Carniny Youth 2014s, sponsored by Milano’s

Carniny Youth under-13s extended their unbeaten start to the South Belfast Youth League with a composed and clinical 4–1 win over First Bangor Juniors at The Hammer complex.

In their first Friday night fixture of the season, the Ballymena boys maintained their impressive early‑season momentum, making it four wins and a draw from their opening five league games.

A fast start has become a trademark of Carniny’s performances, and once again they struck inside four minutes. Captain Alfie split the defence with a perfectly‑weighted through ball from the centre circle, allowing Alex to race clear and guide a first‑time finish past the keeper from the edge of the box.

Alex then turned creator for the second, combining with Frankie before threading a clever pass inside the full-back for Josh, who opened up his body and swept a low shot across the goalkeeper.

Carniny’s third goal arrived when Alex got the break of the ball in a challenge with a defender, bursting through to calmly slot home his second of the night.

With the swirling breeze increasing after the break, First Bangor pulled one back with a smartly‑taken free kick. But any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished by Seth’s sharp thinking. Intercepting a throw‑in near the edge of the area, he reacted quickest to poke the ball past the advancing keeper.

Another excellent all‑round team display left the coaches with a familiar dilemma when selecting the man‑of‑the‑match, resulting in a joint award.
Luca impressed with an all‑energy midfield performance, including a vital headed clearance from almost under his own crossbar, while Billy caught the eye on the right wing — dangerous going forward and relentless in tracking back to support his full-back.

Carniny: Jake R, Frankie, Mark, Jake W, Isaac, Luca, Harlow, James, Billy, Caleb, Alfie, Josh, Seth, Alex.