So the season is over…

I can hear you all now, wondering what on earth you are going to do without football for 2 or 3 months! The C4C season is over, along with every other league – but what a season we have had!

84 games, and 587 goals down the line, the title is won by 1 point, after runners-up Ballykeel FC are victorious over the league champions Ahoghill FC in the league’s final match. 3-0 the final score, with everyone in Ballykeel groaning about the 8-4 defeat down at Mossley Olympic’s “Cauldron”. If they had of won that game they would have been crowned champions!

But with 3 C4C teams in the annual Moyola Park FC Mini World Cup, the Keel proved their worth and won the tournament beating their rivals (and also friends) Ahoghill FC in the final. Ballykeel players Ryan Agnew and Sam McNiece also scooping up the Player of the Tournament and Penalty Kick Competition awards.

And let’s not forget the goal machine that is Ballyclare FC! Not only did James Reid win the league’s top goal scorer spot with an outstanding 37 goals, but Jordan Malone in the Moyola Mini World Cup also grabbed top goal scorer. Their experienced squad and coaching staff really shone through throughout the season, forever clipping at the heels of the top 2, and only until the last few matches were they ruled out of league glory! They got their taste of success finally at the C4C U13 Community League Tournament in Cullybackey, winning the top spot with a 1-0 victory over Cullybackey FC.

Next we have Cullybackey FC and Mossley Olympic who indirectly were heavily involved in the title race. We have already mentioned  Mossley Olympic’s impact on the top 2, more importantly Ballykeel FC, but Cullybackey FC too put in some great performances beating the league champions Ahoghill 4-2 at the start of the season, and then pushing them to a draw towards the end! They were also battling against each other for the hypothetical Champions League spot (4th place), with Mossley Olympic earning the higher position in their final match against each other. And let us remember that tight final again between Cullybackey FC and Ballyclare FC where it took a sneaky quickly taken free kick to rob Cullybackey of the top spot at the C4C U13 Community League Tournament.

Finally we have Harryville FC, and Ahoghill Youth. Whilst not gaining any ground on the top 2 in the league at any point throughout the season, both teams can be proud of their year. Harryville FC pulled out of the bag some top notch performances, most notably the away game to Ballykeel FC where they nearly ended the title dreams of the home squad until the eventual runners-up scraped a winner to end the match 5-4. Their success too came late in the season, winning the morning session of the C4C tournament! Ahoghill Youth without a doubt must be applauded as the most improved team of the league. Heavy defeats at the start of the season where whittled down to games with only 1 or 2 goals in it, and both squad and coaches should walk away with their heads held high!

And so next year’s season looms, being reduced from 7 teams to 6 teams: CFC Ahoghill, CFC Ballyclare, CFC Ballykeel, CFC Cullybackey, CFC Fourtowns, and CFC Newtownabbey.

Academies will be in place in each area for next season with regular tournaments scheduled for them to participate in.

We look forward to the season ahead, but must first thank each and every one of the players, coaches, family members, and friends, who supported the league throughout the year and made it the great success that it was.

God Bless,

From everyone at Coaching4Christ.