On Wednesday afternoon the U16 football team began their campaign for the year. The opposition was Ballymena Academy in the Mid-Antrim cup.
The match kicked off with CHGS looking the better of the two teams. The early stages of the match had both teams creating clear scoring opportunities, with Leon Carley and Mark Cochrane looking the most likely to score. However, the deadlock was broke by Ballymena Academy half way through the first half, with an excellent run from the opposition midfielder. The defence was beat before the ball was slotted into the corner of the net.
CHGS continued to press with good work from Jack Shaw in midfield but another blow was suffered when Ballymena Academy doubled their lead before half time.
HT CHGS 0 Vs Ballymena Academy 2
The second half began well for CHGS with them scoring within a minute of the restart. Jack Shaw floated a dangerous corner into the box which eventually found its way to Jack Heron, who placed it into the corner of the net.
CHGS were still celebrating the first goal when Jack Shaw found his way into the box after some excellent pressing from Leon Carley, Kane Mc Ilroy and Jordan Campbell. He slid it past the goalkeeper to level the match with 25 minutes still remaining in the game.
CHGS continued to dominate the match but Ballymena Academy always posed a threat. They broke free with a swift counter attack, that lead to a one-on-one with stand in goalkeeper Ryan Fleming. He pulled off a fantastic save that kept CHGS in the match.
CHGS continued to press the Ballymena Academy defence and were awarded a free kick outside the box with 10 minutes remaining, after some excellent work from Leon Carley. Up stepped captain Jack Shaw, who struck the ball sweetly into the bottom corner of the net. Less than a minute later Jack was awarded another free kick from the same position. The upright stood between him and his hat-trick after another excellent free kick.
The game ended CHGS 3, Ballymena Academy 2. The result reflected an impressive team spirit and fight amongst the boys. There were stand out performances from Andrew Kyle and Jordan Campbell in defence, while Jack Shaw and Kane McIlroy worked tirelessly in the middle of the park. Up front Mark Cochrane and Leon Carley were persistent in their pressure, and created chances from nothing.
The team was as follows:
Ryan Fleming
Jordan Campbell
Andrew Kyle
Jack Heron
Joshua Wharry
Josh Simpson
Kane mc Ilroy
Jack Shaw (C)
Matthew Lorimer
Leon Carley
Mark Cochrane
Subs
William Barr
Daniel Mc Calmont
Ben Hood
Well done to the team as they now progress into the next round were they play Dunclug.
The boys next match will take place at the Ballymena Showgrounds, on Wednesday 5th October at 1.45pm. The opposition is St Patrick's Ballymena in the Northern Ireland Cup.
#CHGSforthecup
