Teenage kicks as Lowry and Davidson top scoring charts

After Jamie Davidson’s opening day heroics against Linfield, he has now been joined on two goals by his close friend and fellow striker Neil Lowry.

Ballykeel-based Lowry scored his first senior goal in the midweek Irn Bru League Cup win and followed it up with the clinching second goal in Friday night’s Danske Bank Premiership win over Lisburn Distillery.

“It’s been a good week for me,” 19-year-old Lowry told Times Sport.

“It was a big confidence boost to get my first senior goal against Lurgan Celtic.

“I was disappointed not to be in the starting line-up against Distillery but luckily enough I got on for long enough to score again and hopefully I can keep going the same way.

“Gavin Taggart played the ball to me and I knocked it past the centre-back and fired it into the far corner. I was glad to see it going in.”

Lowry admits he is reaping the benefits of working closely with manager Glenn Ferguson, the greatest Irish League striker of his generation.

“Glenn has told me just to go out do do what I’m good at.

“He’s told me to stop messing about on the ball and to go at teams and be positive.

“He’s always showing the strikers what runs to make and where to be at the right time, which he was obviously pretty good at during his own career.”

Lowry admits there is a feelgood factor among the players after the remarkable transformation in United’s fortunes since Ferguson took charge at the turn of the year.

“The boss said before the game of Friday night that if we won we would be top of the league, for 24 hours or whatever length of time.

“We’re still up there and if we can keep picking up points week in, week out we’ll do alright.

“At training and on matchdays everyone is buzzing. Norman, Lee and Glenn are great at getting everybody up for every match and there’s definitely a buzz about the place.

“Since Glenn and the staff came came in they’ve set things up differently, we’ve cut out the stupid mistakes and conceding silly goals and four clean sheets in a row shows that.

“The defence has done really well. Michael Ruddy has come in at left-back and fitted straight in.

“I’ve played with Michael at youth level and he’s come in from Crusaders and done brilliantly and Johnny Taylor and Davy Munster have been very solid in the centre.

“We still have a couple of strikers to come back in so that will be even more people fighting for places, which can only be good.

“I just have to keep working hard and listening to what I’m told,” added Neil.