Bryansburn Rangers FC

Bryansburn lost their 100% league record with a 1-1 draw away to Bloomfield last Saturday.

‘Burn started the better and should have taken the lead when Malomo-Paris missed from six yards out. This went on to be the story of the 1^st half when chance after chance fell to a number of Bryansburn players with no-one able to put the ball in the back of the net.

‘Burn then paid the price for their wastefulness in front of goal in the 38^th minute when a defensive error was punished when a 25-yard drive gave Wallace no chance in the Bryansburn goal

The 2^nd half started with again some glorious chances for Murray and Culbert but again they failed to convert. Malomo-Paris did however make amends for his early miss when in the 71^st minute he made a great run right to the bye- line and pulled the ball back for Culbert to slide the ball into the empty net to level the scores

‘Burn were now on top of their game but despite continuing to create some good chances a winning goal failed to materialise and this has to be seen as two points dropped rather than one gained.

Bryansburn travel to Derriaghy CC this Saturday for 2^nd round Border Cup tie

Bryansburn 2^nd XI got their competitive season off to a poor start, hosting Dunmurry YM II on a blustery day but going down 3-2 to a dubious penalty.

Starting against the wind, ‘Burn were encamped for the most part in their own half but a mixture of good defending and missed chances kept the game scoreless. They were able to make the occasional break up-field and J McAllister had a chance to give ‘Burn the lead against the run of play, but saw his attempted chip over the keeper go wide of the mark. HT 0-0.

The visitors had a great start to the second period, scoring twice in the opening fifteen minutes of the half through their two strikers. However ‘Burn battled back bravely. An interception by Cunningham played in Morrison who skipped around the keeper and slotted into an empty net to make it 2-1. Keeper Gardner then hit the Dunmurry crossbar from a wind-assisted kick from his hands. Parity was restored with fifteen minutes to go. Corr chased down a Cunningham through ball to slot home from inside the 18-yard box. ‘Burn had the momentum but were undone when the visiting referee awarded his side a penalty after the Dunmurry striker appeared to have dived into the box. Their captain slotted home to give them the three points.

A disappointing and frustrating start for the 2nds but they will be pleased with a battling fight-back before suffering at the hands of a poor refereeing decision.

FT 2-3.

The 3^rd XI went down 4-3 at Corrymeela in a game that they should have taken something from.

The home side made the more accomplished start and ‘Burn survived an early scare when a home forward scooped the ball over the bar from three yards out. Bryansburn soon settled down and after several promising attacks soon took the lead. Cardwell threaded Gallagher through and he fired the ball into the top corner for a sublime finish. Shortly after the lead should have been doubled after Cardwell was fouled in the box. Beattie stepped up but failed to hit the target from the spot kick. The miss proved costly as minutes later Corrymeela equalised with a header direct from a corner.

Early in the second half Corrymeela took the lead but ‘Burn stuck to their task and were duly rewarded. Gallagher made a tremendous run down the left and his cross was swept home by Cardwell who reached the ball just before a defender. In the 68^th minute Bryansburn then took the lead. This time it was Owens who played the ball through and top scorer Cardwell nipped in just before the keeper to round him and slot home into an empty net.

Corrymeela finished strongly but as the game entered the final ten minutes ‘Burn should have been well capable of seeing the game out. However the midfield lost their way somewhat and two goals in the space of a minute turned a possible three points into nothing as too many players simply switched off.

Bryansburn made a concerted effort to salvage something but the nearest they came was when a long throw from Storey went through a crowded box and ended up in the net only for the Referee to rule that no-one had managed to get a touch.

The game finished 4-3 to Corrymeela and Bryansburn will see this as points dropped having been in such a dominant position with ten minutes remaining.

The 4^th XI will not get their competitive season underway until this Saturday as their home fixture against Moat Park Rangers ll was called off due to an unplayable pitch.

This Saturday: 1^st XI V Derriaghy CC (a) in the 2^nd Round of the Border Cup with a trip to either Newcastle or Kilmore Rec awaiting the winners in Round 3. In League fixtures, the 2^nd XI entertain Bangor Rangers ll, the 3^rd XI are at home to 3^rd Bangor OB and the 4^th XI visit Vision Athletic ll.

Next Sunday 20^th September Club members will be taking part in a sponsored cycle. This will be followed by a family day at Ballywooley from 3pm onwards with Bouncy Castle, Face-Painting and an all-day Barbeque. All members are asked to come along with their friends and family to support what should be a very enjoyable event.

Bryansburn hosted fellow 1B side Rathfriland Rangers in the 1^st round of the Border Cup on Saturday and eased into the 2^nd round with an emphatic 7-1 victory.

Bryansburn started the game on fire and were 2-0 up within seven minutes. Two well taken headed goals, firstly from Culbert who rose well to guide his header into the top corner of the net and then from the prolific Thompson with his late run into the box connected to a cross from McGimpsey and it rocketed past the keeper.

Unfortunately for Thompson he took a blow to the side of the head for his troubles and was clearly dazed by it.

After the restart Rathfriland were on the attack and straight away were rewarded with a corner. With Thompson clearly struggling with a slight bout of concussion ‘Burn were trying to make a substitution however amidst the confusion the corner was quickly taken and the home defence failed to react and the ball was headed in at the back post to put Rathfriland back in the game.

With Thompson reluctantly being replaced by Peeples, ‘Burn started to settle and get a stranglehold of the game again.

Malomo-Paris, continuing his great start to the season, added a 3^rd when he latched onto a long throw into the box and with the faintest of touches he glanced it into the net.

The impressive McConkey scored the 4th goal. He played a one two with Culbert and his left footed shot was low and hard into the corner of the net.

The 5^th was quickly followed when Cooling, down the right, skipped past two players to deliver a deep cross that floated over the keeper and found itself into the net via the help of the post and possibly poaching Malomo-Paris getting the final touch. Cooling no doubt will claim it but quite possibly Malomo-Paris will have something to say about it.

The half drew to a close with a 5-1 score line and it was looking very ominous for the visiting team.

The 2^nd half started like the first with ‘Burn taking the game to their opponents. Bryansburn looked like they could score at will but although there were fewer chances in the 2^nd half the football at times as regards possession was pleasing on the eye.

With the introduction of Edwards and Morrison it was the ideal opportunity for them to shine.

Culbert had a great chance to make it six when he was picked out with a great cross but his sliding shot unfortunately found the other side of the post.

The 6^th goal eventually came when closely marked McConkey was still able to do a neat turn in the box and unleash an unstoppable shot across the keeper

The rout was complete when Culbert was on the score sheet again. A cross from the left was flicked on by Edwards and Culbert caught it on the half volley and fired it low across the keeper.

No doubt the management team were pleased with the result today but more pleasing to see was that the goals today were spread amongst the team and the actual finishing was of the highest quality.

Young Morrison, a developed player from the youth structure at Bryansburn, was terrific when he came on today and he gives other players within the club that added incentive to work hard and progress to the first team.

The 2nds played their last pre-season friendly before league action begins next week and recorded a 2-0 win against Willowbank.

An unfamiliar side took the field and the visitors capitalised on this, dominating the first twenty minutes until Bryansburn settled. After this initial period and playing against a strong cross wind, ‘Burn had few chances in the 1^st half but defended well to reduce the visitors’ to long-range efforts that were well saved by Gilmer. At the other end, Geddis had a golden opportunity to give ‘Burn the lead, but failed to hit the target from close range. HT 0-0.

The hosts got into the game more forceably in the 2^nd half and matched the physical side of their opponents’ game. They started to create several chances, the best of which fell to Owens who fired narrowly wide. ‘Burn took the lead with fifteen minutes to go with a freak goal from McCullough. Taking a free-kick from his own 18-yard box, he smacked the ball up the field and saw it bounce over the keepers’ head. ‘Burn doubled their lead when Bowman shot home after a scramble in the box. The visitors tried to get back into the game but ‘Burn held out for the win and an excellent clean sheet. FT 2-0.

The 3^rd XI suffered their first defeat since moving up to the Down Area Premier Division. However there is certainly no disgrace in losing 2-1 to an impressive Moat Park Rangers side who will be title challengers this season.

‘Burn spent most of the match on the back foot but despite their dominance in terms of possession the home side only forced ‘Burn keeper Gardner to make a couple of saves outside of the goals in the entire match.

Moat Park were on top from the start as ‘Burn struggled to get out of their half and they deservedly took the lead after fifteen minutes when a home player just nicked a corner a fraction ahead of Shaw and the ball nestled in the bottom corner. As the half wore on Bryansburn came more into the game, working hard to win the bottle and then keeping possession to frustrate the home side.

Ten minutes before the break Bryansburn equalised when Dempster threaded a through ball to Cardwell who made no mistake for his sixth goal of the season

In the second half the pattern remained the same with Moat Park in control but rarely looking like scoring and ‘Burn relying on the break. The Bryansburn back four of Cole, Shaw, McComb and Storey were outstanding as they soaked up a lot of pressure. Just when it seemed as though ‘Burn would hold on for an unlikely point an absolute wonder strike gave Gardner no chance fifteen minutes from time to seal victory for the home side. Late on Thompson was denied an equaliser when the keeper tipped his effort over.

“Man of the Match” was Shaw who was excellent at the heart of defence.

The 4^th XI’s game at Greenwell Star ll did not take place after a misunderstanding over the pitch booking.

In midweek the 3^rd XI put in their best performance of the season to win 5-1 at Oakfield Breda.

The home side started well and had several half-chances to open the scoring but once ‘Burn settled the result was never in doubt. With Murphy and Thompson running the midfield and the possession football and movement proving too much for the home side, ‘Burn were in total control. Dempster split the Oakfield defence with an excellent ball and Cardwell rounded the keeper to open the scoring. Then Full-back Cole popped up to stab home a second goal before the break

The only problem with the Bryansburn performance was that they took to long to get the third goal in the second half to kill the game off. Cardwell (twice) and Dempster were denied by the keeper before Beattie burst through the middle but put his shot over the bar. Finally the long-awaited goal came. In a carbon copy of the first, Dempster split the defence and Cardwell rounded the keeper to score. Beattie then set up Kehoe to make it 4-0 before the goal of the game. Six players were involved in the build-up and when Thompson fired in a superb cross from the right Dempster scored with a diving header.

Unfortunately Bryansburn could not hang on to the clean sheet they deserved when Oakfield grabbed a consolation two minutes from time.

Fixtures this Saturday: 1^st XI V Bloomfield (a), 2^nd XI V Dunmurry YM ll (h), 3^rd XI V Corrymeela (a) and 4^th XI V Moat Park Rangers ll (h)