Ballinamallard 4 Newington 1 

Ballinamallard fired four goals past Newington to record their first win in the NIFL Championship since the opening day of the season.  

The Mallards dominated from the outset and James McGrath gave them an early lead before Jamie Dunne made it two with a spectacular strike on the stroke of half time.

Second half goals from Darragh Stewart and Simon Warrington sealed the victory and made it four home games without defeat for the Mallards this season. 

Ballinamallard manager Mark Stafford had made three changes to the team that started against Dundela a week earlier.

Darragh Stewart was rewarded for his midweek man-of-the-match performance in the cup against Maiden City with his first league start, and Tiarnan Campbell also made his first start since his move from Strathroy Harps in the summer.

James McGrath returned to the starting eleven, with Callum Moorehead missing out through injury and Richard Johnston and Joshua McIlwaine dropping to the substitute’s bench.  

The home team made a lively start and Danny Barker, playing a central role in attack, could not bring Jamie Dunne’s cutback under control 12 yards out.  

Nathan Sherry then headed Aaron Harkin’s deep free kick just wide of the post, before the breakthrough arrived in the eleventh minute.

A Newington corner was partially cleared by Alex Holder but the away side looked like they had regained possession, only for Darragh Stewart to slide into a challenge and emerge with the ball.

He drove forward and found Danny Barker who slid the ball across for the advancing James McGrath, who fired a first time shot past goalkeeper Rian Brown into the bottom corner of the net. 

The Mallards continued to press forward and McGrath came close to adding his second when he exchanged passes with Barker on the edge of the penalty area, but his shot was touched over the bar by Brown. 

Midway through the half Newington finally put the Mallard defence under some pressure.

Jackson Reid burst forward and found the experienced Darren Murray on the right side of the area, but his shot was batted away by Joel Little with Patrick Downey’s follow up grabbed by the keeper.

It was a rare moment of danger from Newington, and the Mallards came close moments later when James McGrath won possession high up the pitch and advanced to the edge of the area but his shot was saved.

Jamie Dunne then won a tackle beside Newington’s corner flag and whipped in an early cross that Barker volleyed wide of the post. 

Alex Holder was forced off with an injury with Ryan Morris replacing him in midfield, but it did not halt the home team’s forward momentum.

Dunne got in again down the left and his cutback was hit straight at the keeper by McGrath, and Stewart was the next to miss an opportunity as he delayed his shot when well placed with Dunne firing the loose ball into Brown’s hands.  

Dunne then played a cross-field diagonal for McGrath and his first-time strike stung the palms of Brown once again. 

Having been completely dominant in the first half Ballinamallard almost conceded in the closing moments but Sherry’s outstretched foot deflected Caolan McBride’s shot just wide of the post.  

The Mallards’ frustration at not adding to their one-goal lead evaporated two minutes into added time at the end of the first half when Dunne collected a ball on the left and cut inside the defender before curling a shot with the outside of his left foot over the keeper and into the top corner of the net. 

Ballinamallard continued to hold the upper hand in the opening stages of the second half and Dunne had a dangerous near post cross hacked clear before Harkin had a shot from 20 yards saved by Brown.  

Ballinamallard had twice thrown away two-goal leads in recent weeks, but any fears of another collapse were eased after 67 minutes they added a third with a great team goal that culminated in a Ryan Morris through ball for Stewart, with the winger rounding the keeper to score. 

Newington pulled a goal back with a short corner routine that was finished off by Jackson Reid, but the Mallards were not going to be pegged back on this occasion and in the third minute of added time McIlwaine controlled a long clearance from Little and laid it back for Simon Warrington, who sidestepped a defender and drilled the ball low past the keeper for a goal on his first league appearance of the season. 

The win lifts the Mallards to seventh in the NIFL Championship table with a home tie against bottom club Institute this Saturday.