05/09/2026
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฝ โ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ญ
NFC Kesh 3โ0 Markethill Swifts Reserves
๐ฅ
Goals:
โฝ Aaron Ellis x 2
โฝ Jordan McClure
We booked our place in the next round of the Fonacab Junior Cup with a convincing 3โ0 victory over Markethill Swifts Reserves at Connolly Park, in a game that was considerably more one-sided than the final scoreline suggests.
From the opening whistle, we took control and created chance after chance, with the visitors forced into a deep defensive shape for long periods. Markethill worked tirelessly to stay in the contest and defended with plenty of commitment, but our pressure eventually told.
The home side had already gone close several times before taking the lead in the 18th minute. Ryan Beatty produced an excellent ball down the line before Scott Wallace picked out Aaron Ellis with a perfectly weighted square pass, allowing Ellis to finish from close range and open his account for the club.
We almost doubled their advantage immediately afterwards when Ellis was played through again, but his effort drifted narrowly wide.
Jordan McClure then had a glorious opportunity to extend the lead after excellent work from Jake Irvine, only to see his one-on-one effort go wide. We continued to dominate, with Irvine also going close with a back-post volley from another Scott Wallace delivery.
The pressure finally resulted in a second goal in the 39th minute. Wallace found space down the line before Nathan Cashel produced a strong run into the box and delivered across goal. Ellis cleverly used his body to dummy the ball, allowing McClure to arrive at the back post and calmly finish to make it 2โ0.
We continued where they left off after the interval, with both Ellis and Cashel threatening early in the second half.
The third goal arrived in the 52nd minute. Jake Irvine's deep corner was met by Danny Wilson, whose header was blocked, but Ellis reacted quickest to fire home the rebound and claim his second goal of the afternoon.
The remainder of the match followed a similar pattern, with us maintaining control and continuing to create opportunities. Caolan Ward fired over from a corner following good hold-up play from Cashel, while Ellis was narrowly off target with another effort.
Danny Wilson then tested the Markethill goalkeeper from distance, producing an excellent save, before Ward came agonisingly close to a fourth late on when his effort struck the crossbar.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, credit must go to Markethill Swifts Reserves, who defended deep and battled throughout. It was played in an excellent spirit, with both sides contributing to a relaxed and enjoyable afternoon of football.
For the home side, it was an extremely dominant performance and, in truth, a 3โ0 scoreline perhaps does not fully reflect the superiority or the number of chances created.
There was also plenty to celebrate for Aaron Ellis, who marked his first goals for NFC Kesh with an impressive brace and was deservedly named Man of the Match.
Today's game was sponsored by Alpha Bravo Fitness / Lakeland Karting, and the club would like to thank Aaron and Alison Brimstone for their continued support and sponsorship of NFC Kesh.
Everyone at the club wishes Markethill Swifts Reserves all the very best for the remainder of the season.
There is no fixture for us next weekend, with the next half of the opening-round Junior Cup fixtures taking place before the competition moves into the next stage.
