Dungannon Under 11’s boys and girls travelled to England last week to take part in The English Cup at the Shrewsbury International Tournament.

Both teams played under the Dungannon Swifts name. The boys started their campaign on the Monday when they were put into a group section with: Maiden City Juniors FC, Walsall, North Powys Development Centre, Bangor and Aston Villa.

They came through this group undefeated with 3 wins and 2 draws. Very quickly both the coaches and the players realised that they were playing in a tournament that had a very high standard of football.

Soccer players who played in this cup and went on to play professional football include: Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Owen Hargreaves and Andriy Shevchenko.

After successfully topping their group the Dungannon Swift Boys were places in another qualifying group where they played another 3 teams – one of which were Blackpool – the favourites and last years beaten finalists.

Once again the Dungannon lads raised their game and won this group undefeated.

Friday brought the final where our lads met Blackpool FC. Even though Dungannon beat them in the qualifying round 3 – 2. they were still considered the underdogs, but with good managerial tactics by Pudgie Robinson, Aidan Coleman and Joe McAree, the boys came out with their usual determination and never say die attitude.

The final was refereed by International and Premiership Referee, Dermot Gallagher. The boys got off to a fantastic start and at half time were leading 3 – 0 with goals scored by Ryan Coleman (2) and Stevie Corr (1). The second half saw Blackpool put Dungannon Swifts under a lot of pressure but they could not break down a solid defence. Further goals in the second half were scored by Ryan Stinson and Stevie Corr.

The final whistle blew to great celebrations from the coaches, players and supporters who had travelled to watch the boys.

When asked, Coaches Pudgie Robinson and Aidan Coleman, said that all the boys put in a fantastic effort but they awarded the Player of the Tournament to both Captain Stevie Corr and Paul Donaghy, who both displayed tremendous football over the five day tournament.

The boys received the Cup from ex Welsh International Manager Mike Smith.

The players who competed in this competition were:

Stevie Corr, Enda McAleer, Naoise Martin, Paul Donaghy, Shea Gordon, Mark Donnelly, Niall McIlroy, Ryan Coleman, Ryan Moore, Craig Gibson, Connor Cullen and Ryan Stinson.

This competition hopefully gives the boys a solid foundation for their forthcoming season in the National League. Congratulations on your performances and fantastic win boys and good luck for the season ahead!

Sarah Winslow, Judith Reid and Sophie McIvor (Coaches) took a team of girls to play in the Under 11 Girls Competition.

This was the first time the Dungannon Girls had played overseas and like the boys, quickly knew they were playing against tough opposition.

The girls topped their group after matches against Frankwell Wanderers, where they won 11 – 0 with goals from Samantha Kelly (3), Rachel Kelly (3), Alex Lavery (2), Emily Salley (2) and Alanna Mc Mullan (1).

Their second match was against Madely United which finished with a 2 – 2 draw with both Dungannon goals being scored by Emily Salley.

Their final group match was against Llanymynech Lemurs which the Dungannon girls won 1 – 0 thanks to a goal by Sam Kelly and a fantastic penalty save by Rachel Kelly which resulted in her fracturing her wrist! (Wishing you a speedy recovery Rachel).

Friday afternoon saw them take on a very strong and experienced Welsh Team C.Y.P. The girls produced a fantastic performance but struggled to gain control of the match against a much bigger and physically stronger opposition.

The Dungannon girls lost this match 5 – 0, but this was no disgrace against the quality of the Welsh Team. Well done girls!

The coaches had a tough decision to make as to who would be awarded the Player of the Tournament as all the girls played with skill, grit and a will to win that belied their young ages, but eventually they decided that the Player of the Tournament Award should be awarded to both Laura Roberts and Eden Lavery. Congratulations!

The team that represented Dungannon girls were:

Alanna McMullan, Kerry McMullan, Tara Donaghy, Rachel Kelly, Samantha Kelly, Claire Davison, Eden Lavery, Alex Lavery, Laura Roberts and Emily Salley.

Dungannon U-16’s travelled to Preston over the Easter holidays to take part in the Morecambe & Lancaster Easter Cup and duly returned home deserved winners of the competition. They played 5 matches in total over 4 days, achieving a 100% record, scoring 25 goals and conceding only 3.

Their first group match was against a Limerick team, Corbally Utd. The boys got off to a good start when Lavery finished well after a good pass from Mayse. McKenna doubled the lead midway through the half, slotting home from 12 yards after good work by Lavery on the left. Early in the second half Lavery got his second with an excellent diving header from Fox’s cross. McElroy scored the fourth after a good run and finish. Final score 4-0.

Their second group match was against Kuwait Premier and this turned out to be a very one-sided affair. The boys eventually running out 13-0 winners with goals from Lavery(3), Fox(2), Kelly(2), McElroy(2), Wallace(2), Girvan and Mayse also on target.

The third group match was against a Scottish team, Glenrothes Junior FC. It was important for the boys to win this game to be sure of finishing top of their group.

They started off slowly with very few clear cut chances being created. The breakthrough eventually came midway through the second half. A long throw from McCammon was headed on by McKenna to Arnold, who controlled the ball and finished well from 10 yards. The second goal came courtesy of a McElroy free kick from 25 yards. Final score 2-0.

The semi-final was against another Scottish team, Fauldhouse. The boys got off to a tremendous start, a brilliant run and cross from McElroy was volleyed home by Fox at the back post. The defence stood firm and limited the opponents to very few opportunities. Dungannon scored 2 further goals in the first half, both from Wallace who finished well both times when one on one with the keeper.

Tiredness seemed to take its toll in the second half, the boys conceding their first goals of the tournament, the Scottish team bringing the score back to 3-2. Indeed things could have been much worse, Goodfellow in goals making some vital saves, particularly an excellent tip over the bar from a close range header. However the boys rallied well in the closing stages and held on to deservedly take their place in the final.

The final was against Corbally Utd, the Limerick team who they had previously met in the group stage.

The boys got off to an excellent start, a deep cross from Fox found Lavery at the back post and he finished from close range. Dungannon had the majority of possession but failed to capitalise, both Wallace and McElroy hitting the wordwork. With 5 minutes of the first half remaining, Corbally equalised when the defence failed to clear a corner. It was important for the boys to hit back straight away and they duly obliged. Collins headed on a corner and McKenna stabbed home from close range. In the last minute of the half, Girvan rose high to head home a McElroy corner.

The boys remained on top during the second half and created plenty of chances, Fox and McElroy both going close, Lavery also volleying against the bar. Final score 3-1, cue massive celebrations from the team, coaches and supporters.

With 5 matches in 4 days this was very much a squad effort with every man playing his part. Full squad as follows: Declan Goodfellow, Kyle McCammon, Dale Long, Joe Collins, Martin Girvan(Capt), Brian Fox, Johnny McKenna, Ryan Mayse, Paul McElroy, Philip Wallace, Stefan Lavery, Shannon Crooks, Adam Stockdale, Dillon Arnold, Conor O’Neill, Fintan Kelly, Ryan McElroy.

DUY under 11’s travelled to Preston to make their debut in the Easter Cup Competition, playing in an age group more than 1 - 2 years older than the majority of their team which gave the boys an uphill challenge.

Friday saw them lose both their matches. They firstly lost 3 - 2 to Springfield JFC. Dungannon goal scorers in this match were: Paul Donaghy and Gavin Corr. The second match that day saw them defeated by Hamilton Accies 4 - 2 with Paul Donnelly netting DUY goals in this match. Although losing both matches, the young Dungannon team did themselves proud as they had the majority of the play and numerous attempts on goal, but nothing seemed to go their way.

The following day saw them play the group favourites, St. Peter’s. Unbelievable guts and determination saw the DUY boys pull back a 1 goal deficit and draw this match. The equalizing goal was scored by Shea Gordan, ably assisted by Connor Murtagh who produced a cross into the box.

Knowing they were out of the Cup Competition did not cause the Dungannon boys to drop their head as the Trophy Competition was still open to them.

Sunday saw them take on Gleniffer Thistle where DUY beat them 4 - 2, although the score line could have been bigger with the amount of possession DUY had. Goal scorers were: Connor Murtagh (2), Daniel Kerr (1) and Paul Donaghy (1).

The under 11’s had a couple of hours rest before having to play Red Rose Juniors in the semi final. Tensions were high in this match and nerves played a big part, seeing the DUY boys go behind on 2 occasions, but with determination and grit, they pulled the match back and in the last couple of minutes netted the winner! Daniel Kerr (1) and Shea Gordan (2) were the scorers in this match.

Early Monday morning saw the final of the Trophy Competition where DUY met their earlier conquerors, Hamilton Accies once again. On this occasion the tables were turned. Once again Daniel Kerr and Shea Gordan got the goals that counted. 2 - 1 was the final score line, in Dungannon’s favour.

Afterwards manager Joe McAree said that Shea Gordan’s and Daniel Kerr’s goals were goals worthy to win any final. His assistant Tony Courtney also added that “all the players had moments of brilliance, but their greatest asset were their team spirit, determination and never say die attitude. All the players gave their all.”

Although it was an extremely difficult decision, Manager Joe McAree named Naoise Martin as his player of the tournament for his hard work, drive and phenomenal work rate over the 6 games. Well done Naoise

!

Congratulations to the team on fantastic performances on the pitch and excellent behaviour off the pitch!