Downpatrick’s rich vein of form continued when they played magnificently to beat the league leaders in a thrilling game, click on the link to find out how…

Saturday 13th February – Lisburn Invitational Junior League under 15’s

Downpatrick FC 2 v Hillsborough Boys 1

Downpatrick started the game nine points behind league leaders Hillsborough, and there wasn’t much between the two sides in the opening twenty minutes, with the game being contested in the middle of the park, both keepers having very little to do. On twenty-five minutes Corey McCoubrey intercepted a pass in midfield and drove forward and hit an instinctive pass into the path of Eoin Rooney, he then accelerated past his marker and placed his shot into the bottom left corner of the Hillsborough goal, giving the keeper no chance.

This gave Downpatrick the edge and confidence to get forward and create more chances with McCoubrey and Brandon Boyd dictating the game from the middle of the park, with Rooney, Niall Strange and Ruairi Quinn all having chances before the break but the Hillsborough keeper was in fine form as he kept his team in the game.

Half Time: Downpatrick FC 1 v Hillsborough Boys 0

Downpatrick started the second half at the same tempo they finished the first, with the Hillsborough defence struggling to contain Rooney, Strange and Quinn. This paid of when Rooney won the ball on the left side of the 18 yard box, he lifted a perfect pass toward Declan Looney who volleyed home from edge of the box to double his sides lead.

By no means was this game over as Hillsborough showed their quality for a ten minute spell, Downpatrick couldn’t get out of their own half, but the Downpatrick backline of Adam Jervis, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Tom Smyth, Kyle McKeever and keeper Shane Campbell soaked up all the pressure and eventually weathered the storm. With Downpatrick getting on the ball and starting to play through the midfield with chances falling to Ryan Cassidy and Rory Trainor but the Hillsborough keeper was equal to them pulling of fantastic saves from both.

Hillsborough had a counterattack and the Downpatrick defence failed to clear as the ball bounced around the edge of the Downpatrick box it fell to feet of the Hillsborough striker and he hit a rocket from the edge of the box giving  Campbell no chance. This set the game up for a frantic last ten minutes but Tom Smyth marshalled his backline with experience and style beyond his years, he won every ball and calmly found a teammate every-time as Downpatrick held onto their lead and the 3 points, in what was a fantastic game.