County Antrim sit in a commanding position in Group B of the Boys’ Junior Section at the Budget Energy SuperCupNI thanks to an impressive 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.
After seeing off Co Tyrone on Monday, County Antrim underlined their pedigree in this competition by blowing away the Championship side before half-time at the Riada Stadium.
Having scored against their county rivals in the opening round of fixtures, Keagan O’Connor showed his quality once again by bagging a hat-trick inside the opening 35 minutes to all but secure the points for Antrim.
Charlie O’Neill added a fourth after the break as the three-time champions maintained their perfect start to the tournament.
It was a full-blooded affair in the rain at Bushmills as Co Down took a big step towards the knockout stages with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Co Armagh.
Down were convinced they should have had a penalty when Jack Fletcher Brown went down in the box after 22 minutes, but the referee waved away the appeals.
They were left frustrated again two minutes later when Lucas Moore fired home from close range, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The deadlock was finally broken on the 50-minute mark when Ollie Davey drilled a low effort from outside the box into the bottom corner, and it proved enough to secure all three points.
Presseye.com
Budget Energy Supercup Minor match between Portadown and Kilmarnock at Kells and Connor Sports pavilion
Portadown’s Fionnan McCluskey with Kilmarnock’s Harry Cochrane
Mandatory Credit – Stephen Hamilton/Presseye
Josh Adams’ hat-trick kept Co Londonderry firmly in the hunt as they swept aside Chicago City 6-0 at Limavady Showgrounds. Lucas Culbert, Liam Gallagher and Liam McAteer also found the net in an emphatic display.
Celtic picked up their first points of the tournament with a 2-0 victory over Co Tyrone at The Ropewalk.
The Glasgow side struck after just five minutes when Joseph Kenny reacted quickest to fire into the top corner after the Tyrone defence failed to deal with a high ball.
Co Tyrone’s task became even tougher in the second half when Oisin Sweeney was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in the space of six minutes.
Celtic wrapped up the points late on as Sean Scanlan’s free-kick was met by Josh Cummings, whose header glanced across goal, struck the inside of the left post and nestled in the net.
St Patrick’s Athletic hit top gear on their third visit to the SuperCupNI as they swept aside Co Fermanagh 6-0 at Seahaven.
Louie Bird, Danny Davis, Jack Moore, Ahmed Ali Mussa, Rio Devlin and Moses Vungbo were all on target for the Dublin side.
After suffering a heavy opening-day defeat to Co Down, newcomers Helsingor picked up their first point courtesy of a 2-2 draw with Leeds United. However, the Danish outfit will be disappointed to have surrendered a two-goal first-half advantage at Parker Avenue.
Charlton Athletic and West Ham United shared the spoils in an all-London clash at Coleraine Showgrounds, which finished 1-1, while Plymouth Argyle made it two wins from two with a 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Broughshane.
Luke Duddy’s early goal set Linfield on their way to a convincing 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Anderson Park.
The Blues created the better chances throughout, with Jay Crawford seeing a lob crash off the crossbar before Blackburn eventually scrambled the ball clear.
Linfield doubled their lead after 16 minutes when the unmarked Caleb Stewart powered home Campbell’s corner from close range.
The third arrived on 53 minutes after Blackburn paused expecting a whistle that never came. Linfield broke quickly and Eli Wade raced through before calmly slotting into the bottom corner.
Portadown also maintained their perfect start with a 4-1 win over Kilmarnock in Kells.
Braxton Mustoe opened the scoring before Freddie Watson levelled for Killie before half-time.
The County Armagh side took complete control after the interval, with Fionnan McCluskey and Cameron Fitzsimons both on target before Harry Cochrane’s own goal completed the scoring.
Cliftonville made it back-to-back victories with a dominant 5-0 success over Maiden City at The Warren.
Jacob Logan struck twice, while Conn Og Mahoney, Flynn Johnston and Oran McQuillan also got on the scoresheet.
Rosario YC claimed their first win of the campaign thanks to a 3-1 victory over Atlas FC at Anderson Park, with Amari Merchant scoring twice.
Glenavon also collected their first points of the tournament after a 4-1 win over Chicago City, courtesy of a brace from Oscar Philson and further goals from Mason Ardis and Eli Graham.
Newell Academy are up and running after a 4-1 victory over Surf Select at The Warren.
Lorcán Duffy and Callum Martyn gave Newell a two-goal cushion at the break before Bobby Mooney’s second-half double sealed an impressive victory.
William Shannon’s first-half strike earned Ballymena United a 1-0 win over Helsingor in Kells, while Ross County and Al Jazira shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Castlerock.
Tuesday 28th July 2026 (Boys’ Junior Section Results)
- Helsingor 2-2 Leeds United
- Co Fermanagh 0-6 St Patrick’s Athletic
- Co Tyrone 0-2 Celtic
- Charlton Athletic 1-1 West Ham United
- Co Armagh 0-1 Co Down
- Blackburn Rovers 0-4 Co Antrim
- Co Londonderry 6-0 Chicago City
- Tottenham Hotspur 2-4 Plymouth Argyle
Tuesday 28th July 2026 (Boys’ Minor Section Results)
- Blackburn Rovers 0-3 Linfield
- Surf Select 1-4 Newell Academy
- Chicago City 1-4 Glenavon
- Portadown 4-1 Kilmarnock
- Atlas FC 1-3 Rosario YC
- Cliftonville 5-0 Maiden City
- Ross County 2-2 Al Jazira
- Ballymena United 1-0 Helsingor
For more information on the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, visit www.supercupni.com
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AY.
Russell Lever
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Email: russell@ay.studio
