Juniors
The A team were the only junior side in action over the weekend, when they travelled to play Moyross in a top of the table clash on Sunday morning. This was a very even contest between the promotion chasing sides and the points were shared at the end of an absorbing contest that ended in a 0-0 draw. As scoreless games go, this was a cracker.

Jake Dillon had the ball in the net for Newport in the 4th minute but ref, Robbie Broe, disallowed the goal for offside. Played on a soft pitch, both sides tried to play passing football and the opening half hour of the game was 50/50 with neither side creating any clear-cut chances. In the 36th minute had two great chances to open the scoring but the Moyross keeper did very well on both occasions. On the overall balance of play, Newport had probably been the better side in the opening half but Moyross had defended well when called upon.

In the 48th minute, Seán Ryan saw his low shot from the right go inches wide of the left upright and just 4 minutes later he saw his shot go wide of the same post. As the game went on and as legs got tired due to the soft underfoot conditions, the game became a lot more open with both sides beginning to create more chances. In the 68th minute, Newport had a big call for a penalty waved away and then in the 78th minute Brian O’Sullivan’s goal bound shot was saved by the keeper’s hand outside the box but the ref deemed that a yellow card was sufficient punishment much to the amazement of the Newport players and supporters. It looked like one goal would be enough for either side to win the game but despite their best efforts, neither team could manage to get the crucial goal and the pre-match gap between the sides remains at 3 points. It was great to see Christy O’Connor play the full game in his first start since his knee injury in November.

The 2 promotion places now look like they will be fought out between Newport, Moyross, Charleville & Murroe with Hill Celtic still lurking and the Premier A title race looks like it could go right down to the wire. Newport have 10 games remaining so there’s still a long way to go between now and the end of the season.

Next week’s fixtures. Sunday, February 2. Junior A, Lawson Cup, Round 2, Northside v Newport Town AFC, 11am (Longpavement). Junior B, Div 1B, Newport Town AFC v Mungret Regional B, 2pm (Derryleigh Park). Junior C, Div 3, Mungret Regional C v Newport Town AFC, 2pm (Mungret).

Schoolboys
Our U14 & U16 sides were in league action on Saturday. The U16s made it two wins from two in Div 1, thanks to a solid 5-0 win away to Aisling Annacotty C. Newport had a 1-0 half-time lead, courtesy of a Diarmuid O’Riordan goal. However, they found the back of the net four more times in the second half thanks to a brace from Nathan Bridgeman and one apiece from Shaun Bonfield & Aaron Walsh O’Toole. This win sees them at the top of the table.

The U14s played out a 9 goal thriller at home to Summerville and were unlucky to come out on the wrong end of a 5-4 scoreline. James Moloney with a hat-trick and Conor Molamphy were the Newport scorers.

Next Saturday’s schoolboy fixtures. U15 Premier, Regional Utd A v Newport Town AFC A, 12.30pm (Dooradoyle AWP). U15 Div 2, Aisling Annacotty C v Newport Town AFC B, 3.45pm (Annacotty AWP).

Schoolgirls
It was a busy Saturday for the schoolgirls with the U11, U13, U5 & U18 sides all playing. The U13s lost 3-0 away to Lough Derg but despite the final result, the girls put in a very good display. The U15s enjoyed an excellent 4-0 win at home to Lough Derg with the goals coming from Aoife Mellerick 2, Robyn McNamara & Kate Keane.

In the new Midlands Cairdeas Shield competition, the U18 girls played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at home to Ballymackey. Finally the U11 girls travelled to Moneygall to play their non-competitive fixture. The girls played very well and are continuing to improve with every outing. Keep it going girls.

Well done to Aoife Mellerick, Heather O'Neill & Robyn McNamara who all played for NTSFL U15 schoolgirls in the first round of Gaynor Cup Qualifiers v Clare. Aoife Mellerick scored North Tipp’s second goal in the 3-0 win and was given the Clare pennant for her player of the match performance. Great also to see our players, Abagail Hickey & Jayne Ryan representing our club on the U13 NTSFL side that unfortunately lost to Clare and to Aoibhinn McNamara, Emma Sweeney, Ria Delahunty & Chloe O’Donnell, who played on the U12 NTSFL side against Clare.

Congrats to St. Marys' Secondary School, Newport who are the new Munster Schools Senior A Girls Champions after beating Presentation Thurles 2-0 in last week’s Munster Final in Tipp Town. Well done to all concerned, especially our own NTAFC players

Next Saturday’s fixtures. U14 Girls, Lough Derg v Newport Town AFC, 1pm (Clarisford Park). U16 Girls, Knigh Utd v Newport Town AFC, 10am (Knigh).

Lotto
There was no winner of this week’s club’s lotto and the jackpot is now €1,350 with the next draw taking place on Saturday, February 1 in Lee’s. The numbers drawn were 5, 18, 29 & 30. Tickets can be purchased from any committee member, in the local pubs, Nicky English Butchers, the Derryleigh Dugout and at our lotto stand at Ryan’s Centra on Sunday mornings. They can also be bought online via the club website. Thanks, as always, to everyone who supports the club’s main fund raiser. 

Table Quiz
The club’s annual table quiz will take place in Lee’s Bar this coming Friday, January 31 at 9.30pm. Entry will be €40 for a table of four. Please support this important club fundraiser, which is always great craic. There will also be a raffle on the night for lots of prizes including small hampers, O’Neill’s club merchandise, FIFA 2020 PlayStation game and lots more. Be sure to pencil the date in your diaries. 

Last One Standing
Due to popular demand, Last One Standing is coming back and will start on Saturday, February 22. Entry will again be €10 with €500 on offer to the winner. You will now be able to enter the comp & pay the €10 entry fee securely online from anywhere in the world on our website. If you’d like to play, please text or Whatsapp your name & mobile number to 089-4052382 or give your name, mobile number & payment to any committee member, team manager or player by 9pm on Friday, February 21. You can also enter by completing an entry form at O’Sullivan’s Bar, English’s Butchers or Kennedy’s Discount Store. Payment must be paid before Round 1 begins.  Check out our website for details of how to enter and the rules https://www.newporttownafc.com/pages/last-one-standing

Clothes Collection
If you are in the mood to start spring-cleaning, we can help. Our ‘Clothing Collection’ continues so drop your bags of clothes, shoes, handbags, blankets & bed linen to the clubhouse anytime. Just leave them under the canopy and we will recycle them for you. This fundraiser is in partnership with the NCBI – Working for People with Sight Loss. Thanks for your support. If you have any questions or need bags collected, please contact Sarah 087 2826155.

Website Advertising
If you would like to advertise your business on the homepage of our website www.newporttownafc.com please contact Dave Noble on 086 6002534 or e-mail info@newporttownafc.com for details. We will also regularly feature your business on our popular Facebook page, which currently has over 2,100 followers, making it one of the highest-profile pages in the local area.