Saintfield Under 17s Overpower Ballytmena Utd
South Belfast Division 1,
League Match, Saturday 30 November,
Final Score: Saintfield United U17 4 Ballymena United U17 1.
After last week’s cup postponement, Saintfield faced Ballymena in their seventh league fixture of the season.
Ballymena took control early, creating several strong chances, the most significant arising from a quick corner that caught Saintfield off-guard.
Early on in the match a Ballymena forward in the six-yard box skillfully directed the ball into the corner of the net putting them ahead 1-0.
Ballymena appeared to have secured possession at the back, with their goalkeeper attempting to play out from the back.
However, Saintfield’s efforts from Noah, Jamie, and Harry effectively disrupted their options.
Ross seized the opportunity, closing down the angle on the keeper. Reading the pass perfectly, Ross intercepted it, maneuvered past the keeper, and calmly slotted the ball into the corner, past a retreating Ballymena defender, leveling the score at 1-1.
A severe collision between the Ballymena keeper and Noah H unfortunately brought Noah’s game to an early end.
He was replaced by Jonah, who was making a comeback from injury. Saintfield found success with incisive through balls from Harry, Jamie, Calum, and Adam, but the Ballymena keeper did well to come off his line and smother any threats.
Ballymena, on the other hand, found space in pockets of the field, nearly regaining the lead.
Camden, however, had other plans, blocking a shot from a Ballymena attacker with his trailing leg.
Rian contributed significantly by turning defense into attack, not only handling the danger but also carrying the ball 20-30 yards against the Ballymena midfield and defence, creating space for his teammates.
Finding space proved crucial as both teams benefitted from exploiting it. Saintfield turned the first half around and took the lead when a seemingly innocuous pass down the right reached Jonah.
Despite the tight angle, Jonah struck a shot toward the near poast, catching the Ballymena keeper by surprise, who could only parry it into the net. Saintfield entered halftime jubilant with a 2-1 lead. In the second half, Saintfield sought a crucial third goal to secure the game.
The defensive line, featuring Matthew D, Jackson, Rian, and returning captain Ryan M excelled stiflingng Ballymena’s attacks and played calmly from the back to put pressure on their opponents.
Having already covered significant mileage on the wing and fulfilled his defensive duties, Jamie returned to his favourble position of striker which naturally found himself closer to the goal. On one such occasion, he charged toward the box, drawing the attention of the Ballymena defense; they anticipated a shot. Instead, Jamie delivered a remarkable, defense-splitting pass to Harry, who arrived perfectly to hit the ball first time into the corner of the net, giving Saintfield a comfortable cushion.
Everything seemed to be going right for Saintfield, with fantastic phases of play even in congested areas. Deep individual midfield runs from Adam and Calum stretched the game further, yet Saintfield remained comfortable, consistently creating chances, winning every aerial duel and second ball, and clearing any danger near Camden’s box.
His safe hands left the Ballymena attack with no chance at rebounds. Jamie was again at the heart of Saintfield’s next best chance when he retained the ball despite a hard but fair tackle from a Ballymena defender.
Before the defender could react, Jamie was back on his feet and unleashed an outside-of-the-foot shot that went just wide of the post.
Saintfield was rewarded for their good play when Matthew D sent an outswinging corner toward Adam, who leaped impressively above the keeper and headed the ball into the open net, effectively putting the game to bed.
One last bright moment came from Jonah, who showed tremendous pace to beat the Ballymena keeper to the ball inside the box. The keeper obstructed Jonah with a body check, resulting in a penalty.
However, the keeper redeemed himself by correctly guessing the direction and pulling off a good save. The pace of the rebound deceived Matthew D, who sent his shot over the bar. The 4-1 result places Saintfield in joint second in the league. With performances like today, they hope to close the gap on first-place St. Mary’s before Christmas.
The Man of the Match award was a tough decision, given the great individual performances.
However, it was awarded to Ryan M, whose awareness and positioning ensured every block, tackle, interception, and header was executed to perfection.
His willingness to take the ball from Camden and initiate attacks was key in creating space for the forwards— – commendable achievement for his first game back from injury.
