Wee Whites face impressive Ardoyne

In the opening exchanges of the first game, Calum Ashby and Conall Cunningham both got themselves into good positions in the wide areas but were just unable to find the final killer pass. The period ended with Ardoyne scoring a superb team goal which wasn’t unlike the goal the Wee Whites had scored themselves a few weeks earlier against Larne.

The second period saw Ardoyne dominate but Spencer Maxwell was superb in the Whites defence and thwarted attacks time and again. Ardoyne scored a second when the livewire winger turned expertly in the box and finished well. Ben Coulter showed determination in an unfamiliar midfield role and the Whites nearly pulled a goal back on several occasions when Ross White fashioned himself chances but on the day the boys were second best to what is a very good team.

In the second game, the first period again was quite even but when Ardoyne did breach the defensive shield of Bradley White and Ben Gilliland, they found Lewis Doyle unbeatable in the Whites goal. Period two was a disaster for the Wee Whites as Ardoyne got themselves a couple of goals.

A few words of encouragement at the interval had the desired effect and Jack Bonar pulled a goal back before going on a great run which ended with him leaving Noah Kelly a tap in for his first goal of the season. Matthew Moore then pulled a shot just wide in a frantic finale.

A special mention must go to the impressive Ben Gilliland, Jonathan McCullough and Jack Bonar who in recent weeks have all made the step up from the Whites to the main U10 team and none of the boys have looked out of place at the higher standard.