YM PROGRESS IN JUNIOR SHIELD

The YM hosted Ballymacash Rangers Res on Saturday in the Junior Shield and came away 3-2 winners in an entertaining encounter.

The YM put their shaky form of the previous two weeks behind them as the raced into a 1-0 lead with only 40 seconds on the clock. Roy Stevenson won a header which fell to Strong who held of the defender, swivelled and powered a shot in to the corner of the net!

Ballymacash however, were to be no push-over’s, as they too were looking confident on the ball. Their equalizer came after 5 minutes when the number 7 rode two challenges in mid field and unleashed a pile driver of an effort into Big Stu's top left hand corner, 1-1.

The game was an open affair with the YM starting to impose themselves in midfield, with R Morrow and S Best winning almost every thing that came their way! Although it was to be the visitors who were to take the lead, against the run of play. First G Ferguson had a great effort saved before Lee Scott's cross goal effort was well saved and from the resulting corner the visitors broke away and were awarded a free kick on the edge of the YM box.

The forward curled a great shot round the wall and although Big Stu got his hand to it he couldn't keep it out and it was 2-1 to the visitors.

This seemed to hit the YM on button as they started to play the kind of football we all know they can.

Ballymacash were finding it hard to cope with the YM midfield and attack as the home side pressed forward playing some lovely football.

The equalizer came just before half time when Strong found Ferguson with a downward header and Wee Fergie made no mistake stroking the ball home from a tight angle, 2-2.

The second half started as the first had ended with the YM piling on the pressure. Roy Stevenson scored the third when he out paced the defender to slide the ball round the advancing keeper 3-2. A great finish under pressure as he was felled by the keeper and took no further part in the game (although it was rumoured he wanted to start his birthday celebrations early).

The visiting keeper was in for a busy 45 minutes as first he saved well from a Bryan's header before Rab Morrow crashed another header off the bar. It was all YM at this stage and they really should have put the game to bed when first Bryans found himself one on one with the keeper but had his effort well saved and then Bogle headed wide!

C Strong and G Ferguson could have added to their tallies before Strong crashed a shot off the bar from close range.

The visitors were to give the YM a few late scares but thankfully Dickson, Howell and Boyd were on their toes and looking comfortable at the back.

A solid performance from the YM against a well organized physical team.

A few good performances from the YM but young Stuart Best gets this weeks man of the match award.

Team S Macmillan, N Dickson, A Howell, S Boyd, L Scott (Bogle 55), S Best, R Morrow "C", G Robinson (Chivers 60), G Ferguson, C Strong and R Stevenson (Bryans 48).

YM WELL BEATEN 

On Saturday the YM travelled to Belfast to play 2c new boys Immaculatta in their first league game of the season. With high hopes for the coming season the management will demand an instant improvement on what was to follow.
With the YM all over the place from the first whistle and defending like school boys it was only a matter of time before they came unstuck! The only surprise was that it took the home side 17 minutes to score. Although the YM had two great chances completely against the run of play; Brown got to the by line and wiped in a cross which Strong headed over from close range! The second was again headed over from a YM corner.
The Home side were playing fast flowing football and certainly didn't need any of the help the YM had decided to dish out in abundance! First a YM defender kicked the ball off another and the ball fell nicely for the Immaculatta forward to stroke home from all of two yards, the second came a minute later when the YM defence went AWOL, parting like the Red Sea and allowing free passage to the attacking player who carried the ball through unchallenged to fire home and make it 2-0. The third came via a long throw-in which reached yet another unmarked home player and it was 3-0 after just 20 minutes!
The YM were lucky not to go into the second half further behind as the home team continued to impose them selves all over the park. The YM did however manage to score right on the stroke of half time but
it was deemed of-side.
The second half was much the same, as the YM found themselves chasing shadows as the confident home team continued to press. In fact the home team increased their lead on 51 and 60 minutes to make it 5-0 and a very comfortable afternoon!
The YM did have their moments but unfortunately they were few and far between, first R Stevenson saw a great effort whistle past the upright and then Strong was well tackled as he homed in on goal.
But it was Immaculatta's day as they made it 6-0 on the 70 minute mark.
The YM got their consolation goal a minute later when Strong broke through and slotted home from the edge of the box after a rare mistake from the home defence. Big Rab had a great chance from a Simon Boyd free kick in the dying seconds but he missed the target and the game finished 6-1 to Immaculatta.
This was an unacceptable performance from the YM who will have to find their pre-season form sooner rather than later or spend another season rooted to the bottom of the league!
Team S Macmillan, M Riddle, D Frazer, S Best (L Scott 45), A Howell, S Boyd, R Morrow "C" (Booked), G Ferguson (Neill Dickson 45), R Stevenson, C Strong.

YOUNG MEN BREEZE INTO NEXT ROUND

On Saturday the YM entertained 1st Lisburn in the Junior Cup first round tie at the Vallentine playing fields!The YM took the game to the visitors from the off and were a goal up after just 8 minutes. Ferguson picked the ball up 25 yards out and fired a shot low to the keepers bottom right hand side, 1-0 to the YM. The second followed soon after when skipper Morrow reacted quickest to stab home from close range to make the score 2-0 to the home team. The YM, for reasons known only to themselves, stopped playing their natural passing game at this stage, as every player seemed to want to beat the world on his own. It wasn't long before they paid the price, as the Visitors got back into the game when a YM player decided that he could dribble out of defense! He was dispossessed and the visiting striker scored a great 25 yard effort, giving stand in keeper Beggs no chance!

This shook the YM up a bit and although they huffed and puffed for the rest of the half, they managed to score another 2 goals and effectively kill the game. Colin Strong got his first after great work from Stevenson, who seemed to have the ball over the line before the defender cleared it, but only as far as Strong who was on hand to stab the ball home from close range and make it 3-1 to the YM. The forth came via man of the match Stuart Best, when he calmly stroked the ball home from the edge of the box after great work from Ferguson. 4-1 at half time to the home side who had in reality struggled to find their passing game and any sign of their pre-season form.

The second half found the visitors hard to break down as they got 10 men behind the ball at every opportunity, forcing the YM to work hard for any reward. The goal of the game came via Best again who arrived on the end of an 18 pass move to stroke the ball home from 12 yards and grab his second goal of the game. 5-1 to the YM and finally they were playing like a team.

The rest of the game was a case of damage limitation for the visitors as they worked hard to stifle the rampant YM attack! For all their good work and attacking play, the next goal came via a huge slice of good luck! The defender kicked the ball against his fellow defender and the ball ran kindly for Strong who slotted home from 20 yards for his second and the YM's sixth. The seventh, and most controversial, came after another great passing move when Morrow latched on to the ball and fired home with Strong claiming that it clipped his shorts on the way! One for the dubious goals panel, was it Morrows second or Strong's hat trick (I hope they are not close on awards night).

A satisfactory result for the first competitive game of the season, but we will need to be on our toes next week, as we travel to Immaculatta in the league.

Team A Beggs, S Boyd, D Frazer, A Howell, G Robinson, S Best, R Morrow "CAPT", J Brown, G Ferguson, R Stevenson, C Strong subs S Bryans, J Cromie (NO SHOW), D Ireland (NO SHOW)

Castle Utd II's 0 - 6 BYMFC II's

Bangor Young Men ran out easy winners on Saturday against a Castle side which could only manage to field ten men. The home side battled bravely for twenty minutes before the YM opened the deadlock when skipper Wright sidefooted a flicked corner at the back post. Further goals from Shivers (2), Mac (2) made it five midway through the second half as the home side tired. Goal of the game came from oldboy Pistol Pete Rea who came on from the bench and guided an unstoppable effort into the top right corner. The least said about the celebration the better.

Overall it was a scrappy affair with too many mistakes and sloppy passing in the final third and the scoreline could easily have reached double figures. Well done to all the Castle boys for making a game of it ! Two games down and two wins with a goal difference of plus 10, every effort is required to maintain a good early season run and set us up for the rest of the year. Competition for places is ever increasing and with players due back from injury and suspension, training has now become a necessity for anyone wanting to be involved.

Dromore A's II 1- 5 Bangor YM II's 

The season got off to a flyer for the wee II's with a convincing win away to Dromore. Well done everyone involved with a special mention to Adam (goal of the season???) Rab and young Ben although the Man of the Match goes to Ray, Roy, Ray...Ringer Roy for 4 goals... great performance all round!!!

BYM v GROOMSPORT  

The YM travelled down the coast to Groomsport on Saturday to finish their pre-season friendly programme and come away with a creditable 3-3 draw against their 2a opponents.

Although 3-3 sounds like a good work out, it was in fact an awful game ruined by even worse refereeing decisions; some of which had both teams scratching their heads!

The YM got off the mark via Jamie Cromie when he broke away and smashed the ball past the home keeper. But the lead didn't last long, as after coming back from an off side position the home forward bent an unstoppable shot in to the top corner from 20 yards. 1-1 at the end of a very dull first half.

The second wasn't much better, first Groomsport took the lead before Ferguson volleyed home from 8 yards after a Stevenson free kick deflected off the wall and then Stevenson himself got on the score sheet to give the YM the lead.

Then, to cap a memorable performance from the ref, he for reason's still unknown gave the home team a last minute penalty.

Young Patterson in goal got a good hand to the spot kick but was unable to stop the goal and the match ended 3-3.

The only bright spots were the performances of young Patterson in goal and Adam Howell who seems to be winning the battle to be fit for the start of the season!

Team G Patterson, S Boyd, M Riddle, A Howell, J Patterson, R Morrow, C Hatton, J Brown, J Crommie, R Stevenson and G Ferguson subs G Robinson, D Ireland.

2nd Team v Groomsport II's

The second team travelled to Groomsport and despite a positive start found themselves 3-0 down at the break due to some poor defending all round. Some very strong words from Nixon at half time were fully justified and a few players were lucky to find themselves coming out for the second half.

However something hit home and the YM were rewarded from the kick off when Ben Chivers beat the offside a finished beautifully. The players were on the up and the second came a short time after when the Mac finished a well taken solo effort minutes later. The one way traffic continued with Dickson offering a calmer approach to the organisation of the back four.

The management's intentions for the season were shown with the introduction of three Youth Team players all of whom played to the managers expectation and certainly did not look out of place. The 'Kids' showed some great touches and tried to play the ball on the deck at all times and will continue to develop and push the first team all season.

Man of the Match Chivers was to score his second midway through the half with a cheeky lob over the oncoming keeper who had no chance. Chivers movement, work ethic and committment was a lesson to us all and long may it continue. 

Groomsport seemed glad of the final whistle as the YM missed chances to win a game which looked all but over at half time. If we can start to cut out the silly mistakes we will go a long way this season. Remember we were playing a team several leagues above us and could easily have won and the sooner players start taking responsibility for themselves out on the pitch and believing in the team the farther we will go.

YM GETTING STRONGER GAME BY GAME

 

With the season almost here the YM were happy to take a friendly fixture with local rivals Bryansburn Rangers!
Another Saturday another downpour; but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of either side as they produced an entertaining attacking game. The Burn scored first after just 12 seconds when they dispossessed the YM straight from the kick off, played the ball to the left winger who dropped an inch perfect cross on to the forwards head who planted it home from 6 yards.
The YM equalized through a great finish from Strong before taking the lead via a Boyd Penalty. With the game flowing from end to end it was surprising the half finished 2-1 to the YM as both sides had chances to add to their tally.
The second half was much like the first with the Burn playing neat football in midfield but the YM looking dangerous on the break. The Burn drew level via a tap in at the back post following a corner and took the lead through a tremendous 30 yard rocket!
The YM pulled it back when Strong picked the ball up at the half way line and out paced the visitors defense to slot home his second and the YM's third. Brynsburn took the lead again from the penalty spot when Brown was adjudged to push the forward. The forward dispatched the penalty and gave the lead back to the Burn.
The lead didn't last long as Strong latched on to a downward header from the ever improving Ferguson and lifted the ball over the keeper for his Hat Trick.
With the clock ticking there was still time for the winner as after a lovely move down the right Strong again latch on to a Crummie ball and fired home his fourth and the winner although the Burn had a great shout for another penalty waved away in the dying seconds.
A good performance from the home team against a first division side who were slightly under strength on the day but still provided a stern test for the YM all over the park!  With Howell, Sprake and Best still to come in for the YM things are looking bright for the forthcoming season.
Team G Patterson (M Chalmers) M Riddle, S Boyd, D Frazer, J Crummie, C Hatton (P Bogle), R Morrow "CAPT", G Robinson (J Brown) G Ferguson (J Patterson), C Strong, R Stevenson

YM WIN MEMORIAL TROPHY FOR FIRST TIME IN FOUR YEARS
 
Saturday saw the YM travel to Belfast to play in the annual Andy Haveron memorial game and come away winners for the first time in the last four attempts!
Despite the torrential rain both sides endeavoured to play some great football and serve up a memorable 6 goal thriller.
The YM were quickest out of the blocks when Strong won the ball on the right and set up Stevenson for the opener. The YM were enjoying the lion's share of possession at this stage and scored their second after Strong latched on to a great through ball from Riddle and slid the ball under the advancing keeper. The Third came from Strong again as he cut inside and fired home from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 before the half time whistle.
The second half was to be a different story as the home team picked up the pace and pushed forward at every opportunity. Although the back three of Boyd, Howell and Frazer were playing well it was only a matter of time before the home team scored.
3-1 and a few cracks were starting to appear in the resolute YM midfield as legs began to tire on the heavy surface. The home side had already hit the woodwork once when they crashed a free kick off the up right and with the YM defense standing static the forward reacted quickest and poked home the rebound. 3-2 and a few anxious moments before Bogle came off the bench and fired home a fine effort from 20 yards to restore the YM's confidence and enable them to finish the game 4-2 winners.
A solid performance from the YM and a great result against a very experienced and strong home side.
Team G Patterson, S Boyd, A Howell, D Frazer, J Patterson "CAPT", M Riddle (P Bogle), R Morrow, G Robinson (A Beggs), S Best (S Bryans), R Stevenson and C Strong
 
A big thank you must go to our hosts and especially to John Haveron and all his family and friends who put on a marvelous spread in the North Bowling Club and made us all very welcome.

YM CONTINUE TO IMPRESS!

The YM continued their pre-season build up with an impressive display of finishing against Mid Ulster side Stranmillis. Although the match was over as a contest as early as the 25th minute when the YM scored their fourth goal the management were pleased that the YM kept their concentration and continued to play at a high tempo. The visitors were finding it hard to deal with the movement and pace of Ferguson and Stevenson up front and Patterson and Brown on the flanks. The back three of Dickson, Howell and Frazer were rarely tested as Morrow, Best and Crommie were cutting out any danger before it got that far! The goals came via a G Ferguson hat trick, a Stevenson double and further goals from Brown, Patterson, Morrow, best, Frazer and an OG from the visiting defender. A good day all round as the second eleven continued to score freely in an 8-3 win over local rivals Bangor Am's and the thirds managed a draw against 3rd Bangor OB.

As stated the Second 11 ran out 8-3 winners on Saturday against Bangor Amateurs, though it was only in the final 20 minutes that the YM made a difference. To their credit the Amateurs turned round a 2 nil deficit to lead 3-2 shortly after the break and the YM defence was patched together when an unhappy Craig Boyd threw himself on at half time. With the side rejigged more fluency came into the YM's attacking and the Amateurs defence tired allowing the YM in on five occasions in the last 20 minutes. Best for the YM were Beggs, Hatton, Mac and the impressive Bryans who certainly impressed the Amateurs staff.

Thats 3 wins and a draw for the 2's in Pre Season with 20 goals for which is fantastic but with 10 conceded there is plenty more to do on the Training Pitch. The pool of players at the club is growing weekly and unfortunately there are going to be some disappointed faces come the KO for the season in September.

TEAM BUILDING AT NEWCASTLE Saturday 02nd August 08  

 
On Saturday the YM continued their pre-season build up with a very enjoyable day trip to Newcastle.
Although a very tough day it was enjoyed by the large contingent of players and club officials who attended. day started with an extremely enjoyable soccer quiz on the bus whichwas won by veteran Frazer's team although it was rumoured that he was still writing as the answers were being given out.

 
The serious stuff was to be very hard but enjoyable as coach Alan Nixon seemed to find the right mix of endurance hill running and ball work required to keep ever one interested and on their toes.Warm up, circuits, hill run, ball work, hill run, ball work, circuits, sprints, lunch provided by the committee and then coaching!

 
The day was finished off with a dip in the sea after the samba soccer competition on the beech which was won by Simon Boyd's Poland! The polish team won 2-0 against the surprise package Ghana team captained by N Frazer and backed up by Ormoooo and Eamon, unfortunately for them Boydo Stevie Ferris and Przemek Godula proved too strong on the day!

Another big thank you goes to Alan and Simon Nixon who again came up with an excellent training plan.