United Stroll to Win

Division Two Champions Manchester United began the new season well with a 4-1 win at also promoted Kirkbride Strollers. The game started off in a positive manner for the hosts as they controlled much of the first-half and took the lead through a lovely Fraser Symington free-kick. There was no indication of what was to come after the break as Kirkbride comfortably held out until the whistle. Manchester United were a new side after the restart, however, and tore into their fading hosts. Once Owen Hargreaves had levelled matters after 64 minutes there was only one side in it. They won the game in a five-minute blast as time was ebbing away. Darren Fletcher caught the defence flat-footed to put them 2-1 ahead. Darren Gibson then added a third with a cool finish before Hargreaves sealed the win with a header. The managers will be in very different moods as they begin their life as Division One coaches.

The Vikings also adapted swiftly to life a level higher with a good win over Juventus. Aris Almanidis gave the hosts an early lead with the defender going on to have an excellent evening. Tasos Toursounidis made it 2-0 after 26 minutes as he quickly got off the mark looking to better last season’s tally of 13 league goals. The Vikings weren’t having it all their own way, though, and Juventus got a deserved goal before the interval when Mairthin Foley delivered a well executed free-kick. The second-half was a cagier affair with fewer chances as a result. The Vikings were to seal the victory late on when Toursounidis netted again, this time from distance, to make it 3-1. Eaglesrjh announced himself ‘happy to get the season off to a winning start’ but added a note of caution, saying that they were ‘just looking to cement our place in this division.’

Mexican Mafia put in a solid display to ease past Goals Aloud 2-0. Jimmy declared that he was looking for promotion this season and will have been satisfied by his team’s opening day display. The first-half was reminiscent of some of the pre-season matches that have just taken place as both sides struggled for fluency. The Mafia got the boost they needed at the start of the second-half, though, as Oscar Cervantes headed in. The goal seemed to stir the home faithful and they inspired their team to a strong defence of their lead. The score was given a more comfortable look when Mahmoud Sherko headed in a corner on 90 minutes. Goals Aloud will hope to hit the winning trail soon so they seek to avoid the trials and tribulations of last season while Jimmy was happy with the win and also that his ‘manager skill’ was on the increase.

Three Lions FC were also winners on the day as they put in a professional display in a 2-0 win at Liverpool. Boosted by an unexpected promotion the ground was buzzing before kick-off as Liverpool sought to start on a high. Two serious looking injuries were to mar the game as Ricardo Izalho and Martin Skrtel each face a spell on the sidelines. The game itself saw Three Lions edge it in both possession and chance stats. The goals arrived late in the game as Cesc Izukas shot home well in the penalty area before the exceptional Izuael Clichy clinched the win with a long range effort on 90 minutes. Three Lions will be looking to make more progress this season despite Izuka’s claims they will be happy to ‘avoid relegation and get a good CR.’ Buttons, meanwhile, will quickly look to get his Liverpool side up to speed and when that happens they should do well in the division.

West Brom Strollers and Pahang United met in a high quality encounter at The Hawthorns with the home side just coming out on top. Pahang made the better start with a long range shot from Henning Gassner giving them the lead. Enjoying a lot of possession, West Brom gradually forced their way back into the encounter and got a vital goal on the stroke of half-time. Bobby Taylor found some space in the area to finish a corner by Tony Brown. The game continued apace after the resumption with both sides struggling for supremacy. The winning goal was to arrive in the final ten minutes and was to come from the spot, Bryan Robson producing a captain’s finish to give his side the three points. West Brom survived the late sending-off of Lawrie Cunningham but the win didn’t entirely satisfy Dinkydave who said ‘a win, not completely convincing but a win nevertheless.’

Newry City and Tropical Thunder kicked off their seasons with a 1-1 draw at Showgrounds. Newry largely had the better of things but paid for not being able to finish their chances. They did take the lead when a free-kick was smashed into the net by Veevo Ulpre and continued to dictate play during the first 45 minutes. The second-half saw a more even contest as the words of Joejnr had a clear impact on his players. Thunder were to strike with time running out as Lauro Poggi scored from distance to catch the otherwise outstanding Dominic Wellens off-guard in the home goal. A draw will be seen as a good result for Thunder after their tough season last time out while Newry will be looking to improve upon their sixth place finish.