The under 14’s beat North End on Saturday in confident fashion with goals coming from Eoin Rooney, Declan Looney and Ruairi Quinn, click on the below to find out how…
Saturday 21st March – Lisburn Invitational League under 14’s
Downpatrick FC 4 v North End 0
Downpatrick started well, pressing from the kick off, with Ruairi Quinn and Eoin Rooney looking hungry, they harassed the North End defence and gave them no time on the ball. Although North End posed a threat early on in the half Tom Smyth marshalled his defence well and snuffed out any chance of a breakthrough.
As the game wore on Downpatrick made a change, with Quinn and Declan Looney swapping positions. This had an immediate impact as Quinn drove down the left wing, he crossed for Rooney who shot at goal, the keeper made a great save but Looney was sniffing round and blasted the rebound into the bottom corner to put his team in front.
The game got very physical after this and in the space of a few minutes both Quinn and Corey McCoubrey had to be replaced. Just before halftime as Downpatrick pressed they were caught on the counterattack, down their left side only for a magnificent save from Shane Campbell to keep his side in front at halftime.
Half Time: Downpatrick FC 1 v North End 0
Another injury at the start of the second half meant another shuffle, Kyle McKeever came on, Kian Tierney and Caolain Logue moved into the middle of the park, where he had an impact straight away, as he drove from midfield beating 2 men, laid a ball out wide to James Peacock who crossed for Rooney to tuck his shot into the bottom corner.
This gave Downpatrick more confidence and they were spreading the ball around the pitch playing some lovely short passing football. A few minutes later, with McCoubrey back on the pitch he won a tackle in the middle of the park, he played it to Rooney who was around 40 yards from goal when he started his run at the North End defence, he jinked past 4 of their players, he then committed the keeper and found the bottom left corner of the goal.
With North End still battling, Smyth and Tom Fitzsimons were outstanding in their defensive duties, stopping any threat North End created. In the last few minutes Smyth won the ball in the air as he took it down he moved into midfield, he then passed out Rooney who found his strike partner Quinn on the edge of the box, he rifled a shot into the bottom right corner of the net to finish the game off and make it 4 – 0.
