South Antrim 1-5 Instonians (C.Henry)

South Antrim’s penultimate game of the season took place last weekend with an away fixture to league leaders Instonians. Needing points to ease relegation fears the Lisburn men started brightly, taking the game to by the scruff of the neck and disrupting Inst’s rhythm. Though even this could not prevent an early Inst goal, the home team advanced up the right side, getting in behind the South defence with a neat one-two before faking a shot and passing to the back post for a simple tap in. With the wind knocked out of their sails, South fell into the same trap soon after, Inst drew them out by sitting back before stealing the ball and countering quickly, passing around the South defence again for an easy back post tap in. Now with nothing to lose, the men in black and red started playing with a bit more flair, Adam Glass is particular on the right of midfield dribbled past players with ease but the final ball into the Inst circle was lacking and numerous attacks fell short as the forwards ran out of options.

Inst recognised South’s increased threat and so started a full press to try and suffocate South’s passing options at the back. Young schoolboy Jack Moore was promoted into the team for just this situation, using his long aerial ball to bypass Inst’s press and send forwards Darren Hutchinson and Chris Henry through. On one such occasion, Chris Henry found the foot of a retreating Inst defender to win South a short corner. James Brown’s drag flick was charged down but fell to him again and he fired the ball into the danger area in front of the keeper’s pads, after a few moments of pinball, Inst cleared their lines. Just before the half ended, Inst won their own short corner and netted a drag flick to make it 3-0.

After the interval, South continued playing at a high pace and were rewarded when Ward Phillips ran up the left wing, played a pass infield to the edge of the circle to John Semple who rolled his man and swept a reverse cross towards the flick spot that was met at full stretch by a diving Chris Henry to deflect home. Just moments later, Chris Henry dispossessed a defender and played through Paul Maguire who clashed with the onrushing goalkeeper who had come off his line very early and smothered the chance. The game became a battle of the midfield, with neither side getting clear cut chances. Inst again showed their experience by slowing the game down and overloading key areas to gain the upper hand, soon finding the exposed foot of an overzealous defender diving in. Inst again opted for a drag flick, beating both the keeper and the post man to score again. South kept to their game plan and restricted Inst’s chances to few and far between. However, Inst got a fifth right at the death in a similar fashion to their first two, tired legs in the South team left a gap in defence and tired minds left an unmarked forward and a simple cross was turned in at the back post by the lurking Inst player.

South played good hockey and matched the league leaders for long periods, especially in the second half, but unfortunately, as is the story so often this season, they leave with nothing despite agood display. They face Belfast Harlequins in their final league game at home (3pm) at Friends’ School this Saturday. Harlequins, incidentally, are the only team to defeat Instonians this season.

Elsewhere in the club, The 3rds defeat Kilkeel 3rds 4-1 away to keep pressure on Junior 4 leaders Annadale, a George Glass double as well as a goal apiece for Stephen Hood and Adam Glass gave them the win. The 4ths were the only other team in action last weekend, they lost 7-1 away to Portadown 3rds in Junior 5, Stuart Glenn got South’s goal.

South Antrim 1-4 NICS (C.Henry) 

Last weekend saw South travel to Stormont hoping they could build on what was an improved performance last week against Portadown. Having drawn previously with NICS 2-2 earlier in the season, and dominating much of the match, South were confident coming into this fixture that they could pick up some points. That confidence showed in the early exchanges as South took the game to Service from the offset. However, it was the home side who capitalised first through a trademark Chris Barnes dragflick, leaving Mark Hutchinson no chance. Service soon added a second after a controversially raised ball into the D was dispatched by one of their forwards. Despite being 2 goals down, South continued to dominate much of the play but they squandered several chances less than 5 yards out from goal. Again, another decision seemed to go against South as James Brown had a stroke appeal turned down after his shot was prevented from going in after hitting a service body on the line. Just before halftime, South had another glorious chance to get back into the game after Adam Marshall skilfully ran along the baseline but his ball across the front of goal evaded everyone. South went into half time 2-0 down but knew that if they continued to play the way they were they’d soon be rewarded.

After the interval, South again battered Service for 20 minutes with captain Lee Marshall pulling the strings and creating a number of chances. Chris Henry was also threatening throughout and deservedly scored after a surging run to reduce the deficit. Following this goal, South continued to press with Darren Hutchinson, James Brown and Matthew Getty all having good chances to pull the side level. However, as South continued to push bodies forward - looking for the equaliser - NICS caught them out with a breakaway goal and soon added a fourth after an initial short corner was cleared only to eventually squirm between the legs of Hutchinson. South will be disappointed not to get anything from the game after dominating for large portions. But, that is sport and the boys can take some solace from the fact they have played some terrific hockey in recent weeks despite getting no points. The men must regroup before the likely season defining fixtures of North Down, Mossley and Raphoe over the next week.

 

South Antrim 2nds 7-1 Bangor 2nds (N.Wilson x3, M.Conn x2, N.Gamble, C.Varghese) 

Saturday saw South Antrim 2nd XI host second placed Bangor in the league. Having previously been beaten 5-0 by the same team 2 months ago, South knew that it would take a strong performance to take anything from the game. Surprisingly however, it was South who started the stronger of the two teams immediately pressing Bangor deep in their own territory. This hard work was rewarded when South eventually took the lead through a lobbed reverse from Mark Conn. One goal became two when a slick short corner routine was stopped on the line by a Bangor foot, up stepped Neil Wilson who calmly slotted home the penalty stroke to double the lead. South didn’t ease up as the half went on and right on the stroke of half time won a short corner as Conn found a Bangor foot in the circle. The resulting corner was empathically put away by Nathan Gamble to put South Antrim 3-0 up at the interval. At the start of the second half Bangor began to find some of the form and immediately struck back through a short corner, this did not however, deter the Lisburn men who immediately struck back with 2 goals of their own. The first a thumping reverse from Cyril Varghese into the bottom corner leaving the Bangor goalkeeper no chance and the second yet another cool finish from Neil Wilson who found himself in acres of space at the top of the circle. With South leading 5-1 the game was all but over, however, South continued to push for yet more goals and eventually found a 6th when Mark Conn slammed home a rebound from yet another South Antrim short corner. 6 goals became 7 when Conn found Wilson who was again in acres of room. This time Wilson chose to finish on the reverse completing his hattrick and ultimately the win for the Lisburn side. The final score 7-1 just showed how far this team has come since their 5-0 hammering by Bangor and that when playing at home they are more than a match for any team in their league.

 

South Antrim 4ths 2-3 Down 1sts (A.Hamilton Jnr, C.McCandless) 

South Antrim 4ths travelled to Downpatrick for the rare occurrence these days of playing on a gravel pitch. Considering most of South's young team has never played on the shale they knew they would be in for a tough and very different hockey match. Down started the brighter of both teams and scored early in the first half with a fierce hit. South grew into the game but went another goal down with a strong hit from the top of the area. South continued to battle and got a goal through Callum McCandless following a deft deflection at the front post by Junior. South went into the break 2-1 down and were again looking at a 2 goal deficit when Down got a third following confusion in the D leaving goalkeeper Andrew Wallace helpless. Wallace had a great game and in truth South could have been further behind had it not been for his keeping. South determined to fight back got another goal back from 4ths superstar striker Junior who beat the keeper with a well placed shot into the top left after Archie Collins had hit the post. Down rode out the storm and were able to finish the match without conceding the equaliser that South were very close to finding. The 4ths can be proud of giving Down a very close game on a surface that no one on the team was used to and will press on and continue to fight for promotion.

 

South Antrim 5ths 7-1 Antrim 3rds (I.McElhinney x2, N.Donald x2, J.Deane x2, B.Faulkner) 

With Antrim just 3 points below South this was a must win for the home team. With the pre-match team talk emphasising the importance of the match South started strong and pressurised the Antrim defence.  With McCormack controlling the middle of the park and the South team pressing high Antrim couldn't get out of their half. The pressure finally paid off when McElhinney  crossed across the face of the goal for a Donald tap in. With south continuing to dominate a change in short corner routine say a Deane drag flick beating the Antrim keeper high into the roof of the net. McElhinney then made it 3 before half team. The 2nd half had hardly started when South went 4 up. Faulkner broke free and a one two round the keeper left him with a tap in. 2 mins later Donald got his second when Bell broke down the right and fired a cross in for Donald to control and slip past the keeper.  With the south defence sitting on the half way line it wasn't long before McElhinney got his 2nd with a reverse stick shot beating the keeper at the near post. Antrim eventually got one back on a counter attack. But straight away South continued to pressurise the Antrim defence and Deane got his 2nd and South's 7 from another Short corner.

 

South Antrim Ladies 1-0 Ballynahinch Ladies (S.Neill)

The ladies got the win they needed over Ballynahinch to keep their cup dreams alive. And they even did it without their schoolgirls and veteren defensive stalwart Joanne Clarke. A Steph Neill goal was enough to separate the sides.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 4-0 South Antrim Ladies 3rds (D.Healsey, A.Wright, L.Boomer, L.Stewart)

No quarter given as the 3rds romped to victory over their XI clubmates. Carol Redpath was the midfield dynamo on the day but couldn't stop the 2nd XI juggernaut as Danielle Healsey, Amy Wright, Lauren Boomer and Lucy Stewart got their names on the scoresheet.

South Antrim 2nds 2-2 Banbridge 2nds (D.Hutchinson, N.Gamble)

Saturday saw a mid-table clash in Junior 1, in which South Antrim 2nd XI hosted Banbridge 2nd XI. Many saw Banbridge as favourites as they have been an established team this league for many years now, in contrast to the Lisburn side who are debutants. The reverse fixture saw Banbridge win by a narrow 2 goals to 1. Hungry for revenge, South Antrim were determined to draw points.

The game started with high intensity from both sides, setting the pace for the upcoming 70 minutes. Banbridge were first to cause any real threats on goal, with Ian Glass making a comfortable save at his near post, following some good interplay. This early attack was a wake up call to the home side and South soon began to link some clever play in the middle of the pitch. The pressure soon began to tell, with Mark Conn making a clever run into the D and winning the first short corner of the game. The result saw Neil Wilson unleash a tomahawk over the bar and a free-out ensued.

South sustained the pressure in the Banbridge half and another penalty corner was won, this time from a chop tackle on Nathan Gamble. Having won the corner, Nathan took it in the form of a low drag flick, which forced the keeper into making a save. Mark Conn followed in and won a penalty flick for his effort which struck a foot on the goal line. Darren Hutchinson confidently stepped up and slotted the flick home coolly into the bottom corner, leaving the keeper helpless.

Following the goal, Banbridge increased the pressure upon the South Antrim defence, however centre backs, Matt Frazer and Phil Spoughton, were able to deal with anything the Ban forwards could throw at them. Towards the end of the half, the game opened up, with chances to score for both sides. Notably a clever move which stemmed from James Brown to Jack Redpath, who was pulling the strings in midfield, and resulted in Cyril Varghese having a close range deflection which he was unable to convert. The whistle sounded for half time, with South a goal to the good over the visitors.

Banbridge came into the half knowing they'd need an early goal to resurrect their hopes of 3 points. They didn’t have long to wait. Ensuing a good spell of possession for the away side, they won their first penalty corner of the half. This saw a well placed drag flick into the left netting of Glass’s goal. With newfound confidence, the visiting team again pressed the South goal. A foul just outside the 25 saw Banbridge play a crash ball into the D and an unmarked forward was able to dispatch a resounding deflection, turning the game on its head.

Towards the end of the game, the pitch opened up and again, chances were aplenty for both sides. Neil Wilson held off a Banbridge defender outside of the D forcing him to make a cynical foul and a short corner was awarded. Again, Nathan Gamble was at the head of the circle and following a slick pull out by Jack Moore, he was able to execute a low drag flick which found its way into the bottom corner, possibly helped on its way by Cyril Varghese.

In the last 10 minutes South were lucky to hold on to the draw with huge chances for Ban to score. They would have undoubtedly taken the three point had it not been for crucial diving stick save by Ian Glass to deflect the ball over the bar and a goal line clearance by Phil Spoughton.

Both sides had their chances to score and steal the 3 points and so a point-a-piece was a fair result.

 

South Antrim 3rds 1-4 Portadown 2nds (S.Hood)

South Antrim 3rds hosted Portadown 2nds in the Ulster Junior Shield. Portadown are well placed in the league above South 3rds and showed their class winning 4-1. Despite their dominance in the scoreline, it was South who struck the first blow with Stephen Hood getting a goal. They head on for a long while with great defending but in the second half Portadown found a short corner routine that worked and scored and equalizer. Moments later they score another, also a short corner. Confidence fell knowing they had a lot to do to get back into this game. It got harder as Portadown scored on the break to take a 3-1 lead. They then rounded off the scoring with another short corner in the final minutes.

 

South Antrim 4ths 3-1 Mossley 5ths (A.Hamilton Jnr x2, B.Faulkner)

South Antrim 4ths travelled to Glengormley to face Mossley 5ths in the Minor Cup. South came out of the blocks slowly in the first half and were unfortunate to concede a freak goal with the ball rebounding off the keeper to a free Mossley man 2 yards out with the net at his mercy. However, conceding this early goal galvanised a young fourth IX side to tighten up at the back but throughout the first half chances were few and far between for either side. Early in the second half South got the equaliser through Junior, with a deft touch in the D to guide in a Ben Faulkner cross. Ben then got himself a goal as well after a deflection in the D feel kindly to leave him with a fairly easy finish. This was by no means a one sided game with Mossely having chances of their own and South at times rode their luck but were ultimately comfortable in dealing with any threat to their goal. An open game led to a breakaway goal from Junior again with another Ben assist in a déjà vu fashion to his first. This takes Junior’s tally for the season to 23 and allows south to progress through to the next round of the Minor Cup.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 1-0 Owls 2nds (A.Wright)

Amy Wright nets the winner in a tight game with Owls 2nds. Her stellar performance also earned her Player of the Match.

 

South Antrim Ladies 3rds 0-5 Mossley Ladies 4ths

A disappointing afternoon for the ladies 3rds as they were steam rolled 5-0 by the visiting Mossley team.

South Antrim 2- 4 Portadown (L.Marshall, A.Glass)

Saturday saw South Antrim 1^st XI travel to Edenvilla to take on a Portadown side that were promoted to the Premier League alongside them last season. Although finishing behind the Lisburn side in last season’s Senior 1 division, it is Portadown who have made the stronger start to their debut season in the premier league, lying mid-table. South Antrim on the other hand have struggled to replicate their title winning form from last season and, despite suffering some heavy defeats in recent weeks, saw this as an opportunity to return to form.

The opening stages of the match were perhaps reflective of many previous encounters between the two sides, with each teams’ attacking nature resulting in a very open game of hockey. However, South found themselves 2-0 down mid-way through the half with 2 quick-fire goals from Portadown. The scoring was opened through a well worked move along the baseline, and within minutes Portadown had doubled their lead with a controversial tap-in at the back post following a pass that was deemed to be still in play when the cross was made despite South’s appeals. Despite the disappointing nature of the goals conceded, South Antrim, having already overturned a 2 goal deficit in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, a match which finished 2-2, remained confident of a result. The Lisburn side began to grown more into the match and, after a series of near chances, were finally rewarded. Good work from Darren Hutchinson and James Brown resulted in a short corner being awarded to South, which was duly converted by Adam Glass, with a powerful hit into the bottom corner of the goal.  South Antrim were arguably the better side for the remainder of the first half, however could not add to the score and therefore found themselves 2-1 down at half time.

The start of the second half saw Portadown bounce back strongly, applying more and more pressure to the South Antrim defence. Despite this increased pressure, the South Antrim defence continued to cope with the threat of the Portadown forwards, with the youthful central defensive pairing of Adam Marshall and Jack Moore flourishing. With the game becoming even more stretched, the Lisburn side deservedly found themselves back on level terms at the mid-way stage of the half. A well worked short corner routine resulted in a diving back post deflection from Lee Marshall, a rare goal for the South Antrim captain.

As the game began to draw towards its conclusion, both sides continued to create chances, although neither were able to capitalize on some promising opportunities. However, with minutes left in the game South Antrim hearts were broken as a quick counter attack resulted in a Portadown forward deflecting home what proved to be a vital goal in this tie. With the score at 3-2, South Antrim threw everything they had at Portadown, and were unfortunate not to equalise once more with a Chris Henry deflection narrowly missing the bottom corner. With seconds left in the match Portadown were awarded a penalty stroke, following a foul from ‘keeper Mark Hutchinson, and made no mistake in converting, further increasing their lead. The final whistle followed shortly afterwards, with the match finishing ta 4-2.

South Antrim may feel that they were perhaps deserving of at least 1 point from this game, however despite this bitter disappointment, they can take pride from their improved performance this weekend and continue to strive towards reproducing last season’s title winning form in the remaining fixtures of this season.

 

South Antrim 2nds 5-2 Annadale 2nds (D.Hutchinson x2, N.Wilson, A.Farrell, N.Gamble)

This week South Antrim 2nds faced a tough game against Annadale 2nds who they had played twice already this season, unfortunately being narrowly defeated in both games. But the South side where determined to put the past few weeks behind them and started to press the Dale defence right from the first whistle. South soon added a goal to assert their dominance with some lovely interchange of play between Jack Redpath and Nathan Gamble. The later played the killer pass to the top of the D to find Andrew Farrell and with slammed home a reverse into the top corner. This set up a flurry of goals for South in the next 10 minutes Darren Hutchinson added a second squeezing in a shot from a tight angle after rolling a defender. Shortly after Gamble converted a short corner with a powerful drag flick over the keeper outstretched leg. To send the South men four up, Darren Hutchinson won a plenty stroke and converted it nicely himself into the side netting. South kept their control of the game by restricting Dale to some half chances witch didn't trouble Ian Glass in nets. Annadale’s best chance of the half came in the last few minutes with a short corner but with some great goal line defending by Matt Frazer he managed to turn the ball around the post. The second half started similar to the first with the South men controlling the majority of the play but as time went on Dale started to take more risks going forwards but with a solid defence this was to no avail. With pushing so high it was enviable that the South forwards would counter attack. Nathan Gamble played a pass through to Neil Wilson who was taken out by the keeper that won him a plenty stroke which he stepped up to take himself, luckily the ball made it through the keepers legs to make it 5-0. With ten minutes to go, Dale finally got a goal with a scrappy bundle inches from the goal line and shortly after converted a short corner. This was a fantastic performance from the South team, a great benchmark to set out for future game against top opposition.

 

South Antrim 3rds 4-0 Cookstown 5ths (N.Alister, G.Glass, C.McCandless x2)

South Antrim travelled to Cookstown with the aim if getting back to winning ways. After an evenly contested opening 10 minutes, Callum McCandless changed the game when he ran from his own half to put South Antrim 1-0 up. Callum made sure south went into half time with a two goal cushion by tapping in the second goal from his more usual position at back post. South Antrim controlled the second half and had a multitude of chances to increase their lead. George Glass tricked the keeper with a fake hit before pushing home to score the third. Nathan Alistar bamboozled the Cookstown defence with a quick turn and reverse into the bottom corner to complete the rout and ensure South Antrim out pressure on league leaders Annadale.

 

South Antrim 4ths 4-1 Derg Valley (S.Glenn, A.Hamilton Jnr, A.Collins)

South Antrim 4ths have been in good form recently and were keen to keep this roll of wins going, knew they had a tough game ahead of them today. South wasted no time in winning the first short corner of the game within minutes. A well-executed short corner routine from Alan Smith, set up Stuart Glenn for an open shot to the bottom corner.  Derg Valley pushed hard to level the score, and in doing so paid the price of a quick counter attack from the South boys. A rampaging run from Archie Collins  into the circle finishing with a superb strike made it 2-0 before half time. The second half started just as the first ended, with Junior Hamilton sending the keeper the wrong way, before rocketing a reverse high into the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.  Captain Graeme Alister picked up a nasty injury, and with his departure Derg Valley capitalised on the moment, scoring their first of the game, with a well struck shot from the top of the circle. In the dying moments Junior Hamilton broke through Derg Valley's defence and slotted home his second of the game, finishing the game 4-1.

 

South Antrim 5ths 3-4 Lisnagarvey 6ths (B.Faulkner x2, N.Donald)

South 5ths hosted Lisnagarvey 6ths on Saturday looking to improve on recent performances in the league. South dominated the early rthe exchanges and won a series of short corners but couldn’t convert any of them. However despite South's dominance Garvey scored on the counter against the run of play. South continued to press and Ben Faulkner found Nahtan Donald in the circle who calmly scored. The first half finished 1-1. South started the 2nd half slowly and Garvey quickly went 3-1 up again on the counterattack. The young South team kept their heads up with Nick Mills and Maurice Bell dominating in midfield. Andrew Wallace in nets denied Garvey from numerous short corners. With Pyper and Donald causing problems up front it was again Faulkner causing problems. He dribbled his way into the circle to get South's second. Five minutes later he did again dribbling past the Garvey defender to get his second and level the scores. South pushed for the winner and with five minutes remaining Pyper broke free and was one on one with the keeper but his finish let him down. Garvey attacked late on and although the initial shot was saved, the follow up was flicked goalwards, settling this tie in the visitor’s favour.

 

South Antrim Ladies 0-0 Instonians Ladies

In game the girls reckon they could have won given a bit more luck, they can be proud of a point against the league leaders. Actually they are the league winners now as a point here secured their title, big shout out to Shane Geary a South member, who coaches Inst ladies, Congratulations. Our girls can be happy with how they played and hope to carry it on to their few remaining games.

The Ladies started off well moving the ball slickly across the back, through to mid field and ultimately finding either Steph Neill or Charis Rodgers who confidently moved the ball into the circle winning corners for the home team. Unfortunately the oppositions defence prevented the ladies from putting the ball into the net. Likewise, at the other end of the pitch, the South defence kept a clean sheet, only giving away one penalty corner in which the resulting corner shot was blocked by Elaine Aiken, who, along with Allison Marsden anticipated the Instonians routine.

With a scoreless draw at half time, the ladies knew the 3 points they needed to be contenters for the play off place were still within reach, however the adverse weather conditions obviously dampened both teams spirits and although there were opportunities, with Steph Neill making an individual run after a through ball from defender Sarah Neill and Alannah Richardson narrowly missing the crossbar, neither team could get themselves off the mark.

Once again, the South defence prevented Instonians from entering the circle with Heather Neill travelling outwards towards the edge of the circle to successfully clear a loose ball before the opposition could take advantage. Allison Marsden (Player of the match) and Heather Neill maintained control in the circle ensuring that the South girls marked their players tightly thus preventing any unnecessary mistakes.

As the final whistle blew, the ladies had to content themselves with a 0-0 draw and 1 more point to add to their tally on the league table. Both teams will be meeting again this Friday, at Shaws Bridge, in the first match of the Senior 4 Cup.

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 0-1 Victorians Ladies 2nds

This cup thriller went to extra time after the first 70 minutes played out a 0-0 tie. A very even contest than was settled in sloppy fashion with a goal mouth scramble ending with a Victorians player bundling the ball barely over the line. This Victorians team is several leagues higher than our girls so credit to them!

 

South Antrim Ladies 3rds 3-0 Owls Ladies 2nds (A.Wright x2, L.McConnell)

The Ladies 3rds advance to the next round of the Minor Plate after the second win in their short history. Goals from Amy Wright either side of a close range Laura McConnell tap in secure a fantastic win for Carol Redpath's girls.

 

 

 

Only the Mens 2nds and the Ladies 2nds and 3rds were brave enough to play last week end.

 

South Antrim 2nds 0-5 Bangor 2nds

South 2nds slipped to a chastening defeat at the seaside on Saturday when they were toppled by a strong Bangor outfit.  After a few bad results the 2nds were in good spirits with the return of Jack Redpath and Nathan Gamble into midfield, and they started the game with a renewed pep.  With the Redpath brothers and Gamble controlling the middle of the pitch it looked only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken by the away side.  Gamble saw an excellent strike saved from the edge of the circle while Hutchison and Wilson also found the home ‘keeper in super form between the posts.  Sadly, it was the home team who registered first, when after a momentary lapse in concentration a Bangor forward found himself through on goal – kudos to Glass in nets, who took upon himself to end the attack (and possibly his opponents participation in the game!!) but unfortunately conceded a short corner instead.  Bangor scored from a 2nd phase at the set piece and doubled their lead shortly after when another piece of defensive charity gave the home team the easiest of chances to finish from close range.  With South rocking and with coach Redpath beginning to kit up to take charge of things, they conceded again when a one-on-one situation led to a 3rd just before half-time.  Half time score 3-0 to Bangor and much frustration to the away side, who after playing brilliantly between the two ends of the pitch, letting themselves down where it mattered.

The men in black were given a few home truths by the backroom staff at the break, as Redpath and his team demanded more concentration in defence and more heart in the tackle.

The young South Antrim team, determined to right wrongs of the first half, continued to move the ball quickly around a stubborn Bangor midfield and with Glass encouraging his charges they looked well-placed to find a way back into the match.  It proved a false dawn though, when much to the anguish of the large contingent of travelling supporters, Bangor pulled further away from another set piece.  By the time Lappin added a fifth the South heads were well and truly on the floor but they valiantly pressed on in search of the consolation, coming closest through Wilson who, reprising his best Bambi performance from the previous week, slipped with only the goalkeeper to beat.  Full-time, 5-0 to the men in yellow and blue.

The 2nd XI will be bitterly disappointed after falling to such a heavy defeat in a game they competed very well in.  Punching above their weight, the 2nds were always going to find this season difficult but with a number of home games to come in the next few weeks they can be in buoyant mood as the relegation dogfight begins in earnest with the visit of Annadale to Fortress Friends this weekend.  Without a league defeat on Quaker soil since 2014 the 2nds are ready to welcome the remaining fixtures and hope to turn around their fortunes, beginning with Saturday’s match up.

Thanks to Gordon McCandless for travelling to umpire and Philips Volkswagen for their continued support.

 

South Antrim 2-6 Newry (L.Marshall, M.Getty)

Saturday saw Newry Hockey Club make the journey to Lisburn to face South Antrim. After a 2-2 draw earlier in the season, a tight game was expected with South hoping to pick up the three points. Both sides traded possession early on but it was the visitors who made the breakthrough. A simple crashed ball into the circle was dealt with poorly by the south defence resulting in a Newry forward scoring after numerous rebounds. As South grew more into the game, they suffered another blow as Newry scored their second in almost identical fashion as another crashed ball in was mistrapped. The Newry forward made no mistake firing home. South however, responded quickly. James Brown and John Semple combined neatly down the right to find Paul Maguire on the edge of the D. A tricky baseline run saw him bypass the Newry defence, allowing him to find Matthew Getty unmarked in the D who made no mistake in slotting the ball home.

The second half saw south come out fighting. Spells of possession in the Newry half saw South win three short corners, none of which were converted. South were made to pay for this, as against the run of play Newry won their first short corner, and scored.  South started to push much higher up the pitch soon after, leaving themselves vulnerable to the counter attack, which Newry took full advantage off.  Newry’s’ 4^th and 5^th came from quick attacks up the pitch after South turned over the ball high up in the visitors half. South however continued to push on and Lee Marshall got their second by using impressive ingenuity to bamboozle the Newry defence from a free at the edge of the circle. Once he made it into the D he made no mistake in slotting the ball past the Newry keeper. In the final moments, when the game was lost Newry got their 6^th, again from a clinically executed counter attack.

 

South Antrim 2nds 3-7 Glenanne 2nds (D.Hutchinson, M.Conn x2)

Last Saturday South Antrim seconds made the trip to Dublin to face Glenanne, for the quarter final of the Irish Junior Cup. The very young South side started brightly going toe to toe with their vastly more experienced opponents, some of whom have played in the newly formed IHL this season. The Lisburn side were defensively solid, marshalled by the youthful centre back paring of Phil Spaughton and Matt Fraser. Also in the early stages the forwards were causing the Dublin sides back line problems as Neil Wilson and James Brown took the game to the home team. 10 minutes in the home side broke the deadlock with a well worked goal down the South Antrim left. Soon after Glenanne doubled their lead after a well executed short corner. Despite being two goals down at the break the Lisburn team still felt like they were very much in the game but realised the next goal was crucial. Unfortunately Glenanne realised this too and caught South Antrim cold from the restart with a goal. This seemed to knock the wind out of the travelling teams sails as the Dublin side piled on the pressure and they were duly rewarded with a fourth goal. This 4th goal stirred the away team into action. And in this period the Lisburn side got their first opening of the half. James Brown picked up on a well weighted through ball and as he was taking it round the keeper he was fouled and the umpire awarded a penalty stroke. Midfield dynamo Darren Hutchinson stepped up and dispatched the stroke to the keeper’s right beating him for pace and placement. South Antrim didn't rest on their laurels, they pressed on in search for a second goal. They made inroads down the left side of the pitch through Nathan Gamble, linking up well with the pacy veteran Chris Arnott. And it was through this combination that the Lisburn team won the short corner that set up their second goal. The initial drag flick was well saved low to the goalkeepers left but the rebound was coolly finished by Mark Conn at the right hand post. At 4-2 Glenanne and coaching staff were growing more and more concerned with South's increasing influence on the game. This lead to minor personnel alterations which had the desired effect for the home side as they scored two quick goals effectively killing the tie off with 10 minutes still left on the clock. Credit to the young Lisburn team they kept attacking, and their endeavors payed off when Mark Conn got his second goal as he cut along the base line and lifting it over the on rushing keeper and tuck the ball inside the far post. In the dying minutes Glenanne got a seventh goal when the away team had lost concentration after a staggering amount of effort and energy expelled during the 70 minutes. The defence were slow to react to a quickly taken free but at the top of the circle and an open forward deflected a crash ball home. South Antrim can be pleased with their performance against a very strong Glenanne side. They can also take great pride in getting to the quarter final of such a prestigious cup competition. Thanks have to go to South's eager supporters who made the 200 mile round trip.

 

South Antrim 3rds 2-2 Annadale 4ths (J.Deane, C.McCandless)

South Antrim 3rds played Annadale in a top of the table clash. South went a goal down in the first ten minutes due to an error at the back. South Antrim overpowered Annadale with superb play down the right hand side through Gary Hylands, Nathan Alistar and Kurt Gamble but could not find a goal. Half way through the second half Annadale made it 2-0 with a short corner. Down but not out, with 5 mins to go John Deane smashed in from around the flick spot and in the dying seconds Callum McCandless poked in the winner to ensure South Antrim did not lose this top of the table clash and kept Annadale at bay.

 

South Antrim 4ths 6-2 Mossley 4ths (A.Hamilton Junior x3, B.Brittain-Dissont, A.Smith, S.Glenn)

South Antrim 4ths face Mossley 5ths at home in a match with only one league place between the two teams. The first half was unsurprisingly very even, with both sides trading blows. Mossley scored after an unlucky deflection left a Mossely attacker with only the keeper to beat, which he did. However, South battled back to 1-1 with Junior Hamilton scoring with a neat finish in the box leaving the keeper with no chance. Mossley mustered another goal of their own shortly after from a short corner to retake the lead. South Antrim, not to be outdone, promptly won a short of their own and Junior got his second of the match.

The second half was a completely different affair and South began a memorable second half with a quick goal after Stuart Glenn beat a man inside the circle and calmly pushed the ball into the bottom corner past a helpless keeper. Junior then went on to round off his hat-trick with another cool finish in the D as we are accustomed to seeing on a regular basis. Bryce Brittain-Dissont got another goal for South with a decisive finish after some scrappy build up play. However the goal of the match came from marauding sweeper Alan Smith who ventured up the pitch playing a one-two and receiving his return ball on the right side of the D. After killing the ball with his first touch, Alan crashed the ball into the net in the finest of finishes to give South an unassailable 4 goal lead.

 

South Antrim 5ths 3-8 Portadown 3rds (N.Mills, I.McElhinney, G.McCormick)

South Antrim 5ths had a miserable Minor Cup outing, losing 8-3 to an impressive Portadown 3rds, Ian McElhinney, Gary McCormick and Nick Mills got the goals.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 3-6 Holywood 2nds (L.Boomer x2, R.Young)

The first half of the game saw the teams play a game of Ping Pong with goals flying in everywhere! At 3-3 Holywood started to put pressure on the South defenders gaining another 3 goals before the final. Morgan Muir got the Dame of the Game trophy.

 

South Antrim Ladies 3rds 0 -3 Grosvenor Ladies 4ths

The girls stepped their game up in the first half today and it looked like the 3rds were on their way to some points. Unfortunately Grosvenor, realising they were going to have to do something, managed to turn things around and notch up 3 goals. Player of the match was claimed by Danielle Heasley

 

South Antrim 1-7 Belfast Harlequins (J.Brown)

Another bad day for the Lisburn men, this time at the hands of Belfast Harlequins. Quins were just 3 points ahead of South prior to the game, so it was expected to be an even game but it turned out to be anything but. South went down early on from a drag flick into the side netting and went a further goal down when a crashed ball in to the circle deflected off two sticks to nestle perfectly at an attackers stick for the simplest of goals. Heads dropped and the confidence left the young South side. With players shying from the ball, options were limited for passing, meaning turnovers in midfield. Once Quins stole the ball back, they broke at speed and were clinical in the circle, choosing to pass for simple tap ins instead of the riskier shots. The game was lost by half time when South were five down.

A stern talking to and South came out with some fight in the second half. They had a few decent chances to score, with Ward Phillips coming closest, just failing to get the telling touch on a John Semple cross. Unfortunately, the fight didn’t last long as a turnover in the centre of the park lead to an overload of attackers in South’s circle, Quins made no mistake in burying their sixth. James Brown scored a consolation goal for South when he netted from close range following a neat short corner. Quins got their seventh in the final minute via another drag flick. A dismal display from the young, inexperienced South side. They are going to have to learn quickly if they are to stay in the Premier League.

South Antrim 2nds 0-7 Lisnagarvey 2nds

The men’s 2nd XI suffered a heavy defeat to unbeaten league leader, Lisnagarvey 2nds. Despite the score line of 7-0, the effort and commitment of the players cannot be doubted. Even though South found themselves 1-0 down in the opening 5 minutes they played with no fear against youth internationals and Garvey 1sts squad players. Garvey had a lot of the possession during the first half and managed to score a further 3 goals. South also had their chances in the first half but failing to capitalise on it thanks to some terrific saves from the youth international goalkeeper. Determined not to go down without a fight, South came back into the second half strongly. South enjoyed a lot more of the possession. The midfield and the forwards linked up brilliantly to win a short corner for South. Garvey went down to a three man defence for the short corner as one of the Garvey players broke the line early. The goalkeeper again stood strong to deny South with a goal. After a great bit of build-up play South had the best chance of the game with a deflection effort from the veteran striker Neil Wilson but yet again the youth international goal keeper made a terrific save. During the last 10 minutes of the game Garvey managed to score another 3 goals.

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

South Antrim 3rds travelled to Newry for the late hit off time of 4pm, made later when the game was delayed for 20mins to allow Newry 3rds to make up their numbers from players returning from an earlier away game. It started all South with early pressure telling as George Glass netted to put the Lisburn side a goal up. They failed to capitalise and add more goals before Newry’s bench warmed up and came on. From then on, the game ran away from South and they were on the back foot for long periods. It took to the second half for Newry’s dominance to pull through, the weakened South side tired and with little on the bench to call to for rest, mistakes started to happen. One such mistake allowed Newry to equalize and then they stole all the points when they drilled home a second.

South Antrim 4ths 3-2 Derg Valley 1sts (A.Collins, C.Ullmann, A.Hamilton Jnr)

South Antrim 4ths made the long travel to Omagh with an understrength team to play Derg Valley 1sts. With both sides cagy in the first half South played some nice hockey with no real chances and a brief moment of poor defending let Derg Valley take the lead in a fairly even first half. Some halftime adjustments allowed South to adapt and come out stronger. Soon they got their equaliser through some fine work by Archie Collins with a crisp hit from the right side of the circle leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. Buoyed by the equaliser South scored a brilliant team goal starting on the half way line with some exquisite passing leading to Archie Cousins playing a great pass to Alan Hamilton Junior who finished, as we all know he can, with a deft shot into the bottom corner. However, South sat back on their lead and allowed Derg Valley to get an equaliser of their own following a deflected shot that left Andrew Wallace wrong footed and with no chance. South knew the game was their’s for the taking and Cameron Ullmann drove into the circle and hit a strong, off balance shot that caught the goalkeeper off guard and allowed South to grab the late winner.

South Antrim 5ths 1-2 Belfast Harlequins 3rds (I.McElhinney)

Having beaten Harlequin's 3rds earlier in the season South 5ths were looking to start the new year with a win. However, with a much changed Harlequins side taking the field and some of the regular 5ths playing for the 4ths, it was not too be.  South started brightly and were a goal within five minutes. Having won a free in the Quin's final quarter Gary McCormack switched the ball across to Maurice Bell. He fed the ball to Ian McElhinney whose reverse stock strike found the back of the net. Quin's threatened with their centre midfielder dominating the play but young Sloan in nets kept the score 1-0 at half time. However, two minutes into the 2nd half, indecisiveness in the south defence let Quin's through to equalise.  Quin's pressed and won a series of short corners but with Wallace turning a drag flick round the post and Sloan palming another away Quin's couldn't capitalise. However, another defensive error was South’s undoing, as Quin's took the lead. With time running out young Ben Faulkner was through on goal but was taken down from behind by the Quin's defender to win a short corner but couldn't convert.

 

South Antrim Ladies 1-0 Cooke Ladies (S.Neill)

The girls were a bit miffed about the preview I wrote. I like to think of it as inspiration. They were determined to prove me wrong and they did just that, putting on a complete display of hockey with fine goalkeeping from Heather Neill, superb defending and ruthless attacking. Steph Neill scored South's goal.

The South ladies started the match with many opportunities and some unlucky finishing. Cooke had their chances too, but Heather Neill made great saves and Allison Marsden kept the defence tight and organised, preventing Cooke from claiming any goals. There was great play from Morgan Muir and Charis Rogers hassling down the right line, constantly challenging Cooke's defence. At half time both teams were yet to make it onto the score sheet. At the start of the second half both sides started strong but the South girls used their skill to their  advantage and worked well between themselves before breaking through to pass to Steph Neill who found the back of the net giving the South girls a 1-0 lead. Cooke tried to fight back, but south kept strong and finished on a high. A 1-0 win and 3 vital points. Player of the match was Heather Neill. Thank you to Catherine Faulkner for umpiring.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 3-6 Banbridge Ladies 4ths (R.Young, E.Rennie, L.Boomer)

Scoring wasn't the problem for South 2s in this game, keeping them out was. A day to forget as Ban put 6 past them.

 

South Antrim Ladies 3rds 0-5 Owls 2nds

The girls had their chances but couldn't score. Still, learning experience, onwards and upwards!

South Antrim 2 - 9 Kilkeel (J.Brown, M.Getty)

In their last premier league game this calendar year, South made the journey to the Mournes to play second-placed Kilkeel.  South knew they had to be at their best to get anything out of the game but what followed was a mediocre display by the 1sts, with Kilkeel scoring at will.

It began so well for South, putting Kilkeel under early sustained pressure but that was not to last. Quick, precise passing moves in the first five minutes gave way to slow, scattered movement and possession.  The next sixty-five minutes were nearly a nightmare for South.By the end of the first half South were already four goals down with no hope of return.  The first two goals were easy tap-ins for the Kilkeel forward line with South being  far too loose on marking and tackling.  Kilkeel continually broke through in numbers after misplaced or intercepted passes, with Ian Glass in goal left with no chance for any of the goals.  The third and fourth goals quickly followed with the third summing up the afternoon as good block from Chris Redpath saw the ball deflect over the keeper, hitting the crossbar and falling perfectly for a Kilkeel forward to tap in.  Adam Marshall served some time on the sidelines for dissent during the half after a questionable decision that lead to the fourth goal.

Stern words were used at half-time to try and jolt the players into action. However, the renewed vigour didn't last long as Kilkeel were quicker to every ball and continued to receive the ball in space while South were lackluster and sloppy in possession.  Subsequently, the goals followed.  Of the five goals scored in the half, four were a mixture of turnovers in South's half or a repeat of the first half, giving South's defence the unkind situation of facing an overload situation every time Kilkeel came the counter.  The other goal in the half from Kilkeel was a tidy finish by the Kilkeel forward as he rounded Ian Glass in South's goal and neatly reversed into the bottom corner.  South, however, did get a few of their own as a result of a great finish by James Brown and a well taken reverse hit from Matthew Getty in South's only decent passage of play.

South need to cut out the individual errors and up the work rate if they are to have a respectable finish in their debut season in the Premier League. The men hope to regroup over the Christmas holiday and will strive to put in a much improved performance against Belfast Harlequins in the new year.

 

South Antrim 2nds 1-7 Newry 2nds (C.Arnott)

South Antrim's 2nd visit to Newry this season and the final league game before Christmas was a difficult task, with a much depleted South side facing a Newry 2nd XI benefiting from a few ringers from their 1sts, who played prior. South found themselves in a battle from the outset of the first half, which saw a number of physical tackles being played out by the Newry side. This approach was largely ignored by the umpires, and it took an injury to a South player get things settled. In the early stages, South continued to play the fast moving hockey, which has earned them a good position in Junior 1, with Mark Conn leading by example in central midfield with his superb pace. Some fine play by Chris Mark, Andy Farrell and Jack Moore at the back led to the ball being confidently played from the back into the midfield in the early stages. A number of short corners in favor of South resulted from this play, but no goals resulted. The difference between the two sides was to be decided on who could convert the chances and South were found wanting. Newry were able to break the deadlock with a goal coming from a breakdown in play. It was to be Newry's day and South's defence found themselves under continuous pressure after the first goal, with the afore mentioned physical tackling disrupting South's play. In the second half there was to be no let up and despite South's efforts Newry were able to dictate the play. A penalty stroke was conceded by Newry, which was missed by Mark Conn. The hopes of a comeback had taken a knock and it was not to be South's day. Newry went on to score seven goals in total to secure a pre-Christmas victory. Chris Arnott was able to claw one gaol back for South. The 7-1 final score being a harsh lesson to the Junior 1 newcomers.

 

South Antrim 3rds 4-1 Campbellians 2nds (G.Glass, S.Glenn, J.Deane, N.Allister)

South Antrim 3rds entertained Campbellians 2nds on the last weekend of hockey this year, and won 4-1. In a scrappy first half with neither side having sustained possession, George Glass scored for South, with an awkward improvised overhead volley from a deflected John Deane cross. Stuart Glenn scored a back post tap in on his 3s debut after a late call up. Midfielder John deane then put South 3-0 up with a free shot from edge of the circle. Stuart Glenn, filled with confidence, the tried to beat an opponent in his own 25 and lost he ball, giving Campbellians the opportunity to score their first and stage a comeback. Nathan Allstar put the game beyond doubt midway through the second half, as he pinged a reverse in off the far post to make sure South got 3 points and record their 7th win in a row in the league.

 

South Antrim 4ths 2-2 South Antrim 5ths (A.Glass Jnr, J.Taylor) (I.McElhinney x2)

It was all South affair in Junior 5 as the 4ths took on the 5ths. In a game played in good spirits, a 2-2 draw was played out that ensured everyone was happy going into Christmas. Adam Glass stasrted the scoring as he netted for the 4ths after a scramble on the goal line.A superb performance from the returning Chris Moulden in nets saved the 5ths on numerous occasions. The 5ths, keen for an upset, scored a short corner by way of a deflected Ian McElhinney strike. In the second half, the 5ths got the goal to set up a tense finish, a second McElhinney corner strike. Through great defending and outstanding keeping, the 5ths nearly kept their 'superior' clubmen at bay, but fell at the last when Jonny Taylor scored a solo effort, worthy of tying any game, a syntilating run, dribbling past several players, including Moulden in nets before tapping in to equalize with just three minutes remaining.

 

South Antrim 2-2 Mossley (P.Maguire, L.Marshall)

The 1st XI continued their Premier League campaign in the 3pm slot at Friends’ on Saturday past. Their opponents Mossley resided at the bottom of the table prior to the game and presented a tough challenge for the men in red and black. Mossley’s strong Kirk Cup run showed them to be a side of true quality. South Antrim’s task was not made any easier by the absence due to injuries of set piece specialist Adam Glass and the influential Mathew Getty. South Antrim started the game strongly, with the defence, midfield and forward line all linking up well thanks to superb off the ball running from John Semple, who drifted between the lines, and the accurate distribution skills of both Marshall brothers. South Antrim however, took time to make their dominance of possession count as a lack of clear cut chances made them wait for their first goal of the game. The goal however did come when superb skill from Chris Henry won South Antrim their first short of the game. A powerful James Brown flick was well saved by the Mossley keeper however it rebounded to the waiting Paul Maguire who coolly dispatched from just beyond the flick spot. South continued their strong spell but were lucky not to concede after seeing two Mossley corners miss, one clattering off the post and spinning across the goal line after it looked destined for the net. South Antrim were the better side in the first half but Mossley took advantage of a slick  corner routine with minutes to go in the first half to make it one all at the halfway break.

The second half was a much more open affair with both sides enjoying an equal share of possession. Both defences did well to limit the opposition’s forwards from increasing the goal tally, however special mention must go to Adam Marshall who again showed what a vital player he is to this team with his masterful display in defence, intercepting passes at ease and building attacks from the back. Mossley controversially took the lead, converting a counter attack move after a forward foot appeared to be used in the build up. South Antrim did not give up and showed great fight and determination throughout the course of the second half. They were eventually rewarded after some great skill in the Mossley circle earned them a stroke when two defenders scythed down Chris Henry when through on goal. The captain Lee Marshall stepped up and was never in doubt as he slotted past the Mossley keeper to level to scores.  Shortly after Chris Henry had the chance to bring all 3 points into South’s grasp when played thourgh clear one on one with the keeper, an unorthodox style of keeping unnerved Henry as he simply stood in place until the last possible second when he dived down an dispossessed the forward. In the closing stages the game could have gone either way, with either side having chances to win the game and take all three points. However the game finished two all in what was a throughly exciting game of hockey.

 

South Antrim 2nds 1-1 Cookstown 2nds (C.Varghese)

South Antrim 2nds lined up against a very strong Cookstown team today in a keenly contested match. Full of confidence due to recent performances, South Antrim continued to impress with fast and fluid counter attacks, starting quickly and putting the Cookstown backline under immediate pressure. The midfield quickly got on top, exchanging quick passes to work their way up the pitch, with only the final ball letting them down. A succession of short corners came to nothing with home goalkeeper Ian Glass making a few decent stops at the other end from the odd foray into the South Antrim final third. The breakthrough nearly came after a superb aerial ball from Jack Moore set Neil Wilson through one-on-one with the keeper. After taking it around him, a reverse from an ever narrowing angle meant a lucky escape for Cookstown. A yellow card for inappropriate language towards the umpires meant that the visitors had to play a spell with 10 men, however, they defended resolutely until being restored to their full compliment of men.

The second half saw a tactical switch from Cookstown, putting the midfielders and defenders of South Antrim under more pressure, until an error allowed the Lisburn team to take the lead. As the goalkeeper retrieved a ball for a visiting team hit out, Cyril Varghese read a poor pass along the backline, tackled his opposing centre back and shot into an unguarded goal to give South Antrim a 1-0 lead. As the game wore on the pattern quickly emerged of periods of possession from Cookstown, with good build up play going unrewarded in the final third, leading to quick counterattacks by the energetic midfield of South Antrim. Cookstown finally got their reward when a short corner was converted midway through the half and this was the beginning of a ten minute spell that nearly saw the mid Ulster side take the lead on a couple of opportunities. Cyril Varghese had an important role in clearing a top corner bound effort off the line following another penalty corner, and they nearly had a penalty stroke also, until a discussion between the two umpires led to a reversal and an award of another short corner. In a fractious finale to the match, temperatures ran high and both teams had chances to win. Ultimately, a high quality match with shared spoils was about fair on both sides, and for South Antrim, the point against a very good Cookstown team meant a good day at the office. Thanks to Jonny Taylor and Willy Redpath for umpiring.

 

South Antrim 3rds V Mossley 4ths (POSTPONED)

No sale this week, just a frozen pitch, Mossley weren't up for a game of ice hockey ‪#‎zerobanter‬.

 

South Antrim 4ths - NO GAME

A dismal display from the Baclony Banter Brigade as they failed to brave the cold and sat indoors to watch the games. There was good rendition of 'Man-Bun' during the 2s game against Cookstown though.

 

South Antrim 5ths 2-0 Mossley 5ths (N.Donald, I.McElhinney)

Having not won since Halloween, South 5ths welcomed Mossley 5ths to Wallace High School. With Mossley sitting four points above South prior to hit off, this was a must win match. Playing an attacking formation and starting off with a full press, South took the game by the scruff of the neck and pinned Mossley into their own half. With a much improved effort over recent weeks and playing more flowing hockey, South soon took the lead with a Nathan Donald reverse strike. Adam Pyper's blistering pace was causing the Mossley defence all sorts of problems throughout the half and 20 minutes in, he found McElhinney on the flick spot whose lighting reflexes saw him turn and blast the ball into the roof of the net. South could have been more up by half time but the Mossley keeper was in fine form, denying first Pyper and then Donald from clear cut opportunities. With 2 minutes until half time, Mossley won a short corner. With the ball beating Hutchinson in nets after a straight strike and heading for the goal, Trevor Wallace was on hand to calmly turn the ball around the post. The second half followed much of the same pattern as the first, with South pressing high and the defensive line of Davidson, Moore and Kay stopping any counterattack. Chances came but again the Mossley keeper was on hand to deal with them. The match finished 2-0 to South Antrim.

 

South Antrim Ladies 1-1 Parkview Ladies (S.Neill)

After a heavy defeat in their away match against this side, South Antrim Ladies were keen to claim the points in the home match. Within the first five minutes, after some clever passing from the defence through to midfield, Charis Rodgers collected the ball, took it to the edge of the circle and crossed to an awaiting Stephanie Neill who swiftly placed it past the Parkview keeper before she cause dive across. South kept the pressure on, skilfully working together to bypass the Parkview players, but were unable to score the all important second goal that would have crushed Parkview. However, solid defence from Zara Carson, Allison Marsden, Vicky Donaldson and Elaine Aiken prevented Parkview from equalizing in the first half.

The second half saw the ladies play great hockey, but unfortunately Parkview equalised from a counter attack which left the South defence trying to cope with an overcrowded circle and the ball crossed the line in a scramble. With five minutes to go Charis Rodgers was denied the winning goal after her reverse stick strike was deflected away by a Parkview defender on the line. The Ladies had to content themselves with a 1-1 draw, however, they have gained another valuable point and can take heart from knowing that had the beating of this team.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 0-4 Portaodwn Ladies 3rds

An extremely physical performance from the Portadown Ladies put the girls on the back foot for most of the game. The Ports players bullied their way past the South defender's and the young Southies had no answer. The visitors racked up four goals in a day to forget for South against the league leaders.

 

South Antrim Ladies 3rds 1-2 Banbridge 4ths (L.McDonnell)

The girls went a goal down early on but showed character beyond (most of) their years to keep fighting against a well drilled Banbridge team who sit comfortably in the top half of the table. Rachel Sullivan nearly leveled as she was dribbled into free space in the circle but smashed her shot inches wide of the back post. A neat interchange between Danielle Heasley and Laura McConnell find an equaliser, with the latter scoring a neat finish. Unfortunately, against the spirit of Christmas, Banbridge scored late on the steal all the points for themselves.

A young South side put in another great shift and deserved more from the game. They held the Banbridge side, who sit comfortably in the top half of the table, for long periods. Bann got a goal early in the first half. Rachel Sullivan had a chance for South to level as she was played in free at the top of the circle but smashed her shot inches past the back post. A neat interchange between Danielle Heasley and Laura McDonnell led to the later netting a leveller. Unfortunately, against the Christmas spirit, Banbridge scored a second in the last ten to deny South a point and stole the spoils for themselves.

South Antrim 0-8 Instonians

It was always going to be a hard game, Instonians are the Ulster Premier League's leader, winning every game so far, and South were missing half their defensive line. Inst started on the front foot and took full advantage of the makeshift back line's uncertainty to win a short corner ten minutes in. It was duly converted by a drag flick into the bottom left corner. Still reeling from the early goal, South were disorganised and Inst again took full advantage, winning another corner, again dispatched in the same manner. A good period of South possession followed as they eased themselves into the game but no notable attacks became of it. Inst countered and Adam Marshall did well to get back at block the shot only for the ball to ricochet into his feet. Instonians again made no mistake from the resulting set piece, scoring from a neat deflection at the back post. At the close of the half, Inst won their fourth short, this time Mark Gray was on hand to deflect to clear the ball off the line.  The well drilled Belfast side were relentless and soon won a fifth short, scoring with a powerful drag high down the middle.

The second half started better for the South side, with better communication in the defensive line, that gave the Inst forwards little space and restricted their chances. Inst's fifth goal came from yet another short as another drag flick found the net.  South again grew into the game with Chris Henry gaining yards and finding space in the circle to get a shot away, unfortunately flying wide. Inst again countered after a South foray with one long pass that bypassed South's midfield and found an opposition forward, Ward Phillips blocked their first shot well but the ball fell kindly to same forward, who slipped a reverse in at the near post with the keeper still wrong footed from the first attempt. South were struggling to get the ball out of the back with Inst's press. A turnover in midfield left the defence exposed again and a forward rolled a defender and flicked high across goal into the top corner. Everything was going right for Inst and badly for South, as Inst finished the scoring with a goal typifying the dire afternoon South were having. Mark Gray tackled a forward only for the ball to fall right into the path of another forward who mishit their shot but it still found the net bouncing off the post.

An underpar South side were well beaten by an in form Instonians team. The young Lisburn side will have to chalk this game off as a bad day and regroup before facing bottom of the table Mossley next weekend.

South Antrim  2nds 2-0 Cork Harlequins 2nds (D.Hutchinson, N.Wilson)  

South Antrim 2nds faced Cork Harlequins 2nds in the Irish Junior Cup on a cold, wet and windy day at Friends' School. From the start, South carried out their game plan well with good pressing and quick attacks. For most of the first half South dominated the game, winning plenty of short corners but being unable to convert their chances. One such corner was scored by Neil Wilson, but disallowed upon referral with the second umpire on the grounds the shot was too high. Neil Wilson, shortly after, had a clear shot on goal on the reverse but snatched at it and it flew out of the grounds over the crossbar. Cork didn’t offer much in attack but as the half rolled on and the score still at 0-0, they grew in confidence winning two late short corners from good counter attacking play but were unable able to capitalize due to the rock solid defence lead by Ian Glass.

After a slight re-shuffle of the forward line at half time, South finally got the goal they were looking for early on in the 2nd half. A great run from Neil Wilson down the base line eventually cutting the ball back to Darren Hutchinson who took his chance well and taking South to a much deserved lead in the game. The second goal came ten minutes later from a good counter attack from South down the left that eventually made its way to Neil Wilson who crossed the ball with a reverse only to be turned into the net by a Cork defender at full stretch. The game finished 2-0 with another great team performance from South Antrim who move onto the quarter finals and also continue to keep up a 100 percent unbeaten record this season at Prospect Hill.

 

South Antrim 4ths 2-2 Down 1sts (A.Collins, G.McGill) 

South Antrim started well in the match against  the league's leaders Down but with all their play created only a few half chances.  The former Senior 2 club used all their experience to expose the South defence and take advantage of short corners to go a goal up with a straight hit. A second goal followed straight after when a crashed ball in was deflected into the net at the near post, leaving South trailing at the break. At the start of the first half, South’s afternoon went from bad to worse after being reduced to 10 men for the remainder of the game after a small tussle.  However, instead of letting this put the result out of their reach, a reinvigorated South team rallied and got a goal back with Gavin McGill sticking his first goal for the club into the net in a somewhat scrappy manner, but every goal counts.  South continued to press for an equaliser and eventually it did come with Archie Collins flicking the ball up over the keeper after his initial shot had been saved.  South almost got a winner with  Alan Hamilton Junior and Alan Smith coming close but South can be more than happy to grab a point from the match against a strong side.

 

South Antrim Ladies 2nds 1-0 Owls 2nds (E.Rennie)

The Ladies second progress to the Quarter Finals in Feburary thanks to a solitary goal, from Erin Rennie. Mogran Muir was the provider with a teasing cross, Erin Rennie made beating the keeper look easy with an cool, composed finish worthy of settling any cup tie. You could even say the girls had a 'hoot' winning against Owls 2nds.