27/09/2026
Lisburn Rangers Reserves 3-2 St Luke's Reserves
St Luke's Reserves made the short trip to Lisburn to face Lisburn Rangers Reserves and will be left wondering how they came away from the game empty-handed after a strong performance that deserved at least a share of the spoils.
From the first whistle, St Luke's were on the front foot. The visitors controlled large periods of the game with quick passing, excellent pressing, disciplined positioning, and a real work ethic throughout the side. Their positive approach was rewarded midway through the first half when James Todd picked up possession and played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Ryan Lawless. Lawless made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner to give St Luke's a deserved 1-0 lead.
St Luke's continued to dictate the tempo and took their advantage into the break, leading 1-0 at half-time.
The visitors started the second half brightly once again, but Lisburn Rangers found a way back into the game through a sloppy goal from the St Luke's perspective, levelling the scores at 1-1.
To their credit, St Luke's responded well. Rather than allowing the setback to affect them, they regrouped and returned to playing the attractive football that had served them so well throughout the match. Their efforts were rewarded when Conor Lagan produced a driving run before playing the ball across for Ryan Lawless to apply the finishing touch and restore St Luke's lead at 2-1 with his second goal of the afternoon.
Lisburn Rangers then changed their approach, repeatedly looking to play long balls into attacking areas. The tactic eventually paid off as they managed to get in behind the St Luke's defence to equalise and make it 2-2.
As the game entered stoppage time, it looked as though the points would be shared. However, in the 92nd minute, another long ball caused problems and Lisburn Rangers capitalised, scoring a dramatic winner to seal a 3-2 victory.
It was a heartbreaking end for St Luke's, who will feel they deserved all three points, or at the very least a draw, based on their overall performance. Despite the disappointment, there were many positives to take from a display full of commitment, quality football, and determination.
Man of the Match: Ryan Lawless – Two well-taken goals and an outstanding all-round contribution capped an excellent performance from the St Luke's forward.
