Old Boys cruise to victory

In what was a battling opening day fixture, it was Don Olphert’s men who were well in control and in youngster Steven Dougherty and striker Ross Clarke they always looked a threat in the final third and ran out easy 3-1 winners.

Left-winger Dougherty created the first chance of the game on 25 minutes when his right wing corner found an unmarked Nicky Cooke, but the midfielder headed wide from close range.

The deadlock was broken just before the break in spectacular fashion, however United keeper Ryan Wylie will be disappointed with the opening goal.

BB striker Clarke did well to skip away from his marker on the edge of the box and his curling right footed strike, caught out a flat-footed Wylie and found the keeper’s top left hand corner.

Olphert’s men were inches away from increasing their lead on 53 minutes following another slick passing move.

Midfielder Gary Rainey latched onto Ryan Holden’s defence splitting pass to break the United offside trap but after he rounded Wylie, his side footed effort from an acute angle flashed inches wide.

Soon after BB did score a second after another flowing counter attacking move when Cooke’s tremendous cross-field pass released Dougherty who calmly drilled the ball low passed Wylie.

Glenn Wallace’s chargers first opportunity of the match came on 70 minutes.

An unmarked Jamie Robinson side footed wide at the back post after BB failed to deal with Kenny King’s in-swinging right wing free-kick.

Five minutes from time a clever pass by Craig Culbert in behind right-back Paddy Cunningham released King, but the ex-Institute man was denied by the out-rushing BB keeper Sammy Livingstone, who did well to block the attempted chip.

Newbuildings did find the back of the net on 90 minutes when King’s left wing delivery found Jamie Robinson but his close range shot was cleared off the line by Johnny Moore, but Nathan Robinson was on hand to side foot home from close range.

Deep into stoppage time United missed a glorious chance to level things when Wallace got himself some space inside the BB penalty box, the player-manager’s side footed shot was well saved by Livingstone.

That missed chance came back to haunt Newbuildings as virtually straight away BB deservedly ended the game as a contest when Cooke made no mistake from close range after Wylie could only parry Clarke’s goal-bound shot.