Match Report v Ballymena United Reserves – 6/9/25

Ballymena United Reserves v Lisburn Distillery (ToalsBet.Com Steel & Sons Cup 3rd Round) – Saturday 6th September 2025

After back-to-back leagues games attention turns back to the cups for a couple of weeks, firstly on Saturday Lisburn Distillery travelled to face Ballymena United Reserves in the 3rd round of the Steel & Sons Cup.

There were three changes to the starting eleven following the previous week’s league defeat at the hands of Portstewart; Jude O’Hara went straight into the side for his debut, Ben Napier made his full debut and Fra Brennan returned to the team with Dean Lewis, Aaron Boyd and Aaron Sharkey making way. Jay Torrens made his first appearance in a squad since signing from Saturday’s opponents over the summer, starting on the bench, and for the first time this season the Whites management went with the same goalkeeper from the previous match, Marcus Thompson retaining his place between the sticks.

The home side had the first sniff of goal in the first minute of the game, former Distillery player Ryan McNickle headed the ball beyond the Whites defence and managed to get past former Ballymena player Caleb Crawford but with the angle against him his low effort on goal was blocked by Thompson.

Any Distillery nerves were soon eased though after three minutes when Fra Brennan’s free kick from about five yards into the visitors half was cleared behind for a corner. Josh Lynch delivered the ball into the penalty box and found Benny Igiehon, who seemed to have escaped his marker and sent his downwards header out of reach of goalkeeper Samuel Jones and into the back of the net.

It was the big striker’s fifth goal of the season and his fourth in this particular competition, it also means he has scored in every round so far and Stephen Hughes’ side have now taken the lead in the opening five minutes of every game in the competition to date.

Distillery began to dominate proceedings after taking the lead and had further efforts on goal, albeit mostly from range, from Abby Sanusi, Igiehon and Gerard Storey but none were on target. Storey produced a fine save from Jones after 17 minutes. Brennan fought to win back possession after Leon Lavery’s throw in was cleared and the ball landed at the feel of the talented midfielder whose shot from about 20 yards looked destined for the back of the net but the Ballymena ‘keeper turned it around for a corner at full stretch.

After this less than ideal start Ciaran Caldwell’s Sky Blues began to get back into the game a little bit and after winning possession back in the centre circle Robbie Lurring was given to much space by Distillery to carry the ball forward but his shot from outside the box went well wide after 19 minutes.

A minute later McNickle won a free kick for Ballymena in a promising area but the Distillery wall blocked James Hood’s low effort. The ball did deflect into the path of McNickle but again with the angle not really on for him and Crawford paying close attention to the 2023 / 2024 top goalscorer for the Whites the striker’s eventual shot on goal was again stopped by Thompson and the danger cleared. Ballymena did have the ball in the Distillery net just before the half hour mark, Ben Munnis tapped in after his teammates shot from range hit Thompson’s left hand post but the referee chalked the goal off signalling that the United player had been in an offside position.

Distillery doubled their lead in the final 10 minutes of the half, Sanusi won the ball back in the home sides half and the ball fell for Lavery who did well under pressure to play the ball infield to Storey who quickly returned possession to Sanusi. The former Dungannon player then slipped the ball into Igiehon in the left channel; the number 9 attempted to go around Sky Blues captain Ross Smyth but was unsuccessful.

In a stroke of luck though, the ball bounced back into the deadly Distillery striker’s path and he easily shrugged off the attention of not only Smyth but also his teammates Matthew McDowell and Adam Sullivan before shooting across Jones and into the goalkeeper’s bottom left hand corner.

The opening 45 minutes therefore ended with Distillery two goals to the good thanks to Igiehon’s brace. The Whites were certainly worth their lead having taken their chances when they came along but the young Ballymena United Reserves side had certainly grown into the game as it went on and the visitors would not want to give anything away early in the second half.

Half Time: Ballymena United Reserves 0-2 Lisburn Distillery

After taking the lead early in the first half Distillery had a slow start to the second, not unlike the previous rounds fixture against Colin Valley.

Ballymena United Reserves had an early chance to reduce the deficit in the 47th minute when Crawford gave the ball away close to the halfway line and Hood went for goal with a speculative long-range effort but Thompson watched it all the way and it was a routine save for the former Lisburn Rangers ‘keeper. Crawford had another nervy moment three minutes later when he made contact with Munnis inside the penalty area and the Ballymena player went down but the referee waved for play to continue to the relief of the Distillery defender and supporters. In truth the second half turned into a bit of a non-event; Lavery, Storey and Sanusi all had efforts on goal for Distillery but the first two saw their efforts saved pretty comfortably by Jones and the latter headed O’Hara’s cross from the right off target.

At the other end Thompson had to be alert to gather a Smyth free kick delivered from deep into the Distillery box after it was headed goalwards but again it was a meat and drink for the Whites stopper.

The game did spring to life in the final 10 minutes; firstly, David Alfred, who had just been introduced for Distillery moments before, got on the end of a cross from Storey but his header was deflected behind for a corner, which Crawford headed over the bar from.

Then with six minutes remaining Ballymena were denied by the woodwork when a high and looping cross from the left after a throw in had been cleared was flicked over Thompson’s head by McNickle but having finally beaten the Distillery goalkeeper the Sky Blues summer signing could only watch in anguish as the ball struck the crossbar.

Alfred was involved again with 87 minutes on the clock when he turned his defender well and shot on goal but Jones did well to push the ball over the bar for a corner in one of the last actions of note of the game.

In the end the Whites saw the game out comfortably enough to win 2-0 and advance to the last 16 of the Steel & Sons Cup, which is the farthest we have reached since the 2021 / 2022 season when we made it to the semi-finals, and where we now know we will face Willowbank on the 27th September.

Up next though is an Irish Cup 2nd round game on Saturday when we travel to face St. Marys, who beat Ballynahinch Olympic in the 1st round, from the Mid-Ulster League Intermediate A division.

Full Time: Ballymena United Reserves 0-2 Lisburn Distillery

Lisburn Distillery; Thompson, Lavery, Brennan, McCart, Lynch, Igiehon, O’Hara, Storey, Napier, Crawford, Sanusi

Lisburn Distillery substitutions; McKenna, Boyd (for Sanusi, 60 mins), A. Sharkey (for Brennan, 78 mins), Alfred (for Igiehon, 81 mins), Torren