David Platt’s County Londonderry side impress early on but a resilient second-half display from the Premier League academy ensures a 1-1 draw
Sign up to our Derry Now Sport newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Derry Now within your account.
Submitting...
Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against County Londonderry as the Boys' Junior and Boys' Minor competitions got under way with an entertaining opening day at the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI.
County Londonderry made the brighter start at Seahaven, with Josh Adams, Jake Booth and Liam McAteer all going close before their early pressure was rewarded midway through the first half.
McAteer fired David Platt's side in front on 24 minutes after Spurs failed to clear their lines following a dangerous free-kick.
The Premier League side almost responded immediately, but Harry McBride produced an excellent save to deny Eden Kosh just three minutes later.
READ NEXT: Chris Brunt tells SuperCupNI 2026 youth players to "dream big"
Tottenham returned after the break with renewed purpose and began to pile on the pressure. Alex Nocorici saw an effort cleared off the line before Yahya Kone found the equaliser on 48 minutes. Both sides pushed for a winner in an entertaining finish, but neither could find a decisive breakthrough as the points were shared.
Defending champions County Antrim made the perfect start to the defence of their Boys' Junior crown with a 4-2 victory over County Tyrone at Coleraine Showgrounds.
Riley McCreery and Carson McGrath found the net during an entertaining first half before McCreery grabbed his second after the break, with Kyle Morrison and Keagan O'Connor also on target for Antrim. Reuben Allen replied for Tyrone.
West Ham United opened their campaign with an impressive 4-0 victory over County Fermanagh at the Rope Walk, courtesy of a Henri Gjoka double alongside goals from Musa Ceesay and William Da Silva.
Plymouth Argyle produced the highest score of the day with an emphatic 8-2 win over Chicago City at Parker Avenue, while County Down began in style with a 6-1 victory over Helsingor at the Riada Stadium.
Blackburn Rovers also made an impressive start, defeating Celtic 4-2 at Limavady Showgrounds, while Leeds United secured a comfortable 3-0 win over County Armagh at Bushmills.
Elsewhere, St Patrick's Athletic and Charlton Athletic shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Broughshane.
In the Boys' Minor competition, Portadown claimed local bragging rights after edging Glenavon 1-0 in a fiercely contested Mid-Ulster derby in front of a large crowd at Anderson Park.
As expected, the opening stages were full of intensity, with neither side giving an inch.
Portadown came closest to breaking the deadlock early on when Mason Ardis raced clear onto a ball over the top of the Glenavon defence before attempting an ambitious chip from distance that drifted narrowly wide.
The breakthrough arrived on 22 minutes as Cameron Fitzsimons twisted away from his marker before firing home to spark wild celebrations among the Portadown supporters.
Glenavon responded positively after the interval, with Jayden Carvalho causing problems down the flanks. Daniel Calvin also went close to an equaliser before a frantic last-minute scramble drifted just wide as Portadown held firm to secure an opening-day victory.
Linfield also collected all three points with a 3-0 win over Newell Academy at Coleraine Showgrounds.
Caodhan Moore opened the scoring after good work from Luke Duddy before Louis Campbell struck twice to seal a comfortable victory for the young Blues.
Kilmarnock enjoyed the biggest win in the Boys' Minor competition, beating Chicago City 5-0 thanks to goals from Dan Patterson, Freddie Watson, Harris MacPherson, Peter Cola and Luke Dempster.
Cliftonville also started strongly, defeating Al Jazira 3-1 at The Warren through goals from Ruadhan Jacobson, Jack Beattie and Noah Stitt.
Ross County edged past Maiden City 1-0 at Castlerock thanks to Alexander MacLeod's winner, while Jack Napier's strike proved enough for Ballymena United to overcome Rosario YFC by the same scoreline at Kells.
Surf Select claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at The Warren through Owen Lee's goal, while Atlas FC marked their tournament debut with a 2-0 win over Helsingor at Castlerock.
Boys' Junior Results (Monday 27 July) - County Fermanagh 0-4 West Ham United; Chicago City 2-8 Plymouth Argyle; Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 County Londonderry; County Tyrone 2-4 County Antrim; County Armagh 0-3 Leeds United; County Down 6-1 Helsingor; Celtic 2-4 Blackburn Rovers; St Patrick's Athletic 2-2 Charlton Athletic
Boys' Minor Results (Monday 27 July) - Glenavon 0-1 Portadown; Al Jazira 1-3 Cliftonville; Maiden City 0-1 Ross County; Linfield 3-0 Newell Academy; Rosario YFC 0-1 Ballymena United; Kilmarnock 5-0 Chicago City; Surf Select 1-0 Blackburn Rovers; Helsingor 0-2 Atlas FC
For more information on the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, visit www.supercupni.com