KYLE’S ‘YOUNG MEN’ SEND OUT A STATEMENT

KYLE RENDALL insists there’s more to come from Downshire Young Men after they delivered one of their best performances of the season to see off Rathfern in the Intermediate Cup.

The Old Coach Road outfit have been inconsistent in the league this season, with Rendall apportioning some of blame for their shortfalls to a substantial injury crisis, particularly in defence.

When taken alongside a host of new, young players who arrived at the club over the summer, and the time it usually takes for the new faces to gel, the first few months of the season have been hit and miss, with the Hillsborough men so far able to show only glimpses of what they can do.

With their injuries slowly but surely beginning to ease, however, Rendall was able to field one of his strongest first XIS of the season on Saturday, with the result a fine win over John Logan’s Rangers, a side who completed a league double over Downshire last year en route to the 1B title.

He said: “It was a good game, Rathfern are sitting third in the league above us.

“We played them a few times last season, in the league and the cup, so we knew what to expect but we played very, very well.

“We have made the squad a lot younger and to be honest we’d be sitting better in the league if it wasn’t for so many injuries.

“I’ve only been able to get my first choice back four out on the pitch together three times this season

“It’s been hard because we always have three or four boys out injured.

“We’ve used something like seven different goalkeepers too because of injuries but it’s starting to clear and Saturday showed when we have our squad out, we are as good as anyone. The potential is there, it’s just the fact that the injuries have crippled us in the early part of the season.

“Every game is hard in this league but we think we have done well enough in some games to be a few points better off than we are to be honest.

“But like I say, Saturday was an example of how good we can play so we need to keep it going.”

Last season, Downshire set up camp in the top three for most of the season, only for a run of five draws from their last five games to thwart their promotion hopes, with Rendall’s men team eventually dropping down into sixth place.

This year, although Rendall has freshened things up with a few new faces, he hopes to better that, with the Downshire chief accepting that progress is always measured against the previous campaign.

“Since last season, we have changed quite a bit personnel wise,” explained Rendall. “We have changed the goalkeeper, changed the two full-backs, and three new strikers came in and they are all 18, 19, 20, they are that bit younger and it’s so we can build for the long-term better.

“So success for us would be to get more points than we did last year, that’s how you gauge yourself.

“We had set ourselves a target of 50 points at the start of the season but with five games lost, that’s not good, but you know you can go on a run in that division and that’s what we need to do.”

Gerry Tabb and Mark Armstrong were on target in Saturday’s cup win, providing Downshire with a timely boost ahead of their trip to second-placed Ballywalter this weekend.

“It’ll be a good test for us down there,” added Rendall.

“A lot of teams have changed this year and a lot of them have strengthened, Rosario seem to be a lot younger and Ballywalter are going well and seem to have changed a bit too.”