SuperCupNI | Group Stage Report

Argyle will face Glenavon in the SuperCupNI Globe semi-final tomorrow, following a second-place finish in Group C of the Boys Minor competition.  

The clash with the Northern Irish side will kick-off at 11am at Bushmills.   

The Pilgrims, represented by an Under-13 side this year, won two of their three group stages matches, beating IDA Bermuda and Coleraine, and lost only to another Northern Irish side, Crusaders.  

The results meant that Argyle finished in sixth place out of 16 teams in the overall standings. The top four sides play for the SuperCupNI itself, with Argyle entering the Globe, along with the other teams that finished between fifth and eighth.  

The other Globe semi-final will be between Loughgall and Cliftonville, both of whom are also Northern Ireland teams. The winners of their game, and the victors in Argyle’s clash with Glenavon, will meet on Friday, with the losers also facing each other.  

On Monday, Argyle started their 2024 competition run against IDA Bermuda and claimed three points in a gritty victory. Dan Thompson’s side opened the scoring through Yago Pico Corrales’ chip finish midway through the first half and held their one-goal advantage for the remainder of the match. 

IDA were no walk-over, however, and forced Argyle goalkeeper Thomas Armytage into some acrobatic saves to keep the Greens in front.   

A day later, Argyle met Crusaders, who had run out as 9-1 victors in their opening match. Crusaders continued their winning run, beating the Pilgrims 4-0.  

In Argyle’s final group stage match, a resilient second half performance ensured that the Greens would end the group stages on six points, securing a 2-0 victory. Argyle had the ball in the back of Coleraine’s net four times in 60 minutes, although two were disallowed. The ones that counted came from Freddie Lewis and Finley Towey in the second half. 

Coach Dan Thompson is pleased with how the young squad have played and dealt with the international tournament so far.  

“It’s been an excellent experience for the boys,” he said. “Some have never been away at a tournament before and have had to stay here in Northern Ireland. They're learning a lot both on and off the pitch because of this. 

“We’ve played some nice football and hope to go into tomorrow’s semi-final and Friday’s game with two more wins and end on four wins in five days.”