2004 JUNIOR RESULTS

MONDAY

County Antrim 1 v 1 Parramatta Eagles
County Tyrone 0 v 1 Maccabi Haifa
County Armagh 2 v 1 Fiji
Birmingham City 2 v 0 Dixie 89’ers
County Fermanagh 3 v 1 Apollon
County Londonderry 3 v 0 Queen of the South 0
Preston North End 1 v 0 Lourdes Celtic
Stoke City 1 v 1 St. Patrick’s Athletic
Everton 3 v 0Cherry Orchard
County Down 3 v 2 TUS Altenberge
Swindon Town 3 v 3 Home Farm
Charlton Athletic 3 v 2 Shelbourne

TUESDAY

County Down 0 v 2 Preston North End
County Armagh 0 v 3 Birmingham City
County Londonderry 2 v 6 Swindon Town
Lourdes Celtic 0 v 0 TuS Altenberge
Shelbourne 4 v 0 Fiji
St. Patrick’s Athletic 1 v 2 Queen of the South
County Antrim 2 v 2 Stoke City
County Fermanagh 1 v 1 Everton
Cherry Orchard 4 v 0 Parramatta Eagles
Dixie 89’ers 0 v 1 Maccabi Haifa
County Tyrone 0 v 4 Charlton Athletic
Home Farm 0 v 0 Apollon

WEDNESDAY

DUNLUCE TROPHY QUARTER-FINALS

Lourdes Celtic 3 v 0 Fiji 0
Co. Tyrone 0 v 0 Parramatta Eagles (Parramatta won 4-2 on pens)
St. Patrick’s Athletic 0 v 0 Dixie 89’ers 0 (St. Pat’s won 6-5 on pens)
TuS Altenberge 4 v 0 Apollon

BT TROPHY QUARTER-FINALS

Queen of the South 0 v 4 Cherry Orchard
Co. Londonderry 0 v 2 Co. Down
Co. Antrim 3 v 3 Co. Armagh 3 (Co. Antrim won 5-4 on pens)
Stoke City 0 v 1 Home Farm

MILK CUP QUARTER-FINALS

Swindon Town 0 v 1 Everton
Preston North End 2 v 0 Co. Fermanagh 0
Birmingham City 3 v 2 Charlton Athletic
Maccabi Haifa 2 v 0 Shelbourne

THURSDAY

DUNLUCE TROPHY 5^TH – 8^TH PLAY-OFFS

Fiji 0 v 0 Co. Tyrone (Co. Tyrone won 4-2 on pens)
Dixie 89ers 3 v 0 Apollon

SEMI-FINALS

Lourdes Celtic 1 v 2 Parramatta Eagles

St. Patrick’s Athletic 0 v 1 TuS Altenberge

BT TROPHY 5^TH – 8^TH PLAY-OFFS

Queen of the South 9 v 1 Co. Londonderry
Co. Armagh 1 v 2 Stoke City

SEMI-FINALS

Cherry Orchard 1 v 0 Co. Down
Co. Antrim 3 v 1 Home Farm

MILK CUP 5^TH – 8^TH PLAY-OFFS

Swindon Town 2 v 0 Co. Fermanagh
Charlton Athletic 3 v 2 Shelbourne

SEMI-FINALS

Everton 1 v 0 Preston North End
Maccabi Haifa 0 v 0 Birmingham City (Maccabi on 4-2 on pens)

FRIDAY
DUNLUCE TROPHY PLAY-OFFS

7^th/8^th Apollon 2 v 0 Fiji
5^th/6^th Co. Tyrone 1 v 0  Dixie 89ers
3^rd/4^th Lourdes 0 v 0 St. Patrick’s Athletic (Lourdes won 5-4 on pens)

FINAL – Parramatta Eagles 4 v 0 TuS Altenberge

BT TROPHY PLAY-OFFS

7^th/8^th Queen of the South 1 v 4 Co. Armagh
5^th/6^th Co. Londonderry 0 v 3 Stoke City
3^rd/4^th Co. Down 1 v 4 Home Farm

FINAL - Cherry Orchard 0 v 0 Co. Antrim (Co. Antrim won on pens)

NI MILK CUP PLAY-OFFS

7t/8^th Co. Fermanagh 1 v 0 Shelbourne
5^th/6^th Swindon Town 3 v 2 Charlton Athletic
3^rd/4^th Preston North End 0 v 1 Birmingham City

JUNIOR FINAL

Maccabi Haifa 5, Everton 1

Goal hungry Maccabi Haifa lit up the Milk Cup tournament with a stunning success against Everton at Coleraine Showgrounds. The Tel Aviv side was in a league of its own in an absorbing Junior final, firing in five goals and serving up a spectacular brand of attacking football.

They led 3-1 at half-time and added two more stunning goals in the second half. It could have been more but the woodwork and some frantic defending denied them.

The young Toffees put up a brave show in the first half but their dream of a Milk Cup treble had already come to a sticky end by then.
It was an absorbing contest, one of the best finals in years with the Israelis producing a superb display of quality football.

Everton, without keeper Jamie Jones who broke his right leg in Thursday night’s semi-final victory over Preston North End, restored Kyle Clancy to the side but he was beaten after only five minutes.

There was nothing the youngster could do to stop Erez Yosef’s left foot screamer from just outside the box. It was a stunning strike, hit low and hard into the corner of the net and set the Israelis up for a bouyant first half performance.

Not even a speedy reply from James Dunn could knock the mesmerising Maccabi out of their stride. Dunn rose highest in a crowded goalmouth to head in Lee Molyneux’s free kick from the right in the tenth minute.

Normal service was restored when the supremely skilled Sisay Sahalo wriggled free on the left flank and threaded over a cross for the unmarked Meidan Shteinberg to head in from six yards.

Clancy brilliantly turned a stinging left foot shot from Sahalo round a post and Haran Elgarishi’s drive was blocked on the line as the green shirted Israelis continued the quest for more goals.

There was brief respite for the Everton defence as Lee Molyneux swung in a left foot lob from the edge of the penalty area but keeper Ben Rahav was equal to the challenge.

Then on the halfhour the gates closed on the Goodison guys. Sahalo produced another cross on the left side and found Omri Azulay ready willing and able to provide the finish with a left foot shot from 14 yards out.

In the second half Everton pushed forward in an attempt to salvage some pride but left themselves overstretched at the back. They had a header cleared off the line but back came Maccabi and Dar Kfir saw a shot saved by Clancy. Raid Jabarin skied a great chance in front of goal from only six yards out.

Inexplicably Stephen Connor wasted three chances in succession to pull a goal back when he found himself in space inside the box. His first two shots were blocked and confused Rahav finally regained his composure to turn away his third attempt.

Mohammad Abu Arisha punished that miss by capitalising on a poor defensive clearance, turning inside two defenders and crashing a shot past Clancy from the edge of the box 11 minutes from the end.

Kfir rattled the crossbar and later watched Clancy make a fine one-handed side to deny him. However, in the final minute Yosef finished what he had begun by crashing a scintillating 40-yard free kick past the keeper – a spectacular end to a thoroughly entertaining game.

The man of the match award went to Sahalo.