Lisburn City produced the footballing equivalent of spilling your tea at 1-1, then calmly rebuilding the cup before halftime. After Jeremy Doku tucked away a first-minute penalty, Ryan Brobbel immediately decided defending was optional and dragged The New Saints level within sixty seconds. When Brobbel added a second on 31 minutes, Lisburn looked in danger of becoming spectators in their own match.

Then the halftime cavalry arrived.

Glyn Pardoe, Aaron Cochrane and Johnny Crossan changed the mood completely. Doku was electric throughout, levelling things five minutes after the restart with a clinical finish before Crossan nodded Lisburn ahead after relentless pressure. By the final stages, The New Saints were running on fumes while Lisburn looked like they’d found an extra battery pack behind the dugout.

Pardoe’s late goal sealed a superb 4-2 comeback win, though Andy McDonald deserves a nod for several huge saves that kept Lisburn alive when Brobbel was treating the defence like traffic cones.

“We were dreadful for 20 minutes,” admitted the Lisburn boss, “which, thankfully, still left us another 70 to cause chaos.”

So the league campaign is on and we started with a home game against Andy's Spurs, always a tough side to get a result against as they are like us fighters till the end,we opted for a 5-2-3 normal as they went for a 4-3-3 normal, game on and a really close exciting encounter with both defences on top as only 1 shot each as both sets of forwards closed down before the attacks could develop, well played Andy it's going to be one tough long season.

Next we travelled to Sergei's Orgullo park, not a place we like travelling to as we never seem to get a result there as they are a quality side with lots of firepower and nearly always winning silverware or are never far away,they opted for a 4-2-4 early ball as we went for a different approach with a 4-3-3 opportunistic, game on and we started the better as Oteh headed us in front on 3 minutes 0-1,11 minutes and Marshall fired home 0-2,and on the 30 minute mark Jordan Williams weaved his way through and slotted home 0-3,we were struggling to retain any possession for any length of time and Orgulla with their constant attacks and pressure slowly played themselves back into the game and pulled one back on 35 minutes when Valdez fired home 1-3,44 minutes and Hendry drilled home from range 2-3,half time came and subs on and we knew they would keep coming at us in the 2nd half,72 minutes and it was all square as Rexach fired home 3-3,for the last 20 minutes our defence dug deep and stopped everything they threw at us ,outplayed and outshot 8 to 4 but we come away with a point as our GK Shepherd was in outstanding form with 4 saves,well played Sergei. 

So 2 points from the 1st 2 games and we will take that as every point is precious. 

Lisburn City were left chasing shadows and, frankly, the ball for long spells as Orchard Park Thistle ran out comfortable 3–0 winners. It all went wrong early doors when Victor pounced after slick build-up to fire the visitors ahead on just three minutes. From there, Lisburn huffed and puffed but rarely looked like blowing the house down.

Despite a handful of promising moments, including a couple of near-misses and a lively cameo from Jeremy Doku, the cutting edge was about as sharp as a butter knife. At the other end, Scott Carson kept things vaguely respectable with several smart saves, though even he couldn’t stop the second-half flood. Goals from Scotch Corner and Eric Jones sealed it, while Lisburn’s defence generously contributed to the chaos.

All told, Orchard Park were quicker, sharper, and hungrier—Lisburn, meanwhile, will be checking if their shooting boots were left in the dressing room.

“We had a plan… unfortunately, so did they—and theirs actually worked.”

No comment on the cup group. Elsewhere…

#7: AFC vs BIB 0-2

Q&A with Mechagodzilla

Journalist: “Mechagodzilla, how would you describe your performance today?”
Mechagodzilla: “Functional. Inputs received, outputs delivered. No anomalies detected.”

Journalist: “Your two goals looked… powerful. Was that intentional?”
Mechagodzilla: “Force application was within acceptable parameters. Goalkeeper structural integrity remained intact. This time.”

Journalist: “AFC claimed you were ‘emotionless’ in your celebrations.”
Mechagodzilla: “Correct. Emotion module disabled to conserve energy. Celebration provides no competitive advantage.”

#8: BIB vs DUB 2-0

The Coach’s Voice

Well, another tactical masterpiece from us. Let Dublin rattle the crossbar three times in the first half so Tommy Olsson could feel involved — all perfectly intentional. People call it ‘luck’. I call it ‘advanced defensive choreography’.

At halftime I made the bold decision to replace a giant metal striker with Brian Koning, who naturally scored with his first wildly ambitious shot. Coaching genius or goalkeeper nap? Who can say.

And Navigating finishing it off in the 88th minute — pure professionalism, waiting until Dublin were emotionally fragile before scoring again.

Top of the table. Totally normal. Nothing suspicious.

Ye Olde Spurs ended up finishing second in their SFLSL group after winning their final group match one nil at home against AFC Ajax Legends thanks to a Simons goal. Spurs kicked off their league campaign with two away matches. The first one at The New Saints finished goalless after both teams creating just one chance each. The second game today away at Sheffield Rovers ended two apiece. We went a goal behind early on but equalised on 26 minutes though Tel. Minter then got himself sent off on 51 minutes but we did manage to take the lead on 70 minutes when Dragusin scored. We then conceded with three minutes left and Dragusin got sent off one minute later to leave us with nine men for the final two minutes.

Lisburn will be wondering how on earth they left this one empty-handed after peppering the Golden Dragons goal like a Sunday roast. Early signs were promising, with Jamsie Irwin and Aaron Cochrane both asking questions, but David Raya had all the answers.

The turning point came on 38 minutes when Bukayo Saka curled home a beauty to give the hosts the lead, slightly against the run of play. Lisburn kept knocking, but the door stayed firmly bolted.

Second half, same story. Chances came and went, Raya stood tall, and then a scrappy second via Reiss Nelson sealed it after a defensive wobble.

Truth be told, this was a 2–0 that felt more like a robbery than a routine win.

“We had the shots… they had Raya. Sometimes that’s football, sometimes it’s just rude.”

The league campaign is off to a flyer, scored a goal (2nd of the season), got a point and sit 4th in the table. It's as good as it's going to get and I'm just burst with the euphoria!

It’s been a busy week for the Broncos.

On Saturday we lost our SFLSL Cup tie against Copernicus Town and looked certain to crash out of the cup in the group stages.  We’d only got three points from the first four games and with two away ties to come our position was distinctly shaky.  Sunday brought a glimmer of hope, as we managed a lucky 0-1 win over Sheffield Rovers.  Then on Wednesday we managed to beat New Jersey Nutmegs to finish with nine points, and qualify for the knockout stages as a third-placed team.

And things got rather better that evening when we picked up a useful defender, Ken Kiang, in the auction, and secured the transfer of winger Raheem Sterling from Golden Dragons.  Suddenly the squad is looking much more robust and we are looking forward to a season where, we now feel, we can compete with the best (on a good day)….

3 games since last Saturday and 3 wins, so it's a good result overall in topping the Cup Group, and inside that winning 2 TPs and 50k for 2 x MVPs. Wins over Gotham, Locomotive, and Merrylees (the centre 1-0 win was surprising to us as we wanted to rest up a bit and had already qualified) but the points were a bonus.

Now we start on the League and don't really know where we will finish. Onwards and upwards.....

Lisburn started like a team with a plan and a pulse, and for 15 minutes you’d have fancied them to cause a proper upset. Gary Wray’s early delivery set up Aaron Cochrane for a tidy opener, and suddenly Preston looked a bit rattled. That feeling lasted roughly as long as a free pint at a supporters’ club.

Once Preston woke up, it got uncomfortable. Alan Armstrong dragged them level, Harling nudged them ahead, and from there Lisburn’s shape slowly dissolved like a biscuit in tea. The second half? Less a contest, more a cautionary tale. Tyson, Armstrong again, and Egan piled on while Carson faced a firing squad with a broken shield.

One shot on target tells its own story. This wasn’t bad luck, it was a gap in class… and a defence that forgot its manners.

"I asked for a response at half-time… I got a surrender instead.” – Carl Oakes

4th game and we were away to Andrew 'a West Bromwich Baggies, a really good side and very strong at home ,they opted for a 4-2-4 longball as we went for a more defensive 5-2-3 normal, both sides started well and enjoyed lots of possession, although most of ours was in defence, they broke the deadlock on 37 minutes when Wildgrube fired home 1-0,half time came and subs on ,2nd half and we were totally outplayed, we could not retain any possession for any length of time as their defence was solid as they outplayed and outshot us 6 to 1,well played Andrew.

Next we travelled to Eduard's Big is Beautiful, another quality side ,they opted for a 5-3-2 stall as we went for a 4-3-3 normal with a little bit of aggression, we started the quicker and opened the scoring on 8 minutes through William's 0-1,23 minutes and Adam Wilson slipped through and slotted home 0-2 and on 38 minutes Williams fired home his 2nd 0-3,half time came and subs on ,again we started the quicker and Ben Wilson powered home his header on 46 minutes 0-4,and on 47 minutes David's drilled home from range 0-5,BIB pulled one back on 49 minutes when Konig fired home 1-5 but David's fired home his 2nd on 55 minutes to seal the game 1-5 as we outplayed and outshot them 10 to 4,well played Eduard.

So with a game left we have qualified from our group, last match and we will rest key players ready for the league campaign.

Three Giants, No Brains: Scouting Team Finally Fired

What an absolute circus. We bring in three “giants” and somehow manage to go 0 for 3. Mothra already flapped her useless wings straight to Orgullo — good riddance. Bencawr moves like he’s buffering in real life. And Mokele‑Mbembe? The original was a disaster, so we literally had to clone him just to get a version that can walk and chew gum at the same time.

And now the club pretends this outcome was unforeseeable. Please. Any fan with a pulse could see these signings were a slow‑motion catastrophe. At least firing the scouting team proves someone at BIB is still awake.

Ye Olde Spurs have made the knockout stages of the SFLSL Cup after winning two and drawing the other game this week. It means Spurs will finish at least second even if we lose the final match. We got our first victory with a two nil away win at AFC Ajax Legends and followed this with a two nil home win over Montevideo Tricolores yesterday. Today's home game against Dublin Illuminati finished goalless which was enough for qualification. So we go into the return home game with Ajax with a great chance to finish top of the group. 

Lisburn City were left staring into the middle distance after a 90th-minute sucker punch handed Orchard Park Thistle a 3–2 win in a game that had “draw” written all over it for most of the afternoon.

The visitors struck first through Eric Jones Snr after a shaky defensive spell, then doubled their lead with a suspiciously offside-looking finish from Jack Jarvis Esq. Lisburn responded well, with Phil McDonagh taking matters into his own hands. One neat finish before the break, then a poacher’s effort on 57 minutes, dragged things level and gave the home crowd a bit of voice again.

From there, it was a proper scrap. McDonald made big saves, Kennedy threw himself at everything, and chances came and went at both ends. Just as Lisburn looked like they’d earned a point, Colonel Alba popped up in stoppage time to nick it.

Cruel? Absolutely. Avoidable? Also yes.

“We had the point … then we didn’t. Football’s funny like that.”

Lisburn City pulled off a tidy little smash-and-grab at Newton Heath LYR, coming from behind to nick a 2–1 win that won’t exactly feature in coaching manuals for dominance… but who’s complaining?

It started as expected, with Les Ferdinand bullying his way to an opener on 16 minutes after a bit of pinball in the box. For a while, it looked like a long afternoon for the Distillers. Then up popped Peter Barnes, reacting quickest to a loose clearance to level things just before the half-hour.

The turning point came early in the second half when Bernardo Silva decided subtlety was overrated and rifled home the winner on 57 minutes. From there, Lisburn did what all seasoned sides do when ahead away from home… defended like their lives depended on it.

A late siege was weathered with grit, blocks, and the occasional deep clearance into orbit. Not pretty, but very effective.

“We weren’t better… just smarter,” came the cheeky word from the Lisburn dressing room.