SuperCupNI off to a cracking start

It was a busy opening day at the SuperCupNI. Downtown & Cool FM reporter AARON O’NEILL highlights his pick of the games to date.

Teams in both the Junior and Premier sections of the tournament kicked-off their bids for victory at this year’s tournament while the Northern Ireland U19 Women prepared to face-off against Wales.

Alfie Wylie’s Northern Ireland Women’s team made it two wins from two at the Ballymena Showgrounds as they ran out 4-0 winners, following on from Saturday’s 3-1 score line and continuing their winning form.

In the Junior section of the tournament it was a mixed day for the home county sides. In the early kick-off Co. Fermanagh prepared to take on Declan Devine’s Club NI team at Andersons Park. Fermanagh had no answer for Club NI who enjoyed a 3-0 victory in the opening game. Co. Londonderry suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mexican outfit Chivas Guadalaraja, whilst Co. Down and Co. Tyrone lost to Cherry Orchard and Plymouth Argyle respectively.

Co. Armagh can be pleased with their start to the tournament as they enjoyed a share of the spoils with Scottish club, Rangers. The Orchard County were written off by many heading into the game but proved the doubters wrong by picking up a point. Co. Antrim also had a positive start to the tournament their 1-1 draw against Premier League giants Southampton.

Manchester United marked their return to the Super Cup NI with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chilean side Colina at Seahaven in Portstewart. The Red Devils controlled the game from start to finish and could have won by a bigger margin on another day.

United boss Neil Ryan was pleased with his side’s performance. “It’s good to start any tournament off with a win, which is the most important thing really. The performance will build as time goes on but we have a lot of nervous boys starting their first tournaments so by starting with a win we will give the boys some confidence.”

In the Premier section, there where defeats for both Co. Armagh and Co. Fermanagh as they lost out to American sides Strikers and GPS Bayern on the opening day. Co. Tyrone and Co. Antrim enjoyed 3-1 victories against Beijing DCFC Morning Star United and Premier League newcomers Newcastle United.

Counties Londonderry and Down began their campaigns with draws against Osasco and First Choice Soccer respectively. All-in-all a mixed day for the County teams in the Premier section.

As the teams prepare for today’s second round of fixtures there will be an air of determination flowing around the squads as they aim to improve on yesterday’s opening day performances.

Further information about the Super Cup NI can be found on the website: http://supercupni.com