Clough prepares to make Milk Cup debut

The Milk Cup spreads its wings to Clough this summer and Manchester United fans Stuart McDowell (left) and Jake Adams are certainly pleased, as are Milk Cup committee man Mark Wilson and tournament chairman Victor Leonard.

The County Antrim village witnessed all the glitz and glamour of a celebrity wedding when Evans tied the knot with sweetheart, MUTV presenter Helen McConnell, last weekend.

In a few weeks time young players from Ecuador, California,Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle as well as Counties Antrim and Armagh will compete in the Junior Milk Cup as Clough makes its debut in the international youth football tournament.

Milk Cup chairman Victor Leonard said: “Facilities at Clough are excellent and a lot of hard work has been carried out to ensure the ground is ready to host such a prestigious competition. You could say the eyes of the world will be watching Clough when it rolls out the welcome mat.

“Ballymena Borough Council is a major supporter of the Milk Cup and we have been successfully staging matches at the Showgrounds and Broughshane for some time now.

“We are grateful to everyone connected with Clough for their efforts in assisting us to spread our wings in the Ballymena area. Quality venues are so important in a tournament which welcomes the world’s top clubs and we are very pleased with facilities at Clough.”

Evans’ club, Manchester United, will again be in action in the Premier event and open their campaign with a game against County Antrim at Ballymena Showgrounds on Monday, July 29 (8pm). The Red Devils look set to continue their 25-year association with the event after David Moyes took over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford this month.

Northern Ireland will play Mexico at Ballymena Showgrounds on finals night, Friday, August 2, and international manager Michael O’Neill, who grew up in the town, says: “We have always received terrific support for our teams at the Milk Cup and I believe this gives football supporters in Ballymena and the surrounding region a great opportunity to see some of the stars of the future right on their doorstep,” he said. “I hope football people come out and enjoy all the Milk Cup games in the area. I know the players always value their backing.“

Other clubs competing in the Ballymena area this summer include Germany’s TuS Altenberge, Mexico’s Cruz Azul, Newcastle United, CSKA Moscow and Brazil’s SC Corinthians.

In all, Clough will host four games in the Junior competition. Plymouth Argyle face California’s Strikers FC South Coast on Monday, July 29/ Swindon Town and County Armagh meet the following day with County Antrim hoping for a big support when they tackle North America SC de Ecudor (Ecuador). The final game is a Globe semi-final on Thursday, August 1 (all these have 1.30pm kick-offs).