Downshire Young Men F.C.

Downshire Young Men

Full name	Downshire Young Men Football Club
Founded	c. 1961
Ground	Old Coach Road, Hillsborough, Co. Down
Manager	David Armstrong
League	NAFL
2009/10	Division 1A, 13th (relegated)
Home colours

Downshire Young Men (or Downshire YM) is a Northern Irish football club playing in Division 1B of the Northern Amateur Football League. The club was formed c.1961 as Downshire F.C. and played in the Lisburn League until joining the Amateur League in 1974 under its present name.^[1] Intermediate status was achieved in 1985.^[1] Home matches are played at the Old Coach Road, Hillsborough, under the guidance of their first team manager, David Armstrong. Downshire also fields a second team which plays in NAFL Division 3D.

Club history

Football has been played in Hillsborough for over 100 years by clubs using the name Downshire after the Marquess of Downshire, the chief landowner in the village. In 1912, one of the earliest Downshire squads was noted as having to travel to away fixtures by pony and trap.^{[citation needed]} An earlier Downshire Young Men club was a member of the Amateur League from 1955-1961, with the current club formed as Downshire F.C. after its demise.^[1]

The club's most successful spell came in the 1960s. The club won the Lisburn League championship seven times and secured the title three years in a row between 1962 and 1965. The team also won 25 trophies in this period.^{[citation needed]}

Downshire originally played at Dunbeg Park in Hillsborough. The pitch was notorious for its sloping playing surface.^{[citation needed]} In the 1970s, the club moved to the council playing fields at Ballynahinch Street.^{[citation needed]} More recently, the club secured new grounds at the Old Coach Road which includes a clubhouse and covered standing area.^{[citation needed]}

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Gavin Lewis DF Niall Jamison DF David Johnston DF Sam Whiteside DF Andy Miskimmin DF Ian Metcalfe DF Andy Martin DF Shane Todd

No. Position Player DF Niall Burke MF Johnnie Gibson MF Graham Davis MF Adam Patton MF Darren McCall FW Ryan Cree FW Conor Downey FW Danny Anderson

Notable former players

• Joe McCarthy - Holds the club record for number of goals scored in a match. His record of 7 goals has stood since the 1960s.

External links

• Downshire YM Official Club website
• nifootball.co.uk - (For fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football leagues)

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} H. Johnstone & G. Hamilton (n.d.) A Memorable Milestone: 75 Years of the Northern Amateur Football League, p. 191