Richhill AFC lose out to Valley Rangers

Richhill AFC...0

Valley Rangers...2

Richhill AFC lost out to Valley Rangers in their latest Intermediate A fixture at Richardson Park on Saturday afternoon. In truth, while there was little between the sides for long periods, it was the visitors who deserved the three points as they proved more clinical in front of goal.

Valley took the lead on 22 minutes when prolific scorer Andy Graham took advantage of a defensive lapse to nip in and head the ball past Richhill debutant goalkeeper Harvey Cardwell, who was deputising for the suspended Ryan McCance.

Richhill had an opportunity to level when Craig Archer raced clear on goal, but his attempted lob drifted wide.

Cardwell impressed throughout the game and produced a superb low save just before the interval to keep Richhill firmly in contention.

In the second half, Richhill huffed and puffed but struggled to seriously test Rangers goalkeeper Annett. At the other end, Valley continued to look dangerous and Cardwell was called upon to make another good save.

Richhill’s hopes of getting something from the game were dealt a major blow on 77 minutes when Graham again showed his goalscoring instincts, nipping in front of his marker to guide the ball past Cardwell and make it 2-0.

Archer came close to grabbing a late consolation, but his strike was well saved by Annett, and in the end it was Valley Rangers who collected all three points.

Richhill AFC would like to thank Hot Stoves for their generous match sponsorship and continued support of the Club.

Richhill AFC: Harvey Cardwell, Alex Lee, Dylan Doogan-Ballantine, Scott Somerville, James Ballantine, Ben Rice, Matthew Whittle, Liam Rice, Adam Wright, James McMullen, Craig Archer. Subs: Adam Megaw, Paul McCann, Jake Strain, James Nesbitt & Leon Wells.

Rathfriland Rangers Reserves...0

Richhill AFC Reserves...0

Richhill AFC Reserves picked up a valuable point on the road as they held league winners Rathfriland to a scoreless draw in County Down on Saturday afternoon.

Hosts Rathfriland held the upper hand in the first half while Richhill produced a strong second half display and had the ball in the Rathfriland net only for the referee to rule the goal out for offside. Ben Robinson saw his late effort well saved by Rathfriland ‘keeper Redmond made a great save.

Jacob Neill and Jordan Roper produced strong displays for Richhill.

Keady Celtic Oriels...2

Richhill AFC U23 Colts...4

A youthful Richhill AFC Colts side overcame a tough challenge in Keady on Saturday afternoon as they ran out 4-2 winners in their Adreneline Sports Lonsdale League Division 2 clash.

Jake Nellins and Bobby McKinney both scored twice for Richhill with McKinney the standout performer on the day.