| Pos | Team | PLAYED | WON | DRAWN | LOST | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dungannon Utd | 18 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 49 |
| 2 | Cookstown | 19 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 44 |
| 3 | Ballinamallard Youth | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 39 |
| 4 | Portadown Youth | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 32 |
| 5 | Newry Celtic | 17 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 27 |
| 6 | Craigavon City | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 22 |
| 7 | Glenavon | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 |
| 8 | Warrenpoint | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 19 |
| 9 | Windmill Stars | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 13 |
| 10 | Sunnyside | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 11 |
| 11 | Portadown Colts | 17 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 8 |
Mid Ulster Cup Results
05.04.08 -- R.1 - B'mallard Youth 5 - 2 Portadown Youth @ LPP.
Walker (2), Strain (2), Hoy.
12.04.08 -- R.2 - B'mallard Youth 3 - 0 Craigavon City @ Kernan
Hoy, Sheridan, Houlihan.
26.04.08 -- S.F. - B'mallard Youth 0 - 1 Dungannon Youth@ Cookstown
Mid Ulster League Results
19.04.08 -- B'mallard Youth 1 - 1 Warrenpoint @ Dungannon Park
Farrell.
08.03.08 -- B'mallard Youth 0 - 6 Dungannon Utd @ Dungannon Yth
23.02.08 -- B'mallard Youth 2 - 1 Newry Celtic @ The Gordon
Hoy, Currie.
02.02.08 -- B'mallard Youth 0 - 2 Cookstown @ Cookstown Sports Arena
26.01.08 -- B'mallard Youth 4 - 1 Warrenpoint @ Kernan
Walker (2), Strain, Alonso.
01.12.07 -- B'mallard Youth 2 - 2 Cookstown @ Bawnacre
Sheridan, Strain.
17.11.07 -- B'mallard Youth 1 - 1 Dungannon Yth @ Dungannon.
Strain.
10.11.07 -- B'mallard Youth 4 - 1 Craigavon City @ The Gordon.
Sheridan, Strain (2), Farrell.
27.10.07 -- B'mallard Youth 4 - 1 Warrenpoint @ The Gordon.
Strain (3), Sheridan.
20.10.07 -- B'mallard Youth 1 - 5 Cookstown @ Cookstown S.A.
Strain.
13.10.07 -- B'mallard Youth 3 - 1 Dungannon @ Bawnacre.
Edgar, Strain, Currie.
06.10.07 -- B'mallard Youth 4 - 1 Portadown Youth @ White City.
Farrell, Strain, Hoy, Edgar.
29.09.07 -- B'mallard Youth 6 - 0 Portadown Colts @ Tannaghmore.
Sheridan (3), Hoy, Currie, Houlihan.
22.09.07 -- B'mallard Youth 5 - 1 Glenavon @ D'gannon Park.
Strain (2), McConkey, Currie, Hamill.
15.09.07 -- B'mallard Youth 8 - 0 Newry City @ The Gordon, Lurgan.
Hoy (2), Hamill (2), Currie, Houlihan, Sheridan, Cochrane.
01.09.07 -- B'mallard Youth 4 - 0 Sunnyside @ White City.
Hoy, Houlihan, Strain, Cochrane.
Mid Ulster Scorers (League & Cup)
Strain (16), Sheridan (8), Hoy (8), Currie (5), Houlihan (5), Walker (4), Farrell (3), Hamill (3), Cochrane (2), Edgar (2), McConkey (1).
B’mallard Youth 0 -1 Dungannon Youth M.U. Cup S.F. 26.04.08
B’mallard U15’s defence of the Mid Ulster cup ended on Saturday following this 1 – 0 defeat to Dungannon. This was an excellent game from two fully committed and well matched teams. Mallard’s keeper Andrew Nevin was called into action saving from a 20 yard shot low to his right and at the other end Lee Walker just failed to get on the end of a John Joe Strain driven cross. D’gannon were creating the better chances and 10 minutes before the break a looping header hit the bar and bounced to safety. Just before the break a weakly hit back pass forced Nevin into a rushed clearance which went straight to a D’gannon forward. The resulting shot forced the retreating Nevin into a fine fingertip save to deflect the ball out for a corner.
The Mallards started the second half strongly with Brian Owens flashing a header narrowly past the post. Very few clear cut chances were being created by either team but the Mallards were grateful for a Charlie Mitten goal line clearance after a scramble in the penalty area. D’gannon broke the deadlock with 15 minutes remaining when the ball fell to a forward 25 yards out and his sweet strike to the roof of the net gave Nevin no chance. As expected the Mallards pressed forward in search of the equaliser. John Edgar’s surging run into the penalty area was ended with a last ditch tackle and in the dying minutes the Mallards were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area but Edgar’s shot was well gathered by the keeper low to his left. Despite pressing the Mallards were unable to force extra time but can be pleased with this gritty and determined performance.
Warrenpoint 1 – 1 B’mallard Mid Ulster League 19.4.08
B’mallard U15’s completed their Mid Ulster league campaign with a 1 – 1 draw against Warrenpoint on Saturday. John Joe Strain had three early chances but was denied by athletic saves and a goaline clearance as the Mallards created chances at will. Johnny Hoy and Brian Owens both had shots go wide and it was deep into the half before Warrenpoint’s first serious shot narrowly missed the angle.
Ten minutes into the second half the Mallards took the lead after a flowing move on the left. Ruairi Corrigan supplied Chris Sheridan and he found Strain on the edge of the penalty area. Strain laid the ball off to Lee Walker who in turn passed to Andrew Farrell whose firm strike from inside the area found the net. Further chances fell to Walker and Niall Wallace but against the run of play Warrenpoint equalised. A corner wasn’t dealt with and after a scramble on the six yard line the ball was hammered home. In the last 10 minutes the Mallards laid siege to the W’point goal and John Currie was unlucky when his strike hit a post. Good goalkeeping and frantic goal line clearances denied the Mallards and left the final score 1 – 1.
Craigavon 0 – 3 Ballinamallard Mid Ulster Cup 12.4.08
B’mallard U15’s progressed to the semi final of the Mid Ulster cup with a 3 – 0 victory over Craigavon City on Saturday. The first half was a rather dour affair with play mostly condensed into the middle. Mallard’s keeper Andrew Sheridan had little to do and at the other end, two shots narrowly wide from Johnny Hoy and a Matthew McConkey header were the only threat in a rather lack lustre performance.
A vastly improved second half saw the Mallards get a grip on the game with John Currie and Andrew Farrell dominating the right wing and it was from here the opening goal came. Currie and Farrell combined and Farrell’s cross was gathered by Christopher Sheridan in the penalty area. He laid the ball back to Hoy and his precise side foot effort nestled in the corner. Farrell was also involved in the second after another surging run and accurate cross to Sheridan who made no mistake from 18 yards. With 10 minutes remaining Alonso Houlihan scored from inside the penalty area, again after neat build up play from Currie and Farrell. In the dying seconds a terrific 50 yard cross field ball from Sheridan was chested by Currie on the corner of the penalty area but his volley narrowly went over the ball to leave the final score 3 – 0 to the Mallards.
Portadown 2 – 5 B’mallard - Mid Ulster Cup 5.4.08
B’mallard began their defence of the Mid Ulster Cup with a hard fought victory at Lurgan. Portadown took an early lead when poor marking from a corner resulted in a free header from 6 yards. Within 5 minutes the Mallards were level after Christopher Sheridan beat 2 players wide on the left and his precision pass found Lee Walker who coolly finished past the out coming keeper. The Mallards were creating plenty of chances but were guilty of wayward finishing. This began to look costly when Portadown took the lead with an unstoppable volley from the edge of the box. Just before the break Edgar was tackled when about to shoot but the ball broke kindly to Walker who reacted quickly to finish through the keepers legs.
The Mallards domination continued after the break but they were lucky not to go behind for a third time when a shot rebounded off their woodwork. This was Portadown’s last real chance and with 20 minutes remaining John Joe Strain scored after being put through by Edgar. Edgar struck the bar from distance as Portadown were restricted to the occasional break. Strain made it 4 – 2 after good work by Johnny Hoy and with 5 minutes remaining Hoy controlled a pass from Matthew McConkey and drove home from 18 yards to complete the deserved victory. Cookstown 2 - 0 B'mallard Youth 02.02.08 B’mallard faltered in their search for top spot in the league after this 2 – 0 defeat at a bitterly cold Cookstown. As expected the opening period was a tight affair with the play being squeezed into the middle and although both sides kept the ball down the defences were rarely troubled. On 15 minutes the Mallards were fortunate when a shot from outside the penalty area struck the post with keeper Andrew Nevin beaten. This spurred on Cookstown who began to take control with defenders Andrew Farrell, Louis Leonard and Ben Brown under constant pressure. Cookstown deservedly took the lead on 15 minutes; however this came about in controversial circumstances following a good block save from Nevin. The ball bounced to the by line and was quickly gathered by Nevin but a Cookstown player kicked the ball out of his hands and it was knocked into the empty net despite strong appeals by the Mallards. The Mallards responded immediately with a neat move by John Joe Strain and Chris Sheridan finishing with Sheridan’s shot from 20 yards being well saved. Cookstown were providing the bigger threat with Nevin being much the busier and the Mallards midfield struggling. Just before half time the Mallards almost equalised against the run of play when Strain got on the end of a Dean Cochrane cross but his volley from the edge of the penalty area went narrowly wide.
After the break the Mallards almost scored following a scramble in the Cookstown goalmouth. The ball fell to John Edgar but his header under pressure went narrowly over the angle. The opening stages were dominated by the Mallards but they were unable to test the Cookstown keeper although John Currie on the wide right continually posed a threat. Cookstown were making the better chances and increased their lead when a cross into the penalty was met by an unmarked striker who headed powerfully towards the net. Farrell on the line was judged to have handled the ball and the resulting penalty was dispatched with ease. The game again swung Cookstown’s way and Nevin made two good saves and Leonard’s desperate tackle as last man saved further scoring. On a rare excursion into the Cookstown area Strain beat two defenders but his goalbound shot was blocked. Strain had another shot go over the ball at the end but Cookstown deserved this victory and go top of the league.
B'mallard Youth 4 - 1 Warrenpoint 26.01.08B’mallard U15’s quick start proved decisive as they took 3 points against Warrenpoint at Craigavon. A Dean Cochrane long throw in the second minute caused confusion in the penalty area and Lee Walker scored with a right foot shot from 6 yards. 5 minutes later a similar Cochrane throw gave John Joe Strain a chance but his shot which went wide. Niall Wallace had a 20 yard effort go over the bar after good work on the left by Andrew Farrell and at the other end Andrew Nevin was quickly out to gather when Warrenpoint broke through. The Mallards were doing most of the pressing and were rewarded after a long ball from Wallace was well gathered by Walker, his pace took him past the last defender and he found the net with a well placed shot in the corner. Another cross from Wallace was controlled by Strain but his shot went the wrong side of the post. Strain flashed a header wide following a well worked corner involving Farrell and John Currie and minutes later a Charlie Mitten throw set Strain free but his effort again went wide with the keeper beaten. In the dying seconds both Walker and Strain had shots saved as the Mallards finished the half impressively but with only a 2 – 0 lead.
The second half continued as the first with Walker’s header from a Matthew McConkey cross just missing the upright. The third goal came after 10 minutes when a Wallace corner was fumbled by the keeper and Strain was on hand to hook a left foot volley into the top of the net through a crowd of players. Wallace’s crosses were causing problems for the Warrenpoint defence and Walker was denied his hat trick by an excellent save from his header. The strong running and tackling of Mitten on the right was a source of strength for the Mallards and his through ball to Strain almost provided the fourth but Strain was denied by a desperate goal line clearance. Minutes later an identical Mitten through ball set Walker free but his effort was blocked by the keeper on the edge of the penalty area. However the ball fell kindly to Alonso Houlihan and his low shot from 25 yards found the net. Houlihan had another chance following the restart but his shot when off balance from 6 yards brought a fine reflex save. 10 minutes from the end Warrenpoint scored in a rare break despite Andrew Nevin getting his fingertips to a powerful 20 yard volley. Further chances fell to Brian Owens and Walker but the Mallards ended up with a comfortable 4 – 1 victory.
B’mallard 2 – 2 Cookstown 1.12.07
B’mallard met Cookstown at the Bawnacre on Saturday and played out a thrilling 2 – 2 draw. The Mallards got the best possible start when a Chris Sheridan 30 yard free kick from a wide angle found the net despite the keeper getting his hands to it. It was all B’mallard and John Edgar and Lee Walker both had shots go wide. The Mallards were coping better with the difficult conditions and the Cookstown penalty area was under siege with the lively John Joe Strain, Brian Owens and left winger Sheridan causing problems for the defence. However it was Cookstown who scored next after a mix up in the centre of the Mallards let in a forward who chipped the out coming Andrew Sheridan to get an unlikely equaliser. The Mallards were stung by this and again poured forward with Owens shooting over and Strain having a shot well saved. With 20 minutes gone the Mallards regained the lead after Edgar found Strain 25 yards out. Strain dummied the last defender, took the ball round the keeper and although forced wide he managed to squeeze the ball past a defender on the line. Before the break Strain saw his header from a corner go narrowly over and had a toe poke go inches round the post but both teams went in at half time 2 – 1.
The second half was played mostly in midfield with Matthew McConkey, Owens and Edgar all give strong performances against equally aggressive opponents. Cookstown had more of the possession but very few chances were being created for either side. Mallards keeper Sheridan comfortably saved a 25 yard free kick and was relieved to see another go narrowly wide. The Mallards were dangerous on the break and Strain beat a defender on the half way line to be 1 v 1 but a wild lunge from the keeper forced him wide and his goal bound shot was cleared off the line by a defender. With 5 minutes remaining Johnny Hoy found himself in a similar position but the keeper scramble back to save well. The pressure was mounting on the Mallards defence and Louis Leonard and Dean Cochrane both made valuable interceptions. In the dying seconds a long ball to the wing was controlled by a Cookstown winger and his low cross into the penalty area was met by an unmarked forward who finished from 6 yards to spark celebrations from the travelling players and support.
Ballinamallard Youth 1 - 1 Dungannon 24.11.07 This top of the table clash ended in stalemate after a thrilling 1 – 1 draw at Dungannon. The opening 15 minutes was a cagy affair but D’gannon had most of the early possession and Dean Cochrane, Ben Brown and Louis Leonard in defence were kept busy. John Edgar had the first shot of the game on 10 minutes but it narrowly missed the upright. Edgar had a better chance 5 minutes later when John Joe Strain’s flighted ball to the edge of the box found him in space but his shot under pressure was saved by the keeper. Mallard’s keeper Andrew Sheridan was quickly out at the feet of a D’gannon forward to snuff out the danger and knock the ball to safety as Dungannon poured forward and a few minutes later he was happy to see a terrific 25 yard shot fly just over the bar. Andrew Farrell playing out of position at left back was given the duty of marking the Dungannon forward Wallace who is on trial with Newcastle and Spurs but a man of the match performance from Farrell kept the talented player quiet. The Mallards took the lead after a flowing 4 man move. Chris Sheridan in midfield passed to Lee Walker, making his debut, who in turn fed John Currie on the edge of the penalty area. His neat flick back to Walker was laid on to John Joe Strain who brilliantly finished into the top corner with a left foot curling shot. Just before half time D’gannon deservedly equalised after a drive across the penalty area was well met with a volley to give Sheridan no chance and leave the half time score 1 – 1.
The Mallards started the second half briskly with Strain shooting narrowly over. Two minutes later a move between John Currie and Brian Owens released Currie and his darting move inside the penalty area was ended when he was scythed down but to the amazement off all, no penalty was awarded. The Mallards with the wind at their back pressed forward and Strain had a low shot tipped round the post. On 20 minutes the Mallard were awarded a free kick 25 yards out and Edgar’s shot was brilliantly pushed round the post for a corner. With the Mallards pressing for the winner Eoin Hamill latched on to a poor back pass and rounded the keeper but his shot from a tight angle was scrambled off the line. Despite finishing strongly the Mallards were unable to find the winner.
Ballinamallard Youth 4 – 1 Craigavon 10.11.07 Ballinamallard continued their rich vein of form and remain top level following this 4 – 1 victory over Craigavon. A bright start saw the Mallards play the first 25 minutes almost entirely in the Craigavon half. Chris Sheridan, Johnny Hoy and John Joe Strain all had shots saved and it was no surprise when they took the lead after Andrew Farrell’s precision cross was met by Sheridan’s head to find the corner of the net after 20 minutes. In a rare moment of danger Mallard keeper Michael Long was quickly off his line to clear the danger following a through ball. James Turley had a 20 yard drive brilliantly tipped round the post and Brian Owens’ 25 yard shot crashed off the bar but at half time the score remained 1 – 0.
After the break the lead was quickly increased to 2 – 0 when Farrell’s shot was parried by the keeper but Strain reacted quickly to score from close in. Against the run of play Craigavon pulled one back when an ‘up and under’ in the Mallards area was headed into the net despite Long getting a hand to it. For the first time in the game the Mallards looked nervous and were fortunate to survive a penalty appeal after a hand ball claim. Sheridan settled the nerves with a fine left foot shot 15 minutes from the end and Farrell completed the scoring when he pounced after the keeper parried a Strain shot. John Currie, Strain and Farrell all had shots well saved in the dying minutes as the Mallards finished strongly and ended up 4 – 1 winners.
Warrenpoint 1 - 4 Ballinamallard 27.10.07 B’mallard comfortably won this game 4 – 1 against Warrenpoint thanks largely to a John Joe Strain hat trick. The opening period was a tough physical encounter with the strong wind playing a major role. However it was the Mallards, with John Edgar, John Currie and Matthew McConkey in midfield who were creating chances for the lively forwards Andrew Farrell and Strain. Farrell was through 1 v 1 but the keeper saved well and he produced two more excellent saves to deny Strain and Chris Sheridan. At the other end debutant keeper Michael Long had to be quick off the mark to deny Warrenpoint. The opening goal came on 20 minutes when Edgar beat a defender and squared to Strain who scored from six yards. The Mallards dominated the remainder of the half but wayward finishing left the score 1 – 0 at the break.
Warrenpoint started the second half briskly and Ruairi Corrigan, Ben Brown, Charlie Mitten and Louis Leonard in defence were quickly into action as Warrenpoint searched for an equaliser. They got it on 45 minutes when a cross from the right was met by an unmarked striker and his clinical finish gave Long no chance. Although possession was shared it was the Mallards who were creating the best chances and they regained the lead when Strain headed powerfully into the net from a Sheridan cross. The Mallards again took control of the game and Sheridan got on the score sheet with a header following a Farrell corner. James Turley, Edgar and Sheridan all had shots go narrowly wide and the Warrenpoint keeper was forced into making saves from Strain and Farrell. Strain completed his hat trick when he headed home another Farrell corner to leave the final score 4 - 1.
Awards - 18.08.08
Our player awards were presented in the following categories:
4/ Managers Player of the Season (M.U.) U15 - Charlie Mitten.
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