Downpatrick Under 11’s made it two cup final victories on Saturday morning in the Lisburn League, click on the link below to read more…

Lisburn League Cup Final – Under 11’s

Downpatrick FC 4 v Lisburn Distillery 2

Hat trick hero, Leo Noble shone as Downpatrick Under 11s came out on top over Lisburn Distillery in an end of season thriller. Downpatrick took the lead through the energetic Noble after his long range shot was spilled by the Distillery keeper. Kieran Trainor then broke the offside trap after some fine work by Oliver Crawford and Eoghan Convie, only to be foiled by the keeper. Downpatrick continued to press forward creating a flurry of chances which resulted in Oisin Hanna cracking the crossbar with a fine strike.

Just before the break Distillery came back into the game forcing a number of corners down Downpatrick’s right hand side. After failing to clear at the near post Downpatrick conceded from a shot inside the box.

Distillery came out strong after the break and it was Downpatrick’s rear guard in Matthew McDowell, Issac McAlinden and Casey Magee who battled well to keep Distillery at bay. However, it took a number of wonderful saves from Calvin Kelly at close range to prevent the turnaround. 

A few minutes later another near post corner brought about the equaliser and ignited the match and supporters watching on. Distillery continued to press on and Adam Mulhall has to be at his best to martial the defence and lead them through a difficult spell. 

But it was Downpatrick’s wide men in Jack Hynds, Eoghan Convie and Shay Holland who started to take control of the game, using the space to great effect. 

Downpatrick regained the lead 10 mins from time when Man of the Match, Noble bagged his hat trick with a wonderful free kick into the roof of the net. Leo Madine enjoyed an industrious day snuffing out any chance of a comeback for Distillery, offloading the ball to Downpatrick’s forward runners. Jack Hynds sealed the victory after a brilliant solo run down the left which ended with a beautiful curled shot past the diving Distillery keeper. 

The cup win was a fitting end for a Downpatrick team that has impressed in their first season in the Lisburn Junior League.