The Isle of Man men’s and women’s representative football sides had a busy weekend, hosting several matches against NFA FC, a club based near Rhyl in North Wales.
Proceedings started off on Friday at Ballacloan with the island under-18s team playing the Welsh side.
The Manx were winning 2-1 at the interval and at one stage were 3-1 ahead, but the visitors hit back to claim a 3-3 draw. Connor Clark (2) and Greg Taylor were on target for the hosts, with Callum Lloyd, James Lloyd and Owen Jones scoring for the visitors.
Also on Friday, the IoM women’s team played their match and won 9-0 in what was manager Wayne Lisy’s first match in charge at the Bowl.
Holly Stephen scored after six minutes before Louise Gibbins nodded home at the far post from Eleanor Gawne’s cross, then Ruby Palmer looped a header into the net for 3-0.
After the break, Chloe Teare dinked over the goalkeeper for their fourth, Millie Dawson launched a long-range strike that was palmed away to Kieran Morgan to chip in their fifth.
Debutant Dawson chased down a back-pass and got the better of the goalkeeper for 6-0.
Erin Sells dinked home their seventh after latching onto Kayleigh Georgeson’s pass, before Rebecca Cole netted twice in the closing stages to complete the scoring.
On Saturday, the women’s were in action again at Clagh Vane in Malew, the Ballasalla side hosting their first women’s national team fixture.
The match was 40 minutes each way and the Welsh side proved to be more dogged in the opening half, the hosts having to wait until the 30th minute to open the scoring through Holly Sumner.
After the break, Palmer scored two quickfire goals to make it 3-0 before Tia Lisy beat the offside trap to net their fourth and Dawson swept home following Sumner’s cross.
NFA did get on the scoresheet after Jess Mills latched onto Georgia Williams’ pass and placed her shot into the bottom right. But Sells headed home the island’s sixth before Sumner launched a thunderbolt into the roof of the net to make it 7-1 in the closing stages.
The final match was played at the Bowl, with the IoM men taking on their counterparts. In was a keenly-fought and competitive match, the visitors had a penalty claim turned down in the first half as both goals remained intact come the interval.
After the break, goalkeeper Jay Gandy pulled off two impressive saves and on 58 minutes the hosts made it 1-0 when Lee Gale latched onto a cross-field ball and passed to Morgan Naylor who stroked home.
Within three minutes, NFA equalised when Curtis Cook side-stepped his way past two defenders and launched a shot into the roof of the net.
Two minutes later though, the IoM scored what proved to be the winner. Daniel Pickering dinked the ball over the top and Shaun Kelly got goal-side before driving home a low, diagonal shot into the goal.
PAUL HATTON
