Youth Report
Thursday 3 Sep – Sunday 6 Sep 2026
Age group
2013s
Town
v Crewe United
Hard luck — great effort! 👏The 2013 Town produced a really good performance against Crewe United last weekend, and although the result didn't go their way, there were lots of positives to take. The game was an even contest with our lads edging it for long spells, and the second half in particular saw some excellent football — the ball moved much quicker, with really good combination play and movement from the front four.
💬 Coach's report
Jamie provided the moments of real quality, first intercepting a clearance and striking a great shot from the edge of the area high past the keeper, then beating the full back and firing an absolute screamer across goal into the top corner from a tight angle. All this with a short squad and no subs for the second week running — the boys ran themselves into the ground and can hold their heads high. Performances like this will soon turn into wins. Up the Town!
Forest
v Newcastle Town Colts
We won! 🎉The 2013 Forest got their season off to a winning start last weekend with a local derby against Newcastle Town Colts! Newcastle started the stronger and put the boys under pressure early on as the lads shook off the cobwebs in their first game of the season, but they kept their heads, dug in with a really combative performance, and got their reward with two well-taken goals from Oisin and Lewis either side of half-time.
💬 Coach's report
The coaches were delighted with the effort every single player put in, and it was a brilliant day to welcome three new lads to the squad — Carleton, Conor and Luke all performed very well on their debuts. Man of the match could have gone to any of them, but Luke took the honours with a tireless performance on his first outing. What a way to start the season — Up the Town!
Age group
2016s
Town
v Valley Rangers
Hard luck — great effort! 👏The 2016 Town made the journey to Valley Rangers last weekend for the second meeting between the sides in a week, and having won the first encounter, the boys knew Valley would come out with a point to prove. The home side started the brighter and the result went their way this time, but there was still plenty to be proud of in green and black.
💬 Coach's report
The boys regrouped at half-time and produced a much better second-half display, with Fionn and Lawson defending really well at the back and the team carving out some good chances that on another day would have been rewarded. Eanna summed up the spirit in the group — he never gave up and looked very composed when asked to drop into centre half. Lessons learned, heads up, and we go again. Up the Town!
Forest
v Banbridge Panthers
We won! 🎉A fantastic performance from the 2016 Forest last weekend against Banbridge Panthers! The boys started brightly and played some great football all through the game, growing stronger as it went on and creating plenty going forward — Tony, Odhran, Lorcan and Lochlainn all got themselves on the scoresheet. Banbridge kept fighting and asked real questions of the boys, but every time they came back at us the lads showed great character, stayed focused, kept their shape and battled hard in every tackle.
💬 Coach's report
Every single player was fantastic. Some of the boys had to play out of position, but they stepped up, listened and held their roles really well — brilliant to see them adapting, working hard for each other and showing such great teamwork right to the final whistle. A huge thank you to Banbridge for kindly helping us out with a player in nets as we were short — very much appreciated, and great sportsmanship. Well done, boys — every one of you should be proud!
Colts
Hard luck — great effort! 👏The 2016 Colts were in action last weekend and, although the result didn't go their way, there was plenty to be proud of. The opening half hour was really competitive, end-to-end stuff — the boys fell behind early but showed great spirit to fight their way right back into the game, and the effort never dipped.
💬 Coach's report
Games like this are all part of the journey for this young group, and the character they showed in battling back is exactly what the coaches love to see. Heads up, boys — we'll go again next week. Up the Town!
Age group
2017s
Town
v Warrenpoint
We won! 🎉The 2017 Town made the trip to Warrenpoint last weekend and came away with all three points from a fantastic game between two very well-matched sides. Ollie was superb in goals on his club debut, and the boys got their rewards going forward — Noah swung in a corner that found its way into the back of the net, and after another corner was cleared to Cillian outside the box, he took a great first touch, composed himself, and struck it straight into the roof of the net!
💬 Coach's report
With both teams defending strongly it was a proper battle right to the end, and the boys dug in through the final ten minutes to see the game out — a fantastic show of character and a real team effort. Man of the match could have gone to any player, but Ollie's debut couldn't have gone better: closing down, diving, catching, organising his back line at corners, with his kick-outs spot on every time. A great performance from a great kid. Up the Town!
Forest
v Lower Maze
Hard luck — great effort! 👏The 2017 Forest had a tough shift in the dome at Colin Glen last weekend, taking on a strong Lower Maze outfit. The big highlight of the day was welcoming Daire, Caelan and Jaxen to the squad for their very first match day — brilliant to see the group growing! Although the result didn't go our way, the lads kept going right to the end, and in terms of work rate and effort the coaches couldn't have asked any more from a single one of them.
💬 Coach's report
Sometimes you learn more from these games than any other, and this group will take the lessons, keep working hard at training and go again. A special word for captain Odhran, who led by example as always and gave great vocal encouragement to everyone around him, and for Daire, who closed down, harried and never gave an inch, looking cool on the ball and finding some really nice passes. Well done, lads — Up the Town!
Age group
2018s
Town
v Moira, Carryduff, Oxford Sunnyside
Fun football — no scores kept, loads of smiles! ⚽The 2018 Town travelled away last weekend and came away with two wins and a draw against Moira, Carryduff and Oxford Sunnyside, keeping their unbeaten start to the season going. The boys were really good to watch, using every inch of the pitch to pull teams about and create space for themselves, which led to some really well-worked goals — some of the one- and two-touch passing on show was a real showcase of their strength as a team.
💬 Coach's report
Conleth, Thomas and Finn all got themselves on the scoresheet, and every single player did their job to a high level. TJ fancied himself in nets and pulled off some great saves, then worked extremely hard when he moved outfield, battling for every ball out of possession — a well-earned man of the match. Keep it going, boys — Up the Town!
Age group
2019s
Town
Fun football — no scores kept, loads of smiles! ⚽The 2019 Town were in action last weekend with a busy day of football, taking on three good teams. It was a challenging day and the results didn't go our way, but the boys never gave up for a second — they kept finding space, kept attacking, and Daithi, Ruairi and Seanan all found the net. A proud day too for Daithi, who wore the captain's armband.
💬 Coach's report
What impressed the coaches most was the boys' discipline and courage — they controlled their emotions brilliantly and showed real character right through every game. Riley was everywhere, taking a turn in goals and pulling off some amazing saves, chasing down every ball and protecting the net. Well done, boys — this group just keeps growing, and there's plenty more to come. Up the Town!
Forest
Fun football — no scores kept, loads of smiles! ⚽The 2019 Forest had a busy day of football last weekend, taking on three big, strong teams. The results didn't go our way, but the boys kept working hard right through every game — they hit the post a good few times, came up against some excellent opposition keepers, and on another day would have been rewarded with plenty more goals. A special mention for Ollie, Laughlin and Conor, who each took a turn between the posts, and for Charlie, who proudly wore the captain's armband.
💬 Coach's report
Aodhan led the way with his work rate and some great skills on the ball, and was unlucky not to come away with even more to show for it. This group keeps improving every single week, and it's back to training on Tuesday night to go again. Keep those heads up, boys — Up the Town!
Colts
Fun football — no scores kept, loads of smiles! ⚽The 2019 Colts had another fantastic game day last weekend! The boys played absolutely amazing football and really pushed through, encouraging one another every step of the way and working brilliantly as a team. The coaches couldn't be prouder of them.
💬 Coach's report
A special well done to Matthew, who proudly wore the captain's armband, and to Shea, who played brilliantly all day. This group's team spirit gets stronger every week — keep it up, boys. Up the Town!
Gallery
This Week in Pictures
Spread the word
Share This Report
Post the week to your story — the button below saves a ready-made image sized for Facebook and Instagram stories (1080 × 1920).
Open our Facebook pageWell done to every young Towner who pulled on the green this week! 💚
Thanks to all our coaches, parents and volunteers for making youth football happen.
