PSNI F.C (Newforge Lane)

NORTHERN IRELAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 2, PSNI 3-0 CHIMNEY CORNER, ATTENDANCE: 50 (h/c)

No programme was issued

After visiting the rather splendid 'Titanic' exhibition centre, I felt it only right and proper to go and pay a visit to the team that bears the name of the company that built the doomed vessel, Haarland and Wolff Welders, as they took on Larne in the Intermediate cup. 

Unfortunately this game was sunk by the weather, as Friday's rain continued heavily into Saturday,  so I was forced to seek an alternative. 

After plan B, another Intermediate cup game, Knockbreda v Loughall, also fell victim to the rain, it left PSNI v Chimney Corner as the only choice in Belfast. This was actually one of only two afternoon games that went ahead in Northern Ireland, the rest wiped out by the weather. 

The closest I got to the
Haarland & Wolff cranes today!

The club is associated with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and its home ground is Newforge Lane in Belfast. It was founded in 1928 as Royal Ulster Constabulary and changed its name in 2002, following the change in the name of the police. The club joined the Championship 2 in 2009, where they remain to this day.

The Championship 2 is level three in Northern Ireland and PSNI are the league leaders, though the teams immediately below them do have games in hand.

Today they were taking on Antrim based Chimney Corner (what a great moniker) in a 1st v 14th league clash. There were once again a few nervous moments upon arrival at the ground as the referee inspected a part of the pitch that was heavily saturated to say the least. He gave the go ahead but was still checking again just before kick off.

Finally the game started and a completely forgettable first half saw few chances and poor play but, in mitigation, the conditions were awful as the rain came down and the wind blew cross field.

In the second half, as the conditions improved drastically, so did the game. It was PSNI that took the game to the visitors and had the better of the attacking play but the Chimney Corner defence held firm.

The game changer was Corner's No12 receiving a straight red card. As I was on the other side of the pitch I couldn't see what it was for (my eyes are not the best).

Needless to say from thereon in it was one way traffic and a hat-trick from Mark Anderson sealed the points for the homesters.

As soon as the final whistle went I jumped into a taxi and headed off to my final game of the weekend....