Under-10s see off Ballymena too

It looked like the Coleraine lads were struggling to find their feet in the mud as they went in at half time 2-1 down despite dominating possession and going ahead through a clever Patrick Kelly goal.

Encouraging half time words and some positional changes from Coach Wallace had immediate effect and the Coleraine boys lit up the second half with flowing passing football which was great to watch and led to seven more goals including a Patrick Kelly hat-trick, braces from Jake Wallace and Aaron Downes and a counter from Ben Dallas.

Jake Wallace held the defence brilliantly with Ryan Canning recovering from an early icy bath in the touchline puddle to put in one of his best performances at the deft of defence. Lewis Dallas, Ben Dallas and Mark Lowry were solid and creative in midfield. Man of the Match Patrick Kelly terrorised Ballymena up the right wing while Aaron Downes supplied dangerous balls from the left and set pieces.

Owen MacKenzie in nets managed to keep his concentration in the second half to beat out a couple of low, long range

efforts. A tremendous second half performance from the Coleraine boys!

Man of the Match: Patrick Kelly

Under-9s

Coleraine Academy Under-9s took on Coleraine Olympic Under-10s in a very entertaining match at Ballysally.

Despite this being a friendly both squads were determined to play to their full capacity. The match gave the coaches the opportunity to try players in different positions, even having to call on the services of a goalkeeper standing on the sidelines.

Despite the age difference the Under-9s took the game to their counterparts with end to end football and on occasions should have taken the lead, but for a few misplaced shots and unfortunate misses.

Players were moved around the pitch and pleased the coaches with their adaptability. Rafferty Mackay and Reece Watton showed their ability on the wing. It wouldn’t be an Academy match without a trade mark goal from Lewis Tosh, leaving the score 1 – 1. The Academy would have settled for a draw, but the U10’s took advantage of a mix-up in the defence leaving the final score 2 -1 to the U10’s. This was a great team effort and the whole squad were a credit to themselves and all those watching from the sidelines.

Man of the Match: Oliver Henry and Rafferty Mackay

The Under-9 Olympic team beat Ballymoney 4-1.

The young Bannsiders dominated from the start even though they were playing in unfamiliar positions. Despite having more possession and against the run of play, Coleraine fell when Ballymoney broke quickly. Coleraine continued to play pass and move football and equalised quickly with a fine finish from Jack McClure.

With Fletcher White dominant in midfield and Cameron Black playing well in defence Coleraine raced into a 3-1 lead through goals from the impressive Reece Watton and a second for Jack McClure.

Coleraine were well on top now with Daniel Duncan leading the line well, Ethan Best working hard down the wing and Harry McDowell commanding in goal. The final goal came from a Fletcher White free kick. This was another impressive performance by the U9 Olympic who are getting better with each performance. The hard work is paying off boys keep it up.

Man of the Match: Jack McClure

Under-15s

The under 15’s picked up three more points with a good display at the Crescent on Saturday. A good start saw Coleraine creating early chances and the first goal came from a corner when Stewart glanced the ball into the net from the superb delivery from McKinney. The second came soon after when Gault followed up to tap in after Waddell had forced the keeper to make a good save from his shot.

A few minutes later Waddell got on the score sheet when he drilled the ball into the top corner from just inside the box to make it three nil. Coleraine continued to dominate with Stewart winning the ball in midfield and Walker creating chances with pinpoint passes. Ireland on the right was also causing Stranocum all sorts of problems.

Nearing half time Coleraine scored two more quick goals with both coming from Gault to complete his hat-trick. Shortly into the second half Coleraine made five changes and Stranocum took advantage while Coleraine were a little unsettled and pulled one back. A second Stranocum goal

came but Coleraine settled again and began to press. A corner saw the ball drop to Coleraine captain Ryan Kane and he side footed home to make it six.

Stranocum never gave up and battled away but most of the play was now in their half with only the odd break away which the Coleraine defence dealt with. Coleraine created several more chances which they couldn’t convert into goals. At the final whistle Coleraine ran out comfortable winners 6-2.

Man of the Match: Cealyn Stewart.