Newington Scrape Home to Preserve Promotion Hopes

Newington Youth ..... (0)1 ..... Portstewart FC ..... (0)0

There could still be two senior sides playing their football out of Solitude next season.

Newington Youth kept their dream of Championship football alive last night in north Belfast’s driving rain, thanks to Gary Warwick’s emphatically converted spot-kick.

The ‘ton couldn’t have left it any later, Mr Gillespie the referee blowing for full-time upon the ball being re-centred. The man in yellow enjoyed a good game and seemed to call the big decision at the end correctly too after a volleyed cross from the left appeared to strike an outstretched hand.

It was still tough on a Portstewart side with little to play for but which put up stout resistance throughout the game, saying much about the integrity of the division.

Earlier in the half Conal Burns was put through with a full sight of goal but with only the visiting goalkeeper to beat he could only find the outside of a post.

Portstewart had some good spells in the first-half and increased their resolve as Newington’s game became more anxious and desperate, while they sought the breakthrough that would keep their promotion bid on track.

Points dropped last night would severely have dented promotion prospects, but the Steel & Sons Cup winners are now just four points behind Bangor and five adrift of Armagh City who top the table. Armagh have only one game left to play at struggling Moyola Park who have taken only one point from their last eight games.

Bangor and Newington have two and three games left respectively, including meeting each other at Clandeboye Park on the last day of the league season, Easter Saturday.

Should the top three all take maximum points leading into the Clandeboye clash (Bangor’s other game is a tricky one at Banbridge Town while Newington take on Moyola Park and Lisburn Distillery, both at home), it would leave the top three places looking like this....

Armagh City ...... 44 (GD +22)
Bangor ............... 43 (GD +25)
Newington ......... 42 (GD +18)

Bangor would then win the league and automatic promotion on the last day with at least a draw against Newington, should Armagh fail to defeat Moyola Park by a margin of three goals more than any Bangor winning margin over Banbridge Town.

However should Newington keep winning and upset Bangor at Clandeboye on the final day, it would be they who would top the table and win automatic promotion to senior football for the first time in the club’s history...

Armagh City in that case would then take second spot and go into the promotion play-off, with Knockbreda or Queen’s University looking their likeliest opponents.

Newington Youth: Kerr - McVarnock, Bradley, Reilly, Casey - Cummings, Gowdy (c), Warwick, McNicholl - Burns, Rice

Subs - Stuart, Downey, Lundy, McGonnell, Gillen, McKenna, White.

Portstewart line-up unavailable.