Mixed fortunes for Maze U13s.

A busy week saw Maze have mixed fortunes from three games in seven days.

Lower Maze 5 Loughside 2

Loughside were the visitors to the Bog Road on Wednesday evening and found themselves 2-0 up after just ten minutes. It was only then that Maze began to play and create chances and three goals before half time from Connor Keating, Jack Smith and Mark Boylan turned the game around and gave Maze a 3-2 half time lead.

Maze continued to press forward and took control of the game. Further goals from Jack Smith and Mark Boylan rounded off a fine performance for the home team and leave a final score of Maze 5 Loughside 2.

Lower Maze 2 Ballyclare Comrades 4

Lower Maze can consider themselves very unlucky to come away with nothing from Saturdays six pointer with Ballyclare at Glenmore. Maze took an early lead when Jack Smith scored in the second minute, finishing well after a long throw from David Woods. Ballyclare equalised after 15 minutes but Maze regained the lead when Mark Boylan’s long range free kick sneaked under the advancing Ballyclare keeper. Then on the stroke of half time, Maze had the ball in the net again but incredibly the referee didn’t realise that the ball had crossed the line and waved play on.

The start of the second half saw Ballyclare equalise again, this time from a controversial penalty. The rest of the second half produced chances for both teams with Dan Smyth going close for Maze and at the other end Kaynor Beckett making several good saves and Kyle Thompson and David Woods defending well. With the game ticking to an end Ballyclare snatched the lead with just two minutes remaining and then scored a fourth with virtually the last kick if the ball.

Lower Maze 6 Lisburn Wanderers 1

Tuesday 27^{th April saw Maze play Lisburn Wanderers in a local derby at the Rec and come away with a convincing victory with six different players getting on the scoring sheet. In a game they dominated from the start, Maze found themselves 2-0 up at the break after goals from Jack Smith and Jon Keating with his first goal of the season.}

^{Two goals at the beginning of the second half from Mark Boylan and Connor Keating extended Maze’s lead before Wanderers replied. Maze continued to create chances with Tiernan O’Meallaigh, Dan Smyth and Callum Portis all forcing good saves from the Wanderers keeper. Two further strikes from Dan Smyth and Callum Portis in the last quarter made it 6-1 to Maze and rounded off an excellent performance.}

Busy week for Maze U13s.

Following winter postponements Maze found themselves playing catch up last week with three games in six days.

Lower Maze 1 Lisburn Youth 3

First up was a local derby with Lisburn Youth played at the Bog Road on Wed 7^{th April. Maze started the game brightly and almost took the lead but David Woods’ long range effort went just wide on 5 minutes. At the other end first Kaynor Beckett with a good save and then Conor Stinton with a great goal line clearance denied the visitors. However on the stroke of half time Youth took the lead when a long through ball split the Maze defence and Kaynor Beckett in the Maze goal was left with no chance.}

^{The second half saw Youth dominate exchanges and go 3-0 up and it wasn’t until the last ten minutes that Maze began to create chances. Luke Gibson narrowed the deficit with a close range finish with five minutes remaining and then with time running out Dan Smyth saw his effort well saved to leave the final score 3-1.}

^{Lower Maze 5 Dromara 1}

^{Saturday saw Maze travel to Dromara and come out worthy winners in this six pointer. The home team took an early lead before Jack Smith equalised for Maze with a good run and finish. In what was a scrappy first half Connor Keating hit the bar for Maze before Luke Gibson put the visitors ahead with a terrific volley from the edge of the box.}

^{The second half saw Maze take control and a second goal from Jack Smith and then a brace from Mark Boylan, the first a curling shot from 20 yards and the second a neat finish after a good one two with Jack Smith finished the scoring and gave Maze the points.}

^{Lower Maze 3 Sunnyside 3}

^{Monday 12th found Maze involved in a cracking match with table toppers Sunnyside. Maze took an early lead when in the second minute Mark Boylan fired home after good work from Callum Portis. In a keenly contested match, Sunnyside equalised after ten minutes and then, following an injury to Connor Keating which saw Maze reduced to ten men, the visitors took the lead.}

^{The second half saw Maze push for an equaliser only to find themselves further behind after 15 minutes. The home team however continued to battle and press forward and with ten minutes remaining scored a deserved second when a Mark Boylan corner was headed home by Luke Gibson. Then with five minutes remaining Jack Smith charged down a clearance and then calmly slotted the ball home to for the equaliser. In the final minute Sunnyside almost snatched a late winner but were denied by a great save by Kaynor Beckett to leave a final score of 3-3}

Points shared in local derby.

Lower Maze FC 2 Hillsborough Boys 2

Lower Maze and Hillsborough fought out a 2-2 draw on Saturday at the Bog Road and as might be expected in a local derby the match was fully contested right from the kick off.

It was Maze who took the lead when in the fifth minute Mark Boylan won possession and then saw his long through ball deceive the Hillsborough keeper and allow Dan Smyth to calmly side foot the ball into the net. Hillsborough were level within minutes when Kaynor Beckett in the Maze goal was left with no chance from a close range shot. The rest of the half saw little between the teams and very few scoring opportunities.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with both teams showing plenty of effort but keepers largely untroubled. Maze regained the lead midway through the half when Jack Smith finished confidently after combining well with Dan Smyth. Ten minutes from time Hillsborough drew level for the second time, this time from the penalty spot, to leave the final score 2-2 and the points shared.

Winning run continues

Lower Maze FC 4 Portadown 1

Lower Maze followed up last weeks cup win against Portadown with a 4-1 league victory at Moira on Saturday.

The first half was evenly contested with both teams creating scoring opportunities and little between the teams. It was the Lisburn boys however who took the lead when Jack Smith accurately lobbed the ball into the Portadown net. Portadown equalised shortly after and the teams exchanged chances until the last kick of the half saw Maze regain the lead when Mark Boylan scored with a terrific shot from 25 yards.

The second half saw Maze take control of the game and with David Woods and Kyle Thompson at the heart of the defence dealing comfortably with any Portadown attacks Maze a win was never in doubt. Dan Smyth following a strong run and Jack Smith with a good finish extended the lead for Maze and the final score of 4-1 was fully merited.

Maze through to cup semis. 6th March

Lower Maze FC 5 Portadown 1

Lower Maze progressed to the semi final of the cup with a good 5-1 win against Portadown at the Bog Road on Saturday. Both teams took time to settle and the early exchanges in the game were even. Maze got the opening goal on ten minutes when Jack Smith headed home from a David Woods throw in. Portadown levelled the score five minutes later with a lob which gave keeper Kaynor Beckett no chance. Almost immediately Maze regained the advantage with this time Dan Smyth finishing well from a David Woods throw. Then just before the break, with Woods again the supplier, Mark Boylan headed home to give Maze a 3-1 half time lead.

The second half had only started a few minutes when Callum Portis slotted home Maze’s fourth from close range. Maze then missed a number of good scoring opportunities and would have conceded a second and let Portadown back into the match but for an excellent goal line clearance from Conor Stinton. Five minutes from time Dan Smyth scored his second to leave the final score 5-1 to Maze and set up an all Lisburn semi final with local rivals Lisburn Youth.

Cup win for Maze. 6th February.

Lower Maze FC 5 Lurgan Town 0  ( for match photos , go to photo gallery )

Lower Maze enjoyed a comfortable win in the first round of the cup on Saturday when they beat Lurgan 5-0 at Glenmore.

Maze started brightly and almost took the lead on seven minutes but Connor Keating’s thirty yard shot cannoned off the bar. Mark Boylan then fired just wide before Dan Smyth opened the scoring from the edge of the box. Jack Smyth made it 2-0 on fifteen minutes cutting inside the defence before firing home. Despite dominating the rest of the half Maze were unable to add to the score as Lurgan defended well with the keeper making a number of good saves.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with Maze going further ahead just after the restart when Dan Smyth tapped in after good work by Jack Smith. Ten minutes later Smyth got his third and Maze’s fourth driving through the defence before slotting past the Lurgan keeper. With the Maze defence of Conor Stinton, Kyle Thompson, David Woods and Connor Keating dealing comfortably with Lurgan’s attacks, the visitors were allowed few chances. However ten minutes from the end Lurgan were awarded a penalty but failed to beat Kaynor Beckett in the Maze goal who saved well.

As the game moved to a close Maze created numerous more chances but it wasn’t until the final minute that they added a fifth when Calum Portis scored from close range to leave a final score of Maze 5 Lurgan 0.