make shift defence. However, the Lisburners defended resolutely as a team, from the forwards all the way back to the goal keeper.  The ball did end up in the back of South’s net close to the end of the match but thankfully it was correctly disallowed due to first in the build up.  South 4ths can be very proud of a hard fought point in a very even game in which neither team could feel begrudged with sharing the spoils.

South Antrim 5ths 3-0 Mossley 5ths (J.Massey, P.Davis x2)

Following last week’s heavy defeat, South’s captain, Trevor Wallace, arranged for the team to arrive 2 hours before push back for the match against Mossley 5s for a tactics session. When the game started, South burst out of the blocks and pressed the Mossley defence high up and where rewarded with a string of short corners. However, the Mossley keeper prevented John Massey's efforts from the set pieces. Mossley looked dangerous on the attack but Davis marshalled the South defence well to nullify any danger. With it 0-0 at half time, South started the second half looking to capitalise on their hard work. 10 mins in, a Mossley free in the South end broke down, Massey picked up the ball on the 23 line and with a turn of pace that surprised the opposition, sprinted up the pitch with only Adam Pyper able to support. A neat one-two pass around the last defender allowed Massey to tap in from close range as South took the lead. Shortly after, South won another short corner. With Massey off the pitch, recovering from his exertions, Davis stepped up and buried it into the bottom corner with a cannon of a hit.  Mossley pushed hard for a goal and won several short corners. South Keeper Andrew Wallace saved the first, Captain Trevor Wallace turned a drag flick round the post for the second and from the third, Davidson cleared off the line.  Again South countered from the break down and sweeper Davis received the ball in the Mossley circle and drilled the ball across goal, into the left hand corner to seal a 3-0 win.

South Antrim Ladies 1sts 4-0 PSNI Ladies 1sts (A.Dugan, J.Clarke, A.Patton, V.Donaldson)

South Antrim Ladies 1Xl started their season last Saturday with a display of such talent that shows that they are well prepared for the challenges of the season. The extra training sessions have proved their worth as the ladies stole the three points from the PSNI side at Stormont. In the opening minutes the South forwards and midfield moved the ball at ease across the width of the pitch, putting their opposition under constant pressure. Vicky Donaldson (Player of the Match) and Charis Rodgers dribbled around the PSNI defenders at will, winning many corners for their team, however, the opening goal didn’t come from a set piece, but from a sublime piece of individual skill in the form a reverse lob by Alex Dugan. The South ladies proved unstoppable in the second half as any loose balls were quickly intercepted by the keen eyed South defenders and sent immediately back towards the PSNI end. Again, PSNI found themselves struggling in the game as two more goals were added in quick succession, by Vicky Donaldson and Amy Patton respectively. Donaldson’s quick thinking led to a fourth goal when she sent the ball to an awaiting Jo Clarke, who scored from the left post. Netting 3 points and with 4 goals in their favour has sent the ladies to the top of Senior 4. Thanks to Brian Wilson for umpiring and to those who travelled to show their support for the ladies in their opening match.

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 2-0 Banbridge Ladies 4ths (C.Niblock, L.Fitzpatrick)

South Antrim Ladies 2nds continued their very promising start to the season with a solid performance against Banbridge at their home ground at Friends School. Getting off to a bright start from the off, Amy Wright slotted the ball out right to Laura McConnell who gave Lucy Fitzpatrick a chance at goal but was denied by the Banbridge keeper. Continuing with some fine play across midfield Wright slotted the ball to Fitzpatrick again at the top of the circle and this time she hit a screamer into the corner of the goal to put the girls ahead.  Banbridge worked hard to get the ball into the home circle but solid defending from Natalie Lowry and Louise Boyd kept them from posing any real threat to the South goal.

South continued to dominate with Bethnay Lockhart working hard in midfield and Laura McConnell getting the ball to the South forwards giving Sarah Ferris another chance to score but solid Banbridge defending kept them at bay.  Banbridge started the second half keen to push forward but good defending from Nicole Bell and Holly Stanfield enabled South to continue to push forward.  Carly Niblock kept the pace up down the right flank worrying the Banbridge defenders eventually getting just reward for her efforts with a well taken goal from a rebound from the Banbridge keeper. South continued to dominate to the end and some great performances from the young players throughout, including Anna McFarlane and Emily Hassardm gives South plenty to look forward to in the forthcoming season.  Players of the match were Lucy Fitzpatrick and Bethnay Lockhart and thanks to William Redpath(Jnr) for umpiring.

South Antrim 0-7 Instonians

The third match of South Antrim’s kirk cup campaign saw them make the trip to Shawsbridge to face tournament favourites Instonians. Even with a win against Newry last week, the team new they would have to be at their very best to come away with anything from the game.

As expected, Instonians started with the majority of possession but could do little with it. South defended well in numbers and when given the chance, broke with pace. Mark Gray started to find space down the right and soon hit a teasing cross to the back post but Ward Phillips at full stretch couldn’t get a glancing touch. This warning shot seemed to spur Instonians on and soon after they won their first short corner after finding feet in the circle. 1st XI debutant keeper Ian Glass saved brilliantly from the drag, only for an Instonians striker to tap in the rebound. South continued to battle well with Paul Maguire and Matthew Getty combining brilliantly down the right with a series of one twos, leading to James Brown having a deflection going just wide. Soon after, Ward Phillips took down a Getty ariel pass from midfield over a high Inst line. Phillips hit a teasing cross between keeper and defender that found Jack Redpath in the circle, but he couldn’t manage to find the net with his reverse stick effort. On the stroke of half time Inst’s continued pressure forced another short corner, which in similar fashion to the first, went in following a rebound.

With South very much still in the game, the second half saw Instonians come out all guns blazing. South found themselves penned in their own half, but continued to defend well. Ian Glass continued to make fine saves keeping the score at 2-0. South had little in the way of clear-cut chances with James brown providing their only shot on target in this half. Moving into the last 15 minutes, Inst switched to a full press. With less space to work with, South struggled against their more experienced opponents, the high intensity defending started to take its toll. A combination of sloppy passes and tired legs saw more mistakes creep into South’s game, letting Inst dominate. When South thought they’d broken the press, an errand in the opposition pass saw Inst race up the pitch in numbers, overloading the South defence and pass into the net for a goal. After this the goals came thick and fast, Inst demonstrated some fine hockey and scored four without reply, including an Inst forward robbing a defender of the ball then waltzing past four tackles to score a great solo goal. The Lisburn men will need to learn quickly if they are to match Inst for more than just the first half when they meet in the League.

 
South Antrim 3rds 3-2 Campbellians 2nds (N.Alister, N.Wilson, A.Farrell)

South Antrim began the game well and dominated the first 10 minutes. A goal seemed inevitable and did eventually come during this period of control. A passage of play resulted in the experienced George Glass receiving the ball at the top of the circle and picking out Nathan Alister with a cross, who duly finished from close range. After the goal, Campbellians roused themselves and came back into the game and began to dominate, South defended strongly for the rest of the half but with very little fluidity in their play when they did get hold of the ball. The defence were solid and Ashley Sloan was required to make a few good saves.

After the break South began in much the same way they started the 1st half and eventually scored a second. This time a wondergoal, Paddy Cochrane threw a well-placed aerial ball over the defence to play in Andrew Farrell who in turn lobbed the keeper with a first time flick, much to the pleasure of the home fans. This goal again led to South having to sit back and come under pressure, Campbellians managed scored 2 goals to level things up going into the last few minutes to go. South got a grip on the game and began to play good hockey, and applying a lot of pressure of their own to the Campbellians goal. The winner eventually came with Paddy Cochrane again the architect, this time a strong drive into the circle leading to the ball falling to Neil Wilson who hammered home with power from a few yards out to seal the win.

South Antrim 2nds were also in action against Bann 2nds in their first game of the season. Missing their captain and keeper, along with several others, the Lisburners were expected to be rolled over. However, to their credit, South played well with a very young team and piped a goal, courtesy of Neil Wilson. In the end though, experience won out, with Banbridge strolling to a 4-1 win.

South Antrim 4ths 4-0 Harlequins 3rds (S.Glenn, I.McElhenny, K.Gamble, A.Collins)

South Antrim 4ths knew they were in for a tough game away to Harlequins 3rds, with just 11 men on the squad list. A good start was vital if South Antrim stood a chance of a victory. After 10 minutes that chance came, an excellent run down the line from Ian McElhenny, and a pin point cross, lead to Stuart Glenn slotting the ball home into the bottom corner to make it 1-0. Harlequins retaliated and piled on the pressure towards the end of the first half, only narrowly missing out on an equaliser at times. A fantastic goal line clearance meant South went into the break with 1-0 lead intact. In the second half, South played with the mentality that attack is the best form of defence, and it paid dividends. From a dead ball, vetern Alan Smith crashed the ball towards the penalty spot with Ian McElhenny in the right place to flick the ball past a helpless keeper and make the score 2-0. South Antrim now with the momentum kept pushing Harlequins, they were a particular threat on the counter attack. One such attack finished with Archie Collins squeezing a shot in at the near post from the tightest of angles. Harlequins made full use of their subs and really stretched the game out in the last ten of the game, but South's back four were intent on securing a clean sheet. In final few minutes, South won a short corner, Ian McElhenny, on hitting duties, struck a fine effort into the bottom corner in continuing his goal scoring form and making it 4-0 to South come the final whistle.

South Antrim 5ths 1-5 Portadown 3rds (A.Glass Jnr)

South travelled to Portadown to play the Ports’ only team in action that day, their 3rd XI. With just 11 men and a stand in keeper, South knew this would be a difficult match before they even started. From the start, Portadown pressed and kept the young South team pinned inside their own half and 15 mins in, the deadlock was broken, following a defensive error allowing a Portadown goal. The home side continued to press and by half time they were 4-0 up.  Having rearranged their midfield personnel, South started the 2nd half looking to get back into the game. Whilst Portadown still threatened, South started brightly and began to come into the game, winning several short corners but were unable to convert any of them.  Half way through the second period, Portadown scored a 5th to put the game beyond doubt. However, the young South team kept their heads and continued to battle. With 3 minutes left, Adam Glass saw his shot stopped on the line by a Portadown foot. Adam opted to take the flick himself, and duly scored his first goal in a South shirt. The clock ticked down and the match ended 5-1 to the hosts.

South Antrim Ladies 1sts 3-0 Ballymena Ladies 1sts (Forfeit)

We won by forfeit! Boo-yah!

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 0-1 Portadown Ladies 3rds

The 2XI squad turned out for their second league match of the season against Portadown Ladies 3XI on Saturday. They went into the match with confidence after only narrowly lost their first game following promotion to Junior 7.  Portadown got off to a strong start, immediately putting the South defence under pressure. The South ladies stepped up to the mark and defended well with goal keeper Eve Foster-Brown making some excellent saves to keep her side in it. Shortly before the half time break, when the girls could regroup, Portadown broke through and unfortunately scored a well worked goal. Following the half time team talk, South banded together and as the half wore on, their superior fitness began to tell and they created a number of chances, with Lucy Fitzpatrick and Danielle Heasley making some fantastic runs through midfield into the circle, but unfortunately, they were unable to convert any of the opportunities into goals. The game ended 1-0 to the hosts. The ladies really worked hard to improve on areas of weakness from the week before and can only continue to build on this and learn to make a mark in Junior 7.

South Antrim 1-0 Newry (C.Henry)

South Antrim’s second group match of the Kirk Cup was at home against opponents, Newry Olympic HC. There was a sense of apprehension between the two sides as it had been a number of years since they last clashed.

South Antrim were first out of the blocks as the whistle blew, with a controlling play style and majority of possession. It was Adam Glass with the first effort of the game, following a strong tackle from Ward Phillips who then fed Adam in behind the Newry defensive line, a last ditch piece of defending forced Glass to fire a reverse wide of the upright. South Antrim had numerous chances very early on following this positive start but with some solid defending from the away side the score line was kept level. Newry soon found their feet and the game began to open up with both sides creating chances but with no conversion. The pressure from Newry’s attack soon told as they were awarded a penalty corner, which was well saved.

Approaching half time, with South Antrim in possession and control, the frustration began to build for the opposition. Paul Maguire body checked on a break away and a yellow card ensued. With this man advantage South Antrim stepped up the pressure further and the penalty corner count began to rise. The home side had three short corners in a short space of time, but for the sharp corner defence from Newry, South were unable to convert.

On the restart after the half, South Antrim came out strong with bags of energy and looked fired up. Newry were pinned back in their own 25 as South worked the ball from side to side looking for an opening. Chances saw Chris Henry and James Brown both have the ball picked off the line, much to the dismay of the capacity crowd.  The final ten minutes saw a step up again in the ball pace and the physical fitness of the Lisburn side began to tell as they continuously found space in the midfield area, with the likes of Lee Marshall and Ward Phillips able to exploit and drive into the space creating chances. South again asked questions of the Newry goalkeeper, who was on fine form, with a steal off a Newry midfielder, Nathan Gamble then played in Matthew Getty rolled the keeper but his result shot on goal was tame, and was cleared just inches from the line by a defender at full stretch. Soon South won a penalty corner and following an Adam Glass effort, a scramble on the goal line saw the umpire award a penalty flick, however upon consultation with the other official, it was reduced to a penalty corner.

In the dying seconds of the game, during another South Antrim attack, Newry fouled the home team. Due to ill discipline from Newry, the foul was upgraded to a penalty corner as the final whistle blew.

Chris Redpath played the ball from the top of the circle towards Chris Henry who, with a clever deflection, found the backboard and secured the three points for South Antrim in a much-deserved victory. South Antrim are due to play Instonians HC in their third group match at Shaw’s Bridge this Saturday.

South Antrim 3rds 1-2 Kilkeel 3rds (G.Glass)

Across the fence at Friends School, South Antrim 3s began their season with a loss against Kilkeel 3s. South showed the effects of a long summer and no preseason by quickly going 2-0 down. However, Phil Staughton put a strong performance in on his south debut giving hope to the side. South blew their cobwebs off and pulled a goal back threw George Glass with a straight strike at a short corner, but it was not enough as the game played out. Next week sees the 3s up against Campbellians 2s at home.

South Antrim 4ths 14-1 North Down 5ths (I.McElhenny x5, A.Hamilton Jnr x4, P.Cochrane x2, S.Glenn, A.Smith, K. Gamble)

The season started in a high scoring manner for South 4s and new captain, Graeme Alister, in the Junior 5 League cup. The match started with a flourish for South with two early goals from Ian McElhenny and Alan Hamilton with good finishing at the back post by both. These two goals provided the well drilled South side with a platform to play some lovely fluid hockey without pressure and inevitably this led to 7 further goals by the clinical South strikeforce. The first half ended at 9-0 with Patric Cochrane scoring the pick of the goals with a well hit reverse from a ridiculously tight angle that caught the keeper off guard. In the second half North Down improved and became more organised but still could find no answer to this South side playing with confidence and, though they managed to pull one back, South went on to add 5 more goals without reply in a truly fantastic start to the season. The scorers were Ian McElhenny x5, Alan Hamilton x4,Patric Cochrane x2, Stuart Glenn, Alan Smith and Kurtis Gamble.

South Antrims 5ths 2-0 Derg Valley 1sts (N.Wilson x2)

South 5s, having gained promotion last year to junior 5, opened their League Cup campaign with an away trip to Derg Valley 1sts in Castlederg.  South started the match strongly and soon had Derg Valley on the defensive. Newcomers Stewart and Kennedy settled in well and provided options for South to move the ball around the pitch. Young Adam Glass in centre midfield was controlling the game and leading the attack well, however, despite numerous chances, South couldn't convert. On the stroke of half time, South won their third short corner, Glass pushed the ball out to Wilson whom calmly stopped the ball before blasting it into the back of the net to go in one up at half time.

The second half saw Derg Valley press hard, and at one stage, they had the ball in the back of the net, but was ruled out for feet in the build up. A further ten minutes in, South conceded a short but the shot went wide. Turning defence into attack, Wallace quickly retrieved the ball and played a long pass to Wilson on the half way line with a quick hit out. Wilson gave a pass to Kennedy who beat one player and returned the ball to Wilson whose reverse stock shot found the roof of the net in spectacular fashion. Derg Valley continued to press in the closing stages but a well marshalled defence South saw out the game to win 2-0.

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 2-3 Ulster Elks 4ths (L.Boomer x2)

Despite Lauren Boomer’s best efforts, we lost.

South Antrim 1-4 Portadown (C.Henry)

Last weekend saw the Lisburn side travel to Edenvilla to take on Portadown in the group stages of the Kirk Cup. Things couldn’t have started worse for South, as the guys were 2-0 down after a nightmare opening six minutes. The first goal came after a missed tackle lead to a Portadown forward running through on goal and passing to a waiting player to tap in at the back post. Shortly after, a half blocked cross landed nicely for a Portadown player, whose shot in turn was deflected and looped sickeningly over a wrong footed South keeper.

South Antrim eventually picked themselves up and got back into it after a rocky ten minutes of sustained pressure. Ward Phillips went on a mazy run into the opposition circle and his resulting shot was deflected just over the bar. Minutes later, an Adam Glass drag flick was taken off the line superbly by a Portadown defender, and the feat was repeated when another South shot, this time by Jack Redpath, was taken off the line by a defender. The remainder of the first half was end to end and both teams could have scored more had it not been for a combination of great saves and wayward shooting.

Early in the second half South got on the score sheet to make it 2-1 after a routine short corner lead to Chris Henry deflecting home. Unfortunately, all South’s hard work came undone as when pushing for an equaliser, a Portadown break away lead to a forward getting on the end of a reverse stick cross to tap into the net. South didn’t give up and another strong period of play lead to six short corners in close succession, which, criminally, they failed to put away. They were again undone on the break late on, when a long pass reached an unmarked forward in the circle, whose initial shot was saved but was on hand to put in the rebound. The game fizzled out and ended 4-1 to the hosts. South Antrim know they’ll have to learn from the game an play much better if they are to get the points from this weekend’s game at home to Newry.

WEEKEND ROUND UP

South Antrim 2nds 2-4 Lisnagarvey 3rds (J.Semple, N.Wilson)

The scoreline doesn't entirely reflect the game. Although Garvey were dangerous and took their chances, South had far more chances but couldn't hit a barn door. Some free shots skewed well wide and those on target too soft and easily dealt with. John Semple with a routine short corner deflection and Neil Wilson's cool close range finish were goals for the hosts on a disappointing day where they should have won.

Weekend Preview:

1sts: No game, on their Kirk Cup rest week as the other four teams duel it out.

2nds: With the 1sts not having a match, this weekend's headline game is the 2s vs Lisnagarvey 3rds at FSL. This week with a full squad to pick from, Captain Ian Glass will be looking to improve upon last weekend's encouraging performance.

3rds: The 3s travel to the Glade to take on Mossley 4ths in the Junior 4 League Cup. Having won one and lost one so far, this is an important game to keep their trophy hopes alive. Now without Steveo McKenzie due to a broke finger obtain against Kilkeel, Ashley Sloan will have to rejig his defence.

4ths: He did it in Lisburn, but can he do it on a cold rainy afternoon in Ballymena? That is the question everyone is asking of 4ths captain Graeme Alister, can he lead his team to a 3rd successive win in the Cup against Ballymena 1sts? Free scoring Ian McElhenny will be key. Self dubbed 'sharp-shooter' Stuart Glenn will also be hoping to get on the score sheet for the 3rd game on the trot.

5ths: Trevor Wallace will be looking to bounce back after last week's defeat, the 5ths take on Mossley 5ths at home. Let's hope his team can bounce the ball off the Mossley backboard a few times and get the win.

Ladies 1sts: They travel to Stormont to take on the PSNI, having won their last game by forfeit, this will be the Ladies first outing of the season. The coachwill be hoping their big contingent of Schoolgirl players will be back in time make the trip.

2nds: Having been beaten by the narrowest of margins in their opening two games, the Ladies 2s will be hoping this is the week to bag a win! They are at home to Banbridge 4ths.

As always, we hope you come down early or stick about after your game to support your club mates, the Balcony Banter is second to none, be part of it. #RABA #OTIL

Men's Club (including Juniors & Minis Parents)

Our social / fundraising calendar has been finalised for the season with several joint events with the Ladies Club.
We would be delighted to extend an invitation to any of our Junior and Minis Parents.

WEEKEND ROUND UP:

South Antrim 0-7 Instonians

With Hutchy on holiday, Ian Glass was called in to make his competitive goalkeeping debut, just 1 month after donning the pads. South played exceptionally well in the first half, but still conceded two from two short corner rebounds after Ian saved the initial drags. It all went to hell mid way through the 2nd half however, as Inst moved to a full press and South had no answer as Inst scored 5 with ease following mistakes under pressure.

WEEKEND PREVIEW:

1sts: The men travel to Shawsbridge for a 2.30pm hit off against the competition favourites, Instonians. These two sides haven't met in over 10 years (not counting the Super 9s final) so this will be South Antrim's chance to take on the last of Ulster Hockey remaining heavyweights.

2nds: The 2nds first outing of the season sees them meet Junior hockey titans Bann 2s at FSL at 1pm. With Chris Mark, Darren and Mark Hutchinson all on holiday, and with James Brown and Jack Redpath promoted to the 1sts, this will be a tough game indeed.

Well done to Friends' 1st XI boys who today defeated Campbell College 3-1 in their Irish Schoolboy Championship qualifier. Two goals from Niall Magee and an absolute rocket from our very own James Brown were enough to see the boys home after falling 1-0 behind.