Match Report v Knockbreda – 23/8/25
Knockbreda v Lisburn Distillery (Playr-Fit Teamwear Premier Intermediate League) – Saturday 23rd August 2025
After three weeks of cup action to start the season the focus finally turned to the league on Saturday for the first round of fixtures in the 2025 / 2026 Premier Intermediate League (PIL).
Stephen Hughes, whose Distillery side went into this game with four wins from four in the various cup competitions, made four changes to his starting eleven from the previous week’s win against Colin Valley in the Steel & Sons Cup. Ruadhan McKenna, Adam McCart, Aaron Boyd and Abiola Sanusi all started, with Marcus Thompson, Kyle Anderson, Benny Igiehon and Padraig McVicker the players to make way.
There was a welcome return for Mark McKee, last season’s captain having re-signed for the club during the week, but he had to make do with a place on the bench on this occasion alongside fellow new recruit Aaron Sharkey. The visiting Whites almost took the lead in the 5th minute when Boyd sent a curling cross into the box from the right and Owen Sames, in goals for Breda, had to turn the ball around his post for a corner, which came to nothing.
Two minutes later Leon Lavery sent anther cross into the home sides box, this time from the left, Sames managed to get something on the ball but could not bring it under his control but managed to deflect Gulliaume Keke’s attempt on goal behind for a corner, which again came to nothing.
Distillery had started the game quite brightly but were sent a warning shot with 13 minutes played, a corner from the Knockbreda left was sent into the Whites box and found Jack McCosh but his flicked header went just wide of McKenna’s left hand post. With 17 minutes on the clock Boyd collected a wayward pass from a home player and set off down the right, cutting into the box the summer recruit shot on goal but saw his effort blocked by a defender, appeals that the Knockbreda player had used his hand were waved away. Boyd was involved again six minutes later, when he set off down the right with the ball after collecting a thrown clearance from McKenna.
The wingers cross was just behind Keke who could not make a clean connection and unfortunately his deft touch took the ball away from Gerard Storey behind him, the ball did eventually land at the feet of Sanusi but he blazed his effort well off target. Distillery were fortunate not to be behind just past the 30 minute mark, the ball was played beyond the visitors defence and Marcus Murphy managed to latch onto it for Knockbreda but the number nine shot wide when he will probably feel he should have at least tested McKenna. Just prior to this, the Whites had been denied by the woodwork when Keke’s looping header from Dean Lewis’ deep cross clipped the top of the bar and went out for a goal kick.
McKenna was certainly tested in the 41st minute when he superbly tipped a volleyed effort from a home player over the bar and then at the other end, with virtually the last action of the half, Keke found Sanusi with a cross from the right but the former Dungannon player’s header was straight into the arms of Sames. So as it was both sides trudged off the pitch at the break goalless and will probably have felt that they could have taken more from the opening 45 minutes.
Distillery had seen plenty of the ball and got a good number of crosses into the home side’s box, while Knockbreda will feel they had had the better chances to score.
Half Time: Knockbreda 0-0 Lisburn Distillery
The home side had the first sight of goal shortly after the break when Cormac Lawlor found Murphy with a cross from the right but under pressure from Adam McCart the Knockbreda forward could not get much power on his header and McKenna saved comfortably.
The Whites took the lead less than five minutes after the restart, Lavery’s cross from the left was cleared behind for a corner by Breda captain Peter McDermott, and Josh Lynch delivered the ball to the back post where Caleb Crawford rose highest to head past Sames. Shortly after going behind Murphy had a chance to equalise for Breda when he got on the end of a good pass from Tom Pratchett and did well to escape the close attentions of Lavery and Crawford but having done everything right his shot from about 20 yards went wide of the goal.
At the other end in the 57th minute Lynch played an inch perfect pass through to Keke, who shrugged off the attentions of Lawlor and beat the oncoming Sames with his shot from inside the box but could only watch as the ball went the wrong side of the post once again.
The home side got their equaliser with 64 minutes played, the Whites affording Murphy too much space from a throw in and while Crawford dispossessed him, Lawlor picked up the loose ball and clipped it back up towards his teammate in the air. Murphy then flicked the ball on to Ethan Irwin who had made a run around the back of the Distillery defence, where he shot across McKenna and into the bottom corner.
Despite taking the lead early on after the interval, the Whites had been second best overall after the break and it was not a huge shock when they fall behind with a little more than 15 minutes to play. A Knockbreda defender cleared the ball downfield and Murphy got on the end of it and outpaced the Distillery defence, McKenna came off his line and tried to make himself big but it was too easy for the Breda forward to round him and this time he made no mistake from the tightest of angles to roll the ball home.
Distillery pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages of the game but it looked like it was not going to be a fourth opening day league defeat in five seasons. That is until Lavery was fouled about 30 yards from goal in the 88th minute, giving the Whites the opportunity to throw their big men forward for one last roll of the dice.
Lynch aimed his delivery from the dead ball towards McCart at the back post and the Distillery defender hit the deck after an opposition player made contact, the referee gave himself plenty of thinking time before pointing to the penalty spot. It had been a clear push on McCart but it would be fair to say the experienced player made sure he gave the officials a decision to make.
If there was any pressure on Lewis, wearing the armband in the continued absence of captain Aaron Cochrane, it did not show as he slammed his spot kick into Sames’ bottom right hand corner, the Breda ‘keeper going in the opposite direction. There was more drama to come when Distillery almost snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat when the Whites attack pounced on a wayward header from McCosh and McKee, introduced earlier in the half, slipped the ball out to fellow substitute Ben Napier in the right channel.
Napier sent a cross high into the Knockbreda box and found Keke who sent a low header goalwards but somehow Sames got across and down to make a great save to deny any further Distillery celebrations.
In the end, just as was the case on both occasions when these two sides met in the PIL last season, there was nothing to separate Knockbreda and Distillery and it was a share of the spoils once again. Whilst there may have been some frustration that the Whites were unable to hold on after taking the lead, few would have likely turned their nose up at an opening day point away from home.
The league action continues on Saturday when we welcome Portstewart to New Grosvenor for our first home league game of the season.
Full Time: Knockbreda 2-2 Lisburn Distillery
Lisburn Distillery; McKenna, Lewis, Lavery, McCart, Lynch, Keke, Boyd, Grattan, Storey, Crawford, Sanusi
Lisburn Distillery substitutions; Thompson, Brennan, Anderson (for Crawford, 77 mins), A. Sharkey (for Boyd, 90+3 mins), McKee (for Grattan, 65 mins), Napier (for Sanusi, 46 mins)
