Football: Cookstown Youth lose out against Belfast team

Lurgan started off, on the ascendancy with the every consistent Purvis displaying fine goal keeping skills in the Colts goal. He was ably assisted by a strong defence in which Ruddell was showing fine aerial skills.

Cookstown eventually got their passing play going with O’Neill and Larmour showing some brilliant passing to give the dependable Armstrong and Ferguson goal scoring opportunities.

Game play continued to be very evenly shared between the teams in the second half. Whitten gave a very assured performance for Cookstown in the centre of midfield and Murphy causing all sorts of problems for the Lurgan Town defence from the left of mid field position. A strong performance by a young Cookstown team.

Cookstown Youth U12 played Glenavon at MUSA on Saturday.

The away team settled quickly and put the Cookstown defense under pressure from the start. Determined defending from Henry, S.Taylor, A.Devlin and Halling combined with some fine saves from A.Taylor ensuring Cookstown stayed in the match.

A much improved second half display saw Cookstown take the match to Glenavon, with a midfield of Roberts, Andrews, Davey, M.Devlin and Thompson combining well and linking up with the attack of Smith and Acheson.

The highlight of the second half was a well taken goal by Roberts hitting the roof of the net after some great build up play.

ST OLIVER PLUNKETTS 3

COOKSTOWN U13 1

Cookstown started the game the stronger of the two as almost instantly they had a shot on target through Luke Patterson.

St Oliver Plunketts then made a few chances of their own but they failed to get by stand in keeper Peter Bell.

The Plunketts took an unexpected lead in the second half when the Cookstown defence took their eye of the ball for a moment and were punished.

Cookstown then drew level through Euenan O’Neil. Terry Devlin floated a lovely corner kick into the box where Euenan was waiting at the back post to smash the ball into the net.

Cookstown seemed to have control of the game when once again St Oliver Plunketts took an unexpected lead. Cookstown then started to push for the equaliser with good work from Domonic O’Neil in the middle of the park although Cookstown paid for this as they had too many men forward when the plunkets counter attacked and seakled the three points.

The game ended 3-1 although the performance from the boys was nothing to be ashamed of.