retired_bbcarr

it's obviously the jambo magic of andy kirk that turned your fortunes around

retired_brinker317

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Terk:
it's obviously the jambo magic of andy kirk that turned your fortunes around <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Maybe

Has he just signed for Boston Utd IRL?

retired_bbcarr

he has indeed. hearts have had to slash the wage bill (yet again) and he was out of contract and got no new deal. they've also signed livingston's derek lilley, iirc, and want hearts' austin mccann.

retired_brinker317

Ah, thought so, saw it on the Beeb :thup:


Stuart Fairway (10)

Sunday morning - and after a few days of quiet relaxation, back to the grind. He was certainly brought down to earth with a bump - Dergview's Third Round opponents in the Steel & Sons Cup confirmed as Non-League Killyleagh Y.C - who won the competition last season.

With training focused, but little else going on around the club, it was perhaps the best buildup yet to a Dergview game in Fairway's reign. With 10 days having passed since their last match, Fairway - as well as his players, and Dergview's support - were very keen to get back into the swing.

Bangor v Dergview - Intermediate League Cup Group 4

Unavailable

Gareth Watson - Injured - (Arm, 1 Week)

Dergview (4-4-2); Allison, G Sproule, McCuskie, Dougherty*, Crozier, Burke, Black, A Sproule, McColgan, McNamee, Savage.

Subs; Coulter, O'Donnell, Campbell

With fit-again Andrew Sproule returning to midfield in place of McHale, Fairway made one change to the side who suprisingly faltered against Crewe United. Bangor, however, would prove no mugs - and went into the game as both a First Division side and favourites. The home side began to dictate the early play, spreading the ball about well, with Andy Morrow and Kevin Trueman particularly impressive. It was the latter that provided the cross for the opener, with Ryan Brown making no mistake with a header inside the box. Three minutes later, Bangor had a second - again Trueman providing the assist, this time from a corner, with Brown well placed to beat 'keeper Allison. Although the brace left Dergview facing a mountain to climb, they did respond positivley, Burke coming close on 31 before Stephen McNamee glanced home a Savage cross to bring the scores back to 2-1 before the break. Bangor, however, were not to be denied, and after Brown this time turned provider, crossing for Andy Morrow to head home on 52, the game looked all but over. Morrow added a fourth on 68 with a truly outrageous lob - his first time clipped shot looping over a stranded Allison before dropping into the net - and sent Dergview out of the Intermediate League Cup.

Bangor 4 - Dergview 1

Stat Attack

Attendance; 709

Cards;

Tommy McDonald (Bangor) - Ungentlemanly Conduct

Man of the Match; Andy Morrow (Bangor)

retired_vikkylj

A very enjoyable read D_S. Congrats

stayfocused

quality start Stu, keep it up mate :thup:

retired_brinker317

Cheers guys :thup:


Stuart Fairway (11)

While defeat somewhat took the wind out of Dergview sails, Fairway was keen to impress on his side the need to bounce back quickly. With League expectations high, Fairway was also keen for his side to have a good run in the various Cup Competitions to take the pressure off a little.

With that in mind, he was delighted to see Saturday's opponents Killyleagh crash out of the Irish Cup at the Preliminary Round against fellow Non-Leaguers Islandmagee.

Elsewhere, scout David McLaughlin would certainly be earning his wages - with Fairway targetting no less than 13 youngsters for scout reports. The players - all playing for Non-League clubs - are young and, word has it, potential gems.

Killyleagh Y.C v Dergview - Northern Irish Steel & Sons Cup Third Round

Dergview (4-4-2); Allison, G Sproule, McCuskie, Dougherty*, Crozier, Burke, Black, A Sproule, McColgan, McNamee, Savage.

Although striker Gareth Watson reported fit ahead of the game, Fairway decided to leave the hitman out - with the youngster allowed time to rest ahead of the League campaign. Things did not begin well for Dergview, with the home side converting plenty of early possesion into a goal on 21, striker Johnny Wallace exploiting a gap in the Dergview defence to slot past 'keeper Allison from the edge of the area. Both sides had further chances before the break - Savage testing Killyleagh 'keeper Burgess with a good shot on the half volley, before Wallace skewed a volley wide on the half hour. After the break Killyleagh went out to reassert their authority on the game - and did so, scoring with their first chance of the Second Half - John Murray timing his run to perfection to head past 'keeper Allison from a Duggan corner. There was no respite for the hapless stopper - just three minutes later, on 55, Willie McIlroy pouncing at the far post to fire home a Gilgunn pass. There would be no way back for Dergview - though Stephen McColgan pulled one back on 70, drilling the ball through the pack from the edge of the area. It was a super goal, but would be Dergview's last in this Competition - and one thing's certain - Fairway needs to find a solution before too long.

Killyleagh 3 - Dergview 1

Stat Attack

Attendance; 1313

Cards;

Colin Murray - Killyleagh (Ungentlemanly Conduct)
Victor Dougherty - Dergview (Dissent)
Stephen McColgan - Dergview (Foul Play)

Man of the Match; John Murray (Killyleagh)

retired_brinker317

Stuart Fairway (12)

Out of the Intermediate League Cup, and now out of the Steel & Sons Cup. For a side tipped to take the title, Dergview were certainly flattering to decieve. Part of the answer could be a revamp of the backroom team - with Jamie Irvine quickly agreeing terms to join the scouting team.

Tuesday saw Dergview's final Intermediate League Cup Group match - now of course a 'Dead rubber' tie against Donegal Celtic. With the game meaningless, Fairway decided to make changes- bringing in Jonny Leitch, Neil Coulter, Francis O'Donnell, John Sproule, Steven Campbell and Mark McHale - resting some key players, including Kingsley Black, ahead of Saturday's League opener.

Donegal Celtic v Dergview - Intermediate League Cup Group 4

Dergview (4-4-2); Leitch, Coulter, McCuskie, Dougherty*, J Sproule, Campbell, O'Donnell, McHale, McColgan, McNamee, Savage.

Subs; Crozier, Black, Watson

Although the game would not be important, Fairway was still keen for the game to end with a positive result for Dergview - recent results had worried him greatly. Things didn't start well - Andrew Bell finishing off a glorious move just four minute in after a nice one-two with young striker Steven Curley. Three minutes later, however, Donegal blundered - the defence caught flat-footed by McHale's turn of pace - and Stephen McNamee made no mistake, rifling home from just inside the box. The home side though were a constant threat, and took the lead before the break - Paul McCord making no mistake on 27. Four minutes after the interval Andrew Bell grabbed his second - and then on 50, merely seconds later, set up Tony Smyth, who made it four with a powerful effort that, despite some force behind it, kept low and into the corner. Fairway was not a happy man - his side, again, had fallen apart - and though these players would not all be regulars, some of them - including left back McCuskie and skipper Dougherty - would need to perform week in, week out. One of the fringe players though restored at least some hope on the hour with a very neat finish from a corner. After McHale had played the ball to the near post, McNamee flicked it across goal, for big defender John Sproule to sweep home. For a move crafted on the training ground, it looked suprisingly effective in a game situation, and Fairway made a note to at least praise his players on that aspect of their performance. Andrew Bonner restored the cushion for Donegal Celtic soon after - scoring with a bizzare, wind-assisted effort from near the half way line - and even though Stephen McNamee grabbed his second on 81 with a cool finish, by the time Celtic's Hunter saw red in injury time, many away fans were already on their way.

Donegal Celtic 5 - Dergview 2

Stat Attack

Attendance; 1473

Cards;

Tony Smyth - Donegal Celtic - (Foul Play)
Neil Coulter - Dergview - (Ungentlemanly Conduct)
Andrew Bonner - Donegal Celtic - (Ungentlemanly Conduct)
Francis O'Donnell - Dergview - (Dissent)
Paul Savage - Dergview - (Dissent)
Liam Hunter - Donegal Celtic (Foul Play x 2) - Red Card

Man of the Match; Gary Bell - Donegal Celtic

retired_brinker317

Paul Miller (6)

Less than a month after their success against Armenia, Northern Ireland were again on the verge of action. This time, however, Paul Miller expected a disapointing result. With opponents Greece assured of at least a place in the playoffs, but wanting to better themselves and go on to qualify automatically for Portugal 2004, he knew that it would be a tough task. Equally, with freindly games against Japan and Singapore scheduled for the spring, this would be a good chance for Northern Ireland to pull the curtains down on an ultimatley very disapointing qualifying campaign.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>

www.bbc.co.uk/football - Internationals - Thursday 2/10/03

'Miller Makes Changes for Euro Finale'

"Northern Ireland manager Paul Miller , who led the side to their first win of an ill-fated Euro 2004 qualifying campaign last month, has made three changes to his squad for Northern Ireland's final qualifying match against Greece.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
The Squad

Goalkeepers;

Roy Carroll - Manchester United (On Loan at Sunderland) - 15 Caps
Maik Taylor - Fulham (On Loan at Birmingham) - 29 Caps
Micheal Ingham - Sunderland - Uncapped

Defenders ;

Colin Murdock - Hibs - 17 Caps
Mike Duff - Reading - 4 Caps
Danny Griffin - Dundee Utd - 27 Caps/1 Goal
Aaron Hughes - Newcastle - 33 Caps
Steven Craigan - Motherwell - 3 Caps
George McCartney - Sunderland - 14 Caps/1 Goal
Brian McGlinchley - Plymouth - 1 Cap

Midfielders;

Jim Whitley - Wrexham - 3 Caps
Jeff Whitley - Sunderland - 7 Caps/1 Goal
Tommy Doherty - Bristol City - 4 Caps
Grant McCann - Cheltenham - 8 Caps
Ciaran Toner - Leyton Orient - 2 Caps
Richard Clarke - Portadown - 1 Cap
Keith Gillespie - Leicester - 49 Caps/1 Goal
Micheal Hughes - Crystal Palace - 67 Caps/6 Goals
Stephen Carson - Barnsley - Uncapped
Phil Mulryne - Norwich - 19 Caps/3 Goals
Damien Johnson - Leicester - 24 Caps

Forwards;

Lee Hughes - W.B.A - 2 Caps/1 Goal
Andy Kirk - Hearts - 6 Caps
David Healy - Preston - 27 Caps/8 Goals
Stuart Elliott - Hull - 16 Caps/1 Goal
Paul McVeigh - Norwich - 12 Caps
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Midfield Mixture

The majority of Miller's changes have come in midfield, with Danny Sonner of Nottingham Forest and Crewe's Steve Jones both left out. Birmingham's form player Damien Johnson is no suprise, but Miller admitted his decision to call upon Ciaran Toner would suprise many. "Ciaran's still young" he said. "And now he's left Spurs and is playing good football, regularly, for Orient, I felt he deserved another chance".

Miller's other change comes in defence, with Steven Craigan replacing Pat McGibbon. "Steve's been playing well" Miller said. "I feel for Pat, but he's just not had the luck with Portadown so far this season. His chance will come again, I'm sure, but for now, Steve deserves the place."

Hughes Hope

Northern Ireland's new hero is striker Lee Hughes - the Birmingham-born player who opened his account for his adopted nation in the 2-0 victory over Armenia. "It was nice to get off the mark" he said. "But Greece will be tough - they've got a lot of good players, and are going for qualification - but for us, it's all a learning curve, and a building experience. We want to be challenging for qualification to the World Cup, and personally, I want to be continuing to score for Northern Ireland". It's an admirable attitude - Northern Ireland have improved under Miller, but are still ranked 107th in the World - surely not good enough for this once-proud footballing nation?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

retired_brinker317

Stuart Fairway (14*)

* - it should be 13, but meh, I'm superstitious and want the League campaign to start well

Thursday afternoon would see Fairway flicking through a number of files. It made depressing reading. Of the 13 young players that he had highlighted for scouting, just under half - 6 - were rated highly enough for Dergview to keep tabs on. Of the six, two merited even closer attention - Rosario central midfielder Alan Martin - 19 - and his 18-year old teammate, left-winger Eamonn Vize .

Martin in particular seemed a real gem - and with rumours of an English club sniffing around, Fairway made his move - offering no cash up front, but 25% of any future - perhaps, if he turns out to be good as hoped - sell on fee.

On Friday, however, it would be an existing Dergview player putting pen to paper. Versatile Stephen McNamee becoming the first of several players to accept deals taking them beyond the end of the season. It would provide the ideal opening to Fairway's first league weekend in charge.

Coagh United v Dergview - League

Dergview (4-4-2); Allison, G Sproule, McCuskie, Dougherty*, Crozier, Burke, Black, A Sproule, McColgan, Watson, Savage.

Subs; Coulter, O'Donnell, McNamee

As expected, Dergview returned to a more expected lineup after the Donegal Celtic debaclé - with young strikers Savage and Watson starting together up front for the first time in some weeks. The visitors began brightly, coming close on 7 through Kingsley Black, before opening the scoring on 18. A McCuskie header put Savage away, and the striker took the ball on, beating Stewart before crossing into the box. 'Keeper Harbinson came and missed, but poor defender Aaron Thornton could do nothing - the ball cannoning off his knee and into the net, much to the delight of the nearby Watson. Two minutes later Dergview made it two - with skipper Victor Dougherty scrambling home from a corner - and a further two minutes later, Fairway's side effectivley wrapped things up - bouncing back from their dismal run in superb fashion. Coagh looked rattled - and when Savage won the ball inside the opposition half, his efforts allowed Andrew Sproule to play a fantastic pass into the middle - Gareth Watson making no mistake, the striker bending the ball past 'keeper Harbinson. Coagh, shattered, tried to get back into the game - Stewart and Blackley both scrambling in and around the area, but unable to pull one back before the break. As the second half began, Dergview again came forward - and on 55, hit the woodwork through Savage after a tremendous run from Kingsley Black. The pick of the bunch, however, would come on 66 - Andrew Sproule picking up on a poor clearance to lob Harbinson with an incredible, chipped effort from fully 35 yards. Both sides would have further chances - although Coagh's young sub Gillespie showed more effort than many of his teammates after his belated introduction - and it would be too late for any sort of comeback.

Coagh Utd 0 - Dergview 4

Stat Attack

Attendance; 1039

Cards;

Aaron Thornton - Coagh Utd - (Foul Play)
Stephen McColgan - Dergview - (Ungentlemanly Conduct)
Micheal Leary - Coagh Utd - (Foul Play)
Barry Meehan - Coagh Utd - (Foul Play)

Man of the Match; Andrew Sproule - Dergview

Dergview Position After Game; 2nd