Bryansburn had the best of the opening exchanges, but were unable to take the lead. East were reduced to sporadic attacks that the ‘Burn defence dealt with well. Edwards made two fine saves when the visitors managed to break through. It was Bryansburn who opened the scoring on the half hour when a well-delivered corner by McCullough was headed in by J McAllister. However the home side were pegged back five minutes later, when an East corner was diverted into the ‘Burn net via Storey’s heel. H-T 1-1.

The visitors took the lead ten minutes into the second half when they broke down the right and the winger finished well. Bryansburn created a number of chances to equalise but failed to find the finishing touch. East extended their lead when their striker thrashed the ball into the top corner of the net, although ‘Burn were aggrieved that he seemed to be in an offside position when the ball was played. An increasingly frustrated Bryansburn side continued to create chances with Cole, Flynn and J McAllister being thwarted by a combination of point blank saves, several clearances off the line, and some good East defending. A poor result for the seconds, which halts their progress up the table. F-T 1-3.

The only other team in action was the 4^th XI who travelled to League leaders Portavogie Rangers ll. Although beaten 3-0 the young Bryansburn side put in a very creditable performance against the best side they have met this season.

Bryansburn Rangers 1^st XI travelled to Clandeboye Park to take on Bangor Reserves with Culbert once again on the score sheet grabbing himself a brace of goals in a 2-2 draw.

Bangor’s backline which included 1st team regulars Fitzpatrick, Boyd and Ryan Brown making a welcome comeback in nets had experience in abundance. Some may have said this was a meaningless friendly but it was evident that the players from both teams were up for it and never treated it as such.

In a very evenly matched 1st half with Bangor probably having the lions share of possession, the Bryansburn players had to work hard to contain the home side and actually prevent Bangor from getting any sustained pressure built up during the match.  With Shanks working his socks off up top and putting his best performance in since coming to the club, Bangor’s backline seemed to struggle with his movement and his persistent running of the channels. With Chambers sitting in front of the back four and Coard wide right, the balance of the ‘Burn side looked far better, which allowed McGimpsey to once again put in an impressive shift.

The only two chances of note in the first half for Bangor was when they played neat football down their right side and delivered a pinpoint cross to the back post but the Bangor striker hit it high and wide. Magee, in the wars once again, showed either his courage or stupidity when he flew himself in front of a goal bound shot and took one for the team square on the face with the ball deflecting to a Bangor striker but once again the young player showed no composure and lashed the ball wide of the near post. Magee clearly dazed by this should have been replaced but insisted in playing on and this clearly shows the true character of the player.

The best ‘Burn chance of the half fell to McGimpsey.  He had peeled off his man on a corner and with Coard delivering a peach of a cross into the area all that was required was the slightest of touches but unfortunately he was unable to make any contact and the chance came and went in a flash. Half Time 0-0

Whatever was in the half time refreshments certainly done the trick as Bryansburn came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt.  They pressed the backline of the Bangor defence and were having plenty of joy with Coard and Mallon down each flank.  In the 51^st minute the first goal of the game came when Shanks broke down the left flank and he spread a great cross into the back post where Culbert was on hand to knock it in from two yards out.  No more than the ‘Burn side deserved from their great start to the 2nd half.

Wave after wave of attacks came from the ‘Burn who should have doubled their lead on a few occasions but on the break Bangor hit back with a clever acute pass that split the Bryansburn centre defence and the Bangor striker with a neat touch this time made no mistake and he slotted it home past the advancing Steventon.

‘Burn did not sit back and went back in search of the lead.  With Bryansburn now playing their best football of the season the Bangor side struggled to cope with the passing and movement and after chance after chance ‘Burn eventually took the lead again.  It was a goal of great quality as the passing that lead up to the goal was a joy to watch.  The ball was switched from left to right and when the ball eventually got to Coard he whipped the ball in low and hard to Shanks who stepped over the ball to deceive the Bangor defence and the ball ran to Culbert who poked the ball the home.  A great team goal.

Culbert was denied his hat trick when he unleashed a terrific shot from 35 yards.  Dinking the ball over the advancing player he caught the ball on the half volley and arrowed it towards goal.  With goalkeeper stranded, helplessly turning his head to watch the ball fizz by him, Brown was glad to see it rebound off the stanchion and eventually cleared to safety.

Whilst Mallon was down injured this evidently disrupted the fluency and organisation of the side. With five minutes on the clock remaining a set piece delivered into the area where Mallon usually vacated was not filled and this allowed the Bangor player unmarked to bring the ball down unchallenged and the ball was dispatched to level the match 2-2.

Very hard to stomach given the performance the Bryansburn side put in but they can take a lot of confidence from this into next week’s league game where they really need to kick-start their league campaign.

Bryansburn Under 15’s were away to St Oliver Plunkett’s (SOPYC) at Lenadoon and snatched all three points courtesy of a solitary goal from McLarnon.

SOPYC started the brightest forcing the pace of the game for the opening ten minutes and restricted Bryansburn to a couple of quick raids into their half. Despite this Bryansburn defended well and gave SOPYC no clear chance on goal. The reminder of the half saw solid battling by both teams and opportunities fell to McLarnon, Dillon and Murdoch but none were able to convert these into goals.

The second half was played in the exact manner as the first with both teams solid in defence and strong battling throughout all areas of the park.

After 56 minutes Bryansburn finally took the lead with a peach of a goal from McLarnon. He picked up the ball some 20 yards out moved it onto his right and hit a superb shot, which looped high over the keeper and just under the bar. Both teams had other chances but the game finished 1-0.

This was Bryansburn’s toughest game of the season so far against a resolute SOPYC team who fought for everything however Bryansburn showed they were worthy of the challenge and deserving of their second spot in the table. Man of the match goes to Erwin who was outstanding, quick and composed in defence.

Both teams tried to play football and created a few half chances. ‘Burn’s best chance of the half came after twenty minutes when Cole dispossessed the Lisburn right back but saw his shot go narrowly wide. The Lisburn attack looked most threatening from set pieces but ‘Burn defended well to keep visiting chances to a minimum and Brady was alert to come off his line to thwart any danger. H-T 0-0.

The second half started in the same vein as the first, but the visitors made the breakthrough on the hour mark. Their number nine ran through on to a long punt upfield and took it past Brady to tap home. In response, ‘Burn stepped up a gear. Cole thought he had equalised when he fired past the keeper but the ref adjudged him to be offside. However, Bryansburn levelled five minutes later when debutant Mercer hit a ferocious drive that the keeper could only parry and Corr followed up to slot home. Bryansburn took confidence from this and scored a second soon after. A fine McCullough corner was met by S McAllister who rose above his marker to powerfully head the ball into the back of the net. Lisburn tried to get back into the game but ‘Burn defended resolutely. The visitors’ best chance came with a curler towards the top corner of the net but Brady made a brilliant save to deny them. The home team looked more likely to score a third with sub Flynn looking lively from his introduction. The decisive third goal came when Malomo-Paris jinked his way past two defenders and the keeper and squared the ball to Watson for an easy finish and his debut goal for the club. This rounded of an excellent and well deserved win for the seconds, who will hope to build on this in the coming weeks. F-T 3-1.

Although never at their best the 3^rd XI defeated Stranmillis 37^th OB 5-3 to extend their lead at the top of the League.

‘Burn controlled the entire first half without creating too many chances. Too often good approach work was ruined by a poor final ball. Edwards and J.McAllister saw a lot of the ball on the flanks but service to the front two was limited. The deadlock was broken on the half-hour mark when Cardwell latched on to a defence-splitting ball to finish. Although ‘Burn only had the one goal to show for their efforts the visitors never threatened and the lead was always comfortable. Then in the final minute of the half Williamson launched into a needless tackle in the box and 37^th equalised from the resultant penalty.

Worse was to come in the opening minutes of the half when Williamson conceded possession and a superb strike put Stranmillis 2-1 in front. ‘Burn finally lifted their game and for the next fifteen minutes threw everything into attack. The keeper made a terrific save from a Dempster volley but despite a succession of corners and so much pressure the equaliser failed to come. Finally Cardwell headed home a Beattie corner and two minutes later Dempster released Edwards and he rifled the ball home to put ‘Burn 3-2 in front and turn the whole game on its head. However Bryansburn were all over the place at the back and keeper Kennedy had to make two excellent saves to keep them in front.

When Cardwell danced round the keeper to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-2 the points seemed safe. However a direct free-kick scored by the visitors’ three minutes from time set up a grandstand finish. Any nerves were dispelled within a minute as Gallagher powered down the left flank and crossed low for Cardwell to tap in at the back post.

Not a great performance from the 3^rd XI but still five goals scored and three more points.

The 4^th XI were beaten 3-2 at Stranmillis 37^th OB ll in a game they were disappointed not to win.

In a fairly even first half ‘Burn took the lead through a fine strike from Jeffers only for Stranmillis to equalise ten minutes from halftime when their Centre-back rose unchallenged at a corner to score with a firm header.

Midway through the second half debutant Toogood won the ball in midfield and fed the ball to Patterson on the left wing whose cross was fired home by Morrison to give ‘Burn the lead. Bryansburn thought they had a penalty when the home goalkeeper upended Patterson but the referee failed to blow. This proved to be a turning point as shortly afterwards another corner caused problems for the ‘Burn defence and the ball was bundled home from close range. Despite claims that the ball had not crossed the line the goal stood. Worse was to come ten minutes from the end when keeper Magennis could not hold a sharp shot and the rebound was poked home to give Stranmillis the lead. Even then ‘Burn could have salvaged a point when dead ball specialist Morrison curled a free kick over the defensive wall only to see it rebound off the post.

A disappointing result for Bryansburn especially when they seemed at one stage to be coasting to a win.

‘Burn made a nervous opening and conceded a free-kick just outside the box in the opening minute. The kick hit the wall but despite plenty of chances to clear the danger the ball was eventually scrambled in. Drumaness had adapted an usual 3-4-3 formation and the signs were that the Bryansburn players were struggling to cope with their tactics. In the 17^th minute ‘Burn had a glorious chance to equalise when Culbert received the ball two yards out with his back to goal but only managed to hook it over the bar. That miss proved costly as shortly after Drumaness doubled their advantage. This time the home side scored direct from a free-kick on the edge of the area with keeper Steventon perhaps disappointed that he was unable to turn the ball round the post.

Midway through the half Coard whipped in a corner and Shanks had a free header but failed to make contact and the chance went begging. Things got worse when Drumaness made it 3-0 just before the break. A runner was clearly three yards offside but although the referee put his whistle to his mouth he decided to wave play on and a low cross provided a simple tap-in at the back post.

In the second half ‘Burn eventually got their game in order and dealt much better with the home side’s formation. Marking was much tighter and the visitors had the better of the exchanges. Bryansburn were rewarded for their much more enterprising play with a goal. Substitute Cooling, who had made a number of good runs down the right, put in a great ball to the front post where Culbert laid it off for Shanks to score with a left-footed shot across the keeper.

Bryansburn continued to press and had the Premier League side on the back foot for long periods only for the killer fourth goal to arrive when the home no7 out-jumped Keenan to head into the box where a striker was on hand to finish.

Too often ‘Burn have given sides a one goal start and they cannot keep doing this if they hope to salvage anything out of this season. Now the side must pick themselves up for this weeks 2^nd Round Intermediate Cup tie way to Malachians.

Bryansburn Under 15’s racked up another three points this time at the expense of St Mary’s. Three goals from Murdoch and one a piece from Dillon and Neill guaranteed the win. McLarnon set up the first with excellent work down the right side, he pinged in a cross and Dillon instinctively got in front of his marker to side foot home from close range.

St Mary’s were no pushover and quickly equalised from a well-worked corner. Bryansburn were caught sleeping leaving a man totally unmarked on the edge of the 18-yard area and when the ball was played straight to him he fired past a crowed box. Murdoch restored the home team’s lead when he was sent racing towards goal and coolly slipped the ball past the approaching keeper. Just before the break Jamison put Murdoch through again and he drove home a shot from some 20 yards.

The visitors manager clearly demanded an improved performance during the interval and 15 minutes into the into the second half they pulled another back when Bryansburn again failed to pick up and close down a free man on the edge of the box. However five minutes later Neil’s spectacular shot from 25 yards out looped over St Mary’s defence and found the very top corner leaving Bryansburn’s supporters applauding and St Mary’s gasping in awe. Another marvellous goal for Willie to add to his list. Victory was assured 5 minutes from the end when Suonio played the ball to Murdoch who netted to make the final score 5-2.

This was a fine team performance from every Bryansburn player, Neil, Dillon, Suonio, Jamison and Orr all get special mentions but man of the match goes to Murdoch for yet another hat-trick.

Although ‘Burn were missing a number of 2^nd team regulars, those that came in settled well as the hosts had a go at their higher league opponents from the off. Flynn had the best chance of the opening exchanges, the last defender just getting enough on the ball to put him off after a fine cross from Owens. ‘Burn suffered a blow when Corr, who had been causing the Ford defence all sorts of problems, had to go off injured. Ford began to create chances and Brady had to be on his toes to keep the game scoreless. The visitors took the lead when Bryansburn lost possession on the edge of their 18-yard area, leaving an easy chance for the Ford striker. The home team thought they had equalised approaching half time when Edwards helped in an S McAllister goalward header but, to the amazement of both teams, the ref ruled it out for offside. H-T 0-1.

Bryansburn had the bit between their teeth as they searched for an equaliser. McGreevy was having a great game and was proving to be a good outlet down the right wing. Flynn was busy up front but was unable to find a finish to his good work. At the other end, the defence made some excellent last ditch stops and Brady made a couple of fine saves. But he could do nothing about Ford’s second – a break down the right ended with a shot that Brady tipped onto the bar. Unfortunately for ‘Burn, the rebound fell to the Ford striker, who nodded it home from 2 yards. ‘Burn continued to press and Kehoe had a great chance to halve the deficit and set up a tense finale, but he saw his close range effort go over the bar. A spirited performance by the 2nds, and special mention to Ferguson for a solid performance at centre half after a last minute call up. F-T 0-2.

The 3^rd XI romped to a 9-2 victory at a spirited Newtown Forest side with the home side having no answer to the veteran strike force of Cardwell and Dempster who scored eight goals between them.

The opening exchanges were tight until Dempster peeled off the back post to powerfully head home a Beattie corner. The referee then waved away penalty appeals for what looked a blatant foul on Cardwell but minutes later he did point to the spot. A flowing move carved Forest apart and as Beattie was about to shoot he was fouled. Cardwell tucked home the resultant spot-kick. The home keeper then pulled off spectacular saves to deny Gallagher and Dempster before ‘Burn made it 3-0. Dempster split the home defence with a precision ball and Cardwell ran through to round the keeper and roll the ball into the net. Newtown Forest had their best spell of the match towards half-time and were rewarded with a goal to give themselves some hope for the second half.

Bryansburn remained on top in the second half and as the game progressed became even more dominant. Goal number four came after a powerful Gallagher run and when he pulled the ball back Dempster swept in his second goal off the far post. Then Cardwell burst through and although the keeper took the sting out of his shot Dempster reached the ball before a defender to complete his hat-trick. Cardwell then duly completed his hat-trick when Beattie put him through and he made no mistake. Goal number seven soon followed. Beattie burst forward, played a one-two with Dempster to get into the box and proceeded to beat the keeper with a deft chip.

To their credit the home side battled away and latched on to a bad back pass to score a consolation. McComb limped from the fray but had an able replacement in the shape of Rea before ‘Burn gave youngsters Hanna and Patterson a run-out.

Still the scoring was not finished and Cardwell took his personal haul to five by rounding the keeper twice to score having been put through by excellent balls, which were the climax of flowing moves. Right on time teenager had the chance to make it double figures when put clean through but he failed in his attempt to lift the ball over the advancing keeper.

Excellent team performance and a great way for the 3rds to announce their return to form.

Bryansburn Rangers 1^st XI travelled to second placed Shankill Utd on an excellent day for playing football and ended up on the wrong side of a 5-1 drubbing. Bryansburn were missing no fewer than six players but had hoped to give a better account against a strong home side.

From the first whistle the ‘Burn back four were under extreme pressure and after four minutes the home side found themselves in front. Things got worse for the away side when Shankill scored two further goals inside the next ten minutes. Bryansburn did however create a chance after a good passing move and Keenan should have capitalised but put his shot the wrong side of the post. Shortly before the halftime whistle things got worse for ‘Burn when Shankill scored a 4^th goal.

The second half started and ‘Burn started to get back into the game with some good football yet they had only keeper Steventon to thank for a couple of great saves. Mallon scored for Bryansburn with a well-taken goal but a couple of minutes later Shankill scored a 5^th to complete the scoring.

Hopefully a number of the absentees will be available this Saturday as Bryansburn travel to Drumaness looking to earn a place in the 3^rd Round proper of the Irish Cup for the first time.

Bryansburn Under 15’s thumped Red Star 5-1 and remain in second place, three points behind the League leaders with two games in hand.

Red Star on the other hand are bottom of the table so it came as no surprise that it was the home side who started the brightest and forced the pace of the entire game. Bryansburn took the lead in spectacular fashion when their central midfielder Dillon set off on a solo run on the left side, he rounded three players on the way towards goal and shot low into the near corner. Bryansburn’s second took a more direct approach. Neill hit a typical long by ball, which Murdoch raced on to save going out at the other end of the pitch. He fired it back across the goalmouth and Murphy who was under pressure from two defenders was quickest to meet the cross and superbly netted from close range. In the 24^th minute McLarnon, who seems to be scoring more regularly from his new position out on the right, picked up Dillon’s neat pass and lobbed the keeper from just outside the 18 yard line. The visitors’ pulled one back following an uncharacteristic defensive error. However just as the referee was about to blow for halftime Dillon provided another killer pass, this time to Suonio whose shot bounced and slipped past the keeper to restore the three goal lead.

Five minutes into the second half Murdoch ensured all three points when he tapped in from close range following a period of good passing football. This was a poor performance by Bryansburn’s usually high standard and Red Star should consider themselves lucky that they did not suffer a heavier defeat. “Man of the Match” is split between McLarnon for great work on the right side and Dillon for another excellent performance at the heart of midfield.

The 3^rd XI gained revenge for the previous weeks defeat against 82^nd with a hard fought 1-0 win over the same opposition.

Unlike last week Bryansburn were able to field their first choice eleven but 82^nd proved difficult opponents keeping the result in doubt until the final whistle. The game was moved to Bloomfield and the small pitch cramped play with space hard to find. 82^nd had a couple of chances early on but failed to hit the target and after that Bryansburn settled down to have the better of the exchanges. Gallagher tormented the visitors’ time and time again with surging runs down the left flank and twice he fired in efforts just wide of the upright while Murphy drilled in a close shot and Beattie’s goal-bound effort was blocked.

The second half saw ‘Burn step up the pace and a 25-yard effort from Murphy scraped the outside of the post with the keeper beaten. Bryansburn were working very hard confident that the break would finally come. Cardwell was denied what looked like a blatant penalty and went close twice but still the break would not come. Williamson overlapped to good effect on the right and a stream of corners and crosses caused problems but still the visitors held on.

Finally the breakthrough came ten minutes from time and it was substitute Shivers who pounced for what turned out to be the winning goal. A couple of minutes later came the best chance of the match. Cairnduff found Beattie totally free on the edge of the penalty area with just the keeper to beat but he screwed his shot wide. Two minutes later Cardwell wriggled through but the keeper made a good save with his legs. The worry was that Bryansburn might regret those missed chances but they did not matter in the end as 82^nd rarely looked capable of scoring at the other end.

This was a good three points against a team that are certainly much better than their League position suggests.

Bryansburn 4^th XI travelled to Sydenham to play Vision Athletic ll and suffered only their second defeat of the season beaten narrowly 4-3.

Vision settled quicker and nearly took the lead in the first two minutes following a defensive mix up but Armstrong was in the right place to clear off the line. Despite Vision playing the better football it was ‘Burn who took the lead after eleven minutes when Morrison reacted sharply to score following hesitation in the Vision defence. Vision equalised in the 25^th minute when sloppy play in midfield allowed one of their forwards a run on goal and Jones’ despairing tackle was penalised by a penalty kick. Vision took the lead shortly afterwards when a quick break led to the ball being squared back for their centre forward to sweep the ball home from twelve yards for an excellent goal. They nearly went further ahead but another strike was ruled out for a narrow offside decision.

The second half was evenly contested but as so often recently Bryansburn contrived to produce goals at just the right time. First, Jeffers showed determination to force a way through to bundle the ball home and then on the hour mark ‘Burn took the lead when Morrison scored his second with a cultured finish from the edge of the box. Bryansburn started to look more comfortable at this stage but the game was turned on its head when first Jones went off and then Armstrong pulled up with a serious hamstring injury. ‘Burn had to reorganise but the loss of both centre backs put them under pressure. Even so young Keable had a chance to extend the lead but the Vision keeper saved well with his legs. Ferguson cleared off the line for ‘Burn but the pressure told when hesitation allowed Vision to equalise from close range.

The visitors’ would have been happy to settle for a point at this stage but it was not to be and Vision scored again near the end to claim a 4-3 win. Best for ‘Burn were young Morrison who gets better every week and veteran Ferguson who caused the Vision defence no end of problems with a tireless display and did not deserve to be on the losing side.