Albion bandwagon rolls on and Irwin’s brace sinks Whitehead

Whitehead Rangers captain Ryan Clarke beats Rathcooles Nathan Stranaghan in an aerial battle. INNT 02-103-GR

Junior Division Two: The Krag Albion bandwagon rolls on thanks to a blistering 9-1 win at home to Moyola Park on Saturday.

Jonny Robb had another impressive game for Albion, with a personal tally of six goals. Lee Cooper, Ross Jackson and Lee Lowry netted a goal each.

Remo FC also got 2015 off to a winning start with a 4-2 success away to Brantwood Reserves. Remo made a flying start with James Brown scoring in the first minute. Play settled down for a period before Steven Smith equalised for Brantwood in the 35th minute. New signing Ricardo Pinto put Brantwood ahead early in the second half before Blair Hunter equalised for Remo on 55 minutes.

Both teams then had a couple of good chances to score but it was Hunter who struck the crucial blow with 10 minutes remaining before Eoin Bradley wrapped things up in the last minute.

Junior Division Three: 3rd Ballyclare Old Boys, under new player-manager John Davey, bagged a 5-0 victory against Remo Reserves.

Jamie Hughes got the ball rolling as early as the ninth minute but the Old Boys had to wait until James Steele put them two ahead on 65 minutes.

Steele’s goal sparked a bit of a purple patch as the home side added three more in the last 20 minutes. Hughes netted twice more to bag a hat-trick; his goals coming either side of Davey’s 72nd-minute effort.

There was a 10-goal thriller in Carrick as Castle Star Reserves defeated Carnlough Swifts 6-4. Ryan Smith, Nathan Poulter, Warren Brown, Stephen Craig, Mark Thompson and Stephen James netted for Castle and Aidan O’Neill, Jack Carland, Declan McDermott and Patrick McAuley found the net for the Swifts.

Phil Hall scored Whitehead Rangers’ only goal as they began the new year with a 3-1 defeat at Rathcoole Reserves. An Adam Irwin double, either side of a Nathan Stranaghan strike, was enough to secure all three points.

Red Star and 1st Carrickfergus Old Boys had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw. All the goals arrived in the first-half as Stephen Bittles and Ricky Johnson saw their efforts cancelled out by the visitors.