Northern Ireland and England U18 Schoolboy squads kick off the SAFIB Centenary Shield 2024
The 2024 SAFIB Centenary Shield kicked off on Friday 23rd February, with England U18 Schoolboys looking to retain the trophy they shared with Wales in 2023. However, it was to be a tough start for the team, with Northern Ireland U18 Schoolboys recording an emphatic 3-0 win at the Danny Blanchflower Stadium in Belfast. After a quiet and goalless first half, Northern Ireland produced an impressive second half performance to make the perfect start to their Centenary Shield campaign.
After a scrappy and uneventful first 20 minutes, the first big chance came for Northern Ireland. Forward, Karter Bond found himself 1-on-1 after a brilliant through-ball, but was thwarted by England keeper, James Taylor who rushed out of goal to close the angle and make the save. Following the chance, Northern Ireland continued to push forward and look the more likely to score, with England struggling to trouble the Northern Ireland defence. However, England rallied in the final 10 minutes, forcing a number of shots on the Northern Irish goal and corners into the box, before the conclusion of the first half.
Northern Ireland came out on the front foot for the second half, with defender, Harry Lynch flicking his header just wide of goal in the 47th minute. Northern Ireland continued to put pressure on the England defence and found their reward in the 55th minute. Senan Devine whipped a corner towards the penalty spot to find Michael Harkin, who struck it into the bottom-left corner with a fantastic bicycle-kick to open the scoring.
The second goal was to come 10 minutes later, with another corner causing problems for England. Alfie Gaston placed the corner into the middle of the area, and substitute, Jack Hastings hit home for Northern Ireland after the ball was dropped by England keeper, Taylor. It was to go from bad to worse for England just 4 minutes later, with a 3rd goal for Northern Ireland in the 69th minute. After winning the ball in midfield, James Douglas surged forward and found the bottom corner with a strike from the edge of the box.
As the game came towards a close, England continued to push forward, but the home team defence was proving difficult to break down. England came closest when Arran Cocks broke away on the right hand side in the 80th minute and hit a dangerous cross across the box which forward, Jude Entwistle was inches away from.
The opening fixture of the 2024 SAFIB Centenary Shield finished with an impressive Northern Ireland U18 Schoolboys’ team triumphing 3-0 over joint-holders, England U18 Schoolboys. England will look to bounce back from this defeat, when they travel to Wales for their next fixture on 28th March. To purchase tickets for England’s upcoming home fixtures at Walsall FC and Chesterfield FC, click here.
The full Northern Ireland v England fixture is available to view on the ESFA’s YouTube Channel and below:
Photo credit: 353 Photography
The National Governing Body for Schools’ Football in England.
