There was only four games in the Premier Intermediate League (PIL) on Saturday due to Sport & Leisure and Dundela facing off against each other in the Steel & Sons Cup but there was still plenty of action with no fewer than 18 goals scored, in fact the PIL has only had one 0-0 draw all seasons so far, as well as plenty of other talking points.
Armagh City 0 Queens University 2
Armagh went into this game in good spirits having won their last two games in a row but it was Queens who made it three wins from five in the league so far this season and move up to 4th in the league. Armagh looked promising early on in the game but by the half hour mark it was the students who had the best chance of the game when Conor Mulholland seen an effort hit the crossbar. Both goals came in the last quarter of the first half through Ryan McCready. Queens could have been out of sight by half-time but Danny Devine saved Queens injury time penalty but the two goal cushion proved to be enough for Queens.
Donegal Celtic 1 Newington Youth Club 2
Newington pulled themselves further away from the bottom of the table when they secured their second win of the season at Suffolk Road on Saturday. In this game all the goals came in the second half and Newington secured their win thanks to Peter Gilgunn and a Conal Burns penalty with Declan Monaghan replying for Celtic from the spot. Newington took advantage of the fact that Tobermore weren’t playing to leapfrog them into 8th, while DC remain in 10th place.
Lisburn Distillery 2 Banbridge Town 5
This game had everything from plenty of goalmouth action to controversial refereeing but after 90 minutes Lisburn Distillery had suffered their first league defeat of the season. It was the Whites who scored first in this game when Matthew Ferguson headed home from a Paul Young cross after just three minutes. After that Town took control of the game though and equalised after 14 minutes when Whites keeper Jonah Nicholl could only parry Stephen Teggart’s shot into the path of Banbridge captain Ryan Moffett who had the easiest job of tapping home from a couple of yards. Banbridge were soon ahead when they were awarded a penalty for an alleged push and Moffett scored his second of the game, Distillery also had defender William Wharry sent off during the penalty incident meaning the Whites had to play the remaining 70 minutes with ten men. Town weren’t ahead for long when Ferguson scored his second of the game, again from the penalty spot and there was still time for the same player to see a THIRD penalty of the game saved by former Distillery keeper Gerard McErlean before the referee called time on an action packed first half. Into the second half and just after the hour mark Ryan Moffett was handed the chance to complete his hat-trick when Town were awarded their second, and the games fourth, penalty of the day but he missed the target completely but Town did take the lead through Neil Clydesdale after 74 minutes despite the linesman having appeared to flag for offside. Town extended their lead two minutes later when Darren McGrath scored from close range, once again the Distillery players looked to the linesman but the flag stayed down. After 84 minutes Moffatt finally completed his hat-trick with the best goal of the game from outside the box. This Whites remain two points clear in 1st place, while Stuart King’s men move into 2nd.
Portstewart 1 Moyola Park 5
Moyola came away from Seahaven with three points on Saturday to move into the top half of the table and leave Portstewart languishing in 11th place. Both sides had chances to score in the opening stages but it was Moyola who went closes hitting the bar after 5 minutes. Moyola took the kead after 35 minutes when Joshua Evans, starting his second first team game for Moyola, scorted from the edge of the box. It was 3-0 before half-time when Jason Paul and Steven McQuillan scored to extend the lead and leave the Seahawks with an uphill fight to get anything out of the game. Kyle Robinson made it 4-0 with a great strike before Portstewart reduced the deficit when they capatilised on a defensive mistake but there was to be no dramatic comeback and Moyola made it five thanks to a goal from Tomas McCann.
The PIL takes a break for two weeks now due to Steel & Sons Cup football this weekend and the Irish Cup the following weekend.