The 2006-2007 season website should be on-line before the end of the week, approximately two weeks ahead of schedule.

As a result of this, there will be a reduced level of coverage over the next few days.

The Whites got their pre-season programme off to a winnning start with a 3-1 victory over Banbridge Town yesterday.

Darren Armour and Andy Kilmartin both scored in the first-half, Andrew Waterworth wrapped up the victory four minutes from time.

The first game in the pre-season programme kicks off this coming Saturday (Banbridge Town at Crystal Park, Banbridge 3.00 pm).

Season tickets will be available at this game from Chairman Jim McGrory or Treasurer John Duffy.

The Seconds latest programme is

Sat. 22nd July V Donard @ Purdysburn 2-00 KO

Thurs. 27th July V Knockbreda Parish Upp. Braniel 7-00 KO

Sat. 29th July V Bloomfield Wilgar Park 2-00 KO

Sat. 5th August V Rosario Cherryvale KO TBC

Mon.7th August V Dunmurry YM Dunmurry Lane 7-00 KO

+ a game against Civil Service TBC

We are now into the second week of pre-season training, and we thought that we would use that opportunity to introduce our four new signings to our supporters.

Pictured below with manager Paul Kirk, are (l) Marty Verner, Andrew Waterworth, James Bell and Neil Alderdice (r). We welcome them all to the club and look forward to seeing them in action soon.

Also joining us is physio Eric Conroy. Eric (pictured below) has helped out at the club in the past and we welcome him back in his new position.

Virtually the full squad is back in action. The training has started well although two of the squad ran out of gas after Monday's night session. Time to top up for next week guys!

Here is the updated pre-season progamme (please note date changes for some fixtures)

Sat 22 July 2006 - Banbridge Town v Lisburn Distillery Result 1-3 (Armour, Kilmartin, Waterworth)

Mon 24th July 2006 - Kilmore Rec v Lisburn Distillery (7.15/7.30 pm)

Weds 26th July 2006 - Lurgan Celtic v Lisburn Distillery (7.15/7.30 pm)

Sat 29th July 2006 - H+W Welders v Lisburn Distillery (3.00 pm)

Sun 30th July 2006 - Drogheda Town v Lisburn Distillery (Oriel Park, Dundalk 2.00 pm)

Tuesday 01st August 2006 - PSNI v Lisburn Distillery ((7.15/7.30 pm)

Sat 05th August - Saintfield Utd v Lisburn Distillery (+ possibility of a second game against Rosario)

Monday 07th August - Ballymacash Rangers v Lisburn Distillery

We will advise you of any changes once we receive them.

The draw for this season's CIS Insurance Cup competition took place today in Belfast and Lisburn Distillery find themselves in Group C.

This group comprises Glenavon, Larne, Linfield and Lisburn Distillery.

The opening game of the season for the Whites is against Glenavon at home on Saturday 12th August. The final will once again be played in December.

The winners/runners-up in Group C will play the runner-up/winners of Group D.This group comprises Armagh City, Cliftonville, Coleraine and Dungannon Swifts

Season tickets will be available at the club this Saturday (8th July 2006).

They will be available from a board member in the Social Club from 12.00 pm to 3.00pm.

Prices remain unaltered from last year;

Adult Season ticket £95
Concession Season ticket (Senior Citizens/ Child<15) £50
Family Season ticket (1 Adult + 2 children <15) £125
Vice-Presidents Lounge* - Adult £200
Vice-Presidents Lounge* - Concession (Seniors) £125

Season tickets are valid for all Irish Premier League games and CIS League Cup group games only (assuming no change in format).

(* - Vice-Presidents Lounge tickets only allow the ticket holder access)

Tickets will also be available at pre-season friendlies, supporters should either speak to Chairman Jim McGrory or Treasurer John Duffy.

Derek McKinley (pictured) has decided to take up an offer from Glentoran manager Paul Millar and has moved to Glentoran to become team attendant at The Oval.

We wish Derek, who admitted it had been a difficult decision for him when he outlined his position to the club, all the very best for the future.

He made a lot of friends during his five years here and the Phoenix Society in particular would like to thank him for all his help and support with various events over those years.We will hopefully be renewing acquaintances with him on several occasions throughout the new season.

Congratulations to former Lisburn DistilleryYouth Academy director, Raymond Alexander, who was today appointed as a County Performance Co-ordinator by the IFA today.

Robbie Casey (pictured below) has announced his retirement from the Premier League.

Although he only came to New Grosvenor in January, Robbie made an immediate impression at the club. An extremely versatile player, he made his senior debut for Portadown in 1991. After starting out at home town club Newry Celtic, the successful years in Mid-Ulster were followed by some six years at Newry Town, where he also had a short stint as caretaker manager before promotion success with Armagh City last season.

He joined the Whites during the January transfer window and played in a number of games for the club. He intends to spend more team with his family, and we wish him all the very best for the future.

Manager Paul Kirk said; 'It's no secret that we wanted to sign Robbie several seasons ago but that was not possible given the arrangements when he was released from Newry.He is a great player, a good pro, someone you want in your dressing room and a great guy as well.We wish him well in whatever he does in the future.'

The four-ball winners of the inaugural Lisburn Distillery Golf Tournament were: Alan Campbell, B.Law, B.Bingham and D.Kerr.

Congratulations to them, and the runners-up team of Mrs Meta McMenamin, Mrs A Greer, Mrs M Blakley, and Mrs S McCann

Winners in the ballot were as follows

Thank you to all those who supported the event, and special thanks to chairman, Jim McGrory, for all his work in organising the event.

Lisburn Distillery today completed the signing of forward Marty Verner (pictured below) from Glenavon.

©/Courtesy David Hunter

Signed on a two year deal, manager Paul Kirk said; 'I am delighted to have him and I am looking forward to working with him and he's looking forward to working with us and I think that he will be an asset to us. He scored sixteen goals in a team that struggled last year and I would expect a good goal return from him and I think that we will get that from him.

With pre-season training commencing next week, Marty will join the squad alongside fellow new signings Andy Waterworth, James Bell and Neil Alderdice.Paul Kirk added; 'It's good for us and we want to give all these young players the support that we can and let them take the club forward, it's as simple as that'.

Congratulations to Margaret Quinn (pictured below) who struck gold in Special Olympics Ireland track events earlier this week.

Margaret, won gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay event and everyone connected with the club and who were involved in sponsorship events would like to congratulate her on her success.

Well done too, to all the other participants in all the other events and disciplines throughout the week, they had a fantastic time and lived up to the Special Olympics Ireland motto of 'Let me win.But if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt'.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

The Whites have been drawn at home to Coleraine in the opening fixture of the 2006/2007 Carnegie Premier League.

On Boxing Day they will play Donegal Celtic at home.

Full details on all the Carnegie Premier League games can be found on the Official Website for the Carnegie Premier League.

We will bring you information on the CIS Cup Groups and draw once this has been made.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Lisburn Distillery Predators have been paired with Loughgall Lakers in the third round of the Ladies Nationwide Irish Cup.

This game is scheduled to be played in the week commencing 17th July.

It has been a difficult season so for the Predators in the Carnegie Womans League but there are still plenty of points to play for and move up the table in the weeks ahead.

You can keep up to date with fixtures and results on the Northern Ireland Womens Football Association site and the Predators will be delighted with your support at their games.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Have you often wondered what happens to old team kits?

An email from Colin Geddis kept us right and one of the old team kits is now being used out in West Africa.

The message from Colin was as follows;

'Many thanks to Lisburn Distillery for the kind donation of kits to the youth of Odague, Guinea, W.Africa.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to go to Africa with Friends in Action, to build a bridge, a life-line to the villages in the Tanda region of Guinea and also in support of the work of New Tribes Mission.

I was delighted to take part in a match between the volunteers and the locals, unfortunatly we lost. As most of us were from Lisburn we were very honoured to wear the kits from Distillery, which we gave to the locals after the match, much to their delight, they did cause quite a stir!

Colin has kindly supplied us with the photograph below..Well done to him and all the other helpers from Northern Ireland who took part in a rewarding and successful project.

Image © Colin Geddis (permission to LD net)

The latest information on our pre-season programme is as follows:

Saturday 220706 - Banbridge Town v Lisburn Distillery

Tuesday 250706 - Kilmore Rec v Lisburn Distillery

Thursday 270706 - Lurgan Celtic v Lisburn Distillery

Saturday 290706 - H&W Welders v Lisburn Distillery

Then August will see games against PSNI and Saintfield United.

More detailed information will follow over the next few weeks.

There have been a number of queries on squad numbers ahead of the new season.Whilst these are not currently available, the message from manager Paul Kirk is that the number 10 shirt has apparently been taken. We will bring you more news once we receive it.

Thank you to all those who organised, and attended, yesterday's Open Day at the club.

The good weather held up and as well as people enjoying themselves, we raised some more money for the club.

Here is a sneak preview of the new home and away kits for the forthcoming season.

These have been supplied by the manufacturers 'errea' and the new kits will continue to carry the name of our long-standing and generous club sponsors - 'Lagan Valley Steels'.

Thanks are also due to the Lisburn Whites and other individuals who help with the funding for the kit and distribution arrangements with the manufacturer's agents.

There are only a few weeks to go now until Special Olympics Ireland starts on 21st June and everyone at Lisburn Distillery wishes Margaret Quinn all the best in her events.

The track events will be held at the Antrim Forum and Margaret and all the other athletes will appreciate any support that you can give them as they set out the medal trail.

Other events are being held across at various venues in Co Antrim and your support will be very welcome by participants at these venues too.

Full details on Special Olympics Ireland can be found by clicking on the official logo below - good luck Margaret.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

• stalls and a car boot sale
• face painting
• a childrens' bouncy castle
• pony and trap rides
• a penalty kick competition
• a tombola
• a cake sale

Sean Armstrong has now joined Donegal Celtic after a suitable fee was agreed between the two clubs.

For Armie, it's a return to his first club and we wish him all the best with Donegal Celtic.Manager Paul Kirk said; 'I am pleased that Sean has been able to get fixed-up with Donegal Celtic and that the deal suited both clubs.I am sure that he will be delighted to be returning to Donegal Celtic when they are coming into the Premier League and we wish him well.'

Jamie Bell becomes the second summer signing for Lisburn Distillery, joining the club from Linfield on a two year deal.

Twenty year-old Jamie made seven appearances for the Blues last season and scored one goal, he can play in midfield or attack.

Speaking to Lisburn Distillery.net, manager Paul Kirk said; 'We had been monitoring his progress and watching what was going on with him. We have got to look at players who are not making it at other clubs, finances dictate that, but we are looking at young potential players to keep the future of the club bright. James is a very, very talented player, he played several times for Linfield last year, scored against Larne, and he can play up front or in midfield.He's a good build and a very talented footballer, a good passer of the ball and definitely one for the future but I think that we should see plenty of him this coming season.'

Manager Paul Kirk is in the process of organising the club's pre-season friendly programme and details will appear here shortly on Lisburn Distillery.net. At this stage friendlies have been arranged with Banbridge Town and PSNI.

Ryan Catney (pictured below) now hopes to take a well earned break before pre-season training gets underway.

Ryan started in all of the Northern Ireland U-19 games in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA U19 European Championship tournament in Belgium.He scored in the 1-2 defeat against England and made an important contribution throughout all three games against Serbia & Montenegro, England and Belgium.

Whilst Northern Ireland were unfortunate to be lose out following a 3-2 defeat by Belgium on Monday night, Ryan will now be hoping to progress into future U21 squads.

Information on all Northern Ireland's games can be found on Irish FA.com

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Details of a ballot for the Lisburn Distillery Golf Tournament have been announced.

Tickets cost £1.00 each or you can purchase a book of six for £5.00 - tickets can be obtained from chairman Jim McGrory or alternatively, they will be available on the day of the tournament.

The prizes are as follows

Andrew Waterworth (pictured below) will be Lisburn Distillery's first signing of the new season.

The former Ards striker has agreed a two year deal and Paul Kirk is pleased to have him on board.The Lisburn Distillery manager said; 'We watched Andrew a number of times last season and I am very pleased that he is joining us.We hope to announce some more signings in the weeks ahead.'

Lisburn Distillery.net will continue to keep you up to date with the news from New Grosvenor.

Ryan McCann and Andrew Dickson have been hit with four match and one match suspensions respectively,from the start of the new season.

It means that Paul Kirk will be without the services of Conor Hagan, Gareth McKeown, Ryan McCann and Andrew Dickson for the opening game of the new season.

The club officially received their UEFA licence last Wednesday night in a special presentation ahead of the U21 International agianst Liechtenstein.

Lisburn Distillery was one of eight clubs to successfully completed the club licensing scheme.

Clubs were assessed in five key areas - Sporting, Infrastructure, Personnel & Administration, Legal and Financial, and for the first time a monetary award (£1,000) was being made in conjunction with the licence to recognise the effort required by clubs to attain the licence.

IFA Chief Executive Mr Howard Wells added, "The Club Licensing Scheme plays an integral part of our future plans for club development. I would hope that as we raise the bar clubs are able to 'raise their game' to meet the challenge".

Chairman Jim McGrory and secretary Andrew Thompson are to congratulated on all the effort that went in to obtaining a licence for the second successive year.

The current position is as follows;

Phil Matthews, Michael Ferguson and Andrew Dickson (all pictured below) have all signed new two year contracts.

The club have made both Darren Armour and Michael Dougherty (both pictured below) available to other clubs.

At this time of the year, there is much media speculation linking various players with various clubs throughout the Irish League, however Paul Kirk, Lisburn Distillery manager is making the club's position clear. He said; 'I have got to consider what is the best deal for the club.The club is moving forward, our finances are good, the chairman and a lot of people are working hard behind the scenes. we are attracting players and everything is aimed at making the club better.The club deserves to be in a better position than where we finished this year.

Our players are contracted and no-one will move unless the deal suits us and it's as simple as that!'

In relation to Michael Dougherty and Darren Armour, he added; 'Two clubs have been given permission to speak to Michael. One club has shown an interest in Darren and I have given them permission to talk to him but I have also said to them that he is a player rated in Irish League football and that will have to be reflected in any agreement.

Our main priority is to look for a goalscorer who can score us 20/25 goals a season because that is what we lacked last season.'

Paul also confirmed that the club are looking at new players and had spoken to Peter Kennedy but unfortunately could not come to an agreement.

More information on signings will be provided once we receive it.

Given time constraints, we were unable to sign off the 2006 end of year awards information.

Here are details of the final awards for Lisburn Distillery.net (presented on behalf of the webteam by Johnny McKinstry) and the 'Whites' Matchday Programme presented by programme editor Colin Hopkins

Award	Position	Image
Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Season	Winner - Phil Matthews
Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Season	Runner-up - Paul Muir
Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Season	Third - Gareth McKeown
'Whites' Matchday Programme Player of the Season	Winner - Phil Matthews
'Whites' Matchday Programme Player of the Season	Runner-up - Paul Muir
'Whites' Matchday Programme Player of the Season	Third - John Martin

Lisburn Distillery.net photographs courtesy/copyright David Hunter - 'Whites' Programme photographs courtesy/copyright Jonathan Irwin

Congratulations to former Lisburn Distillery webmaster Johnny McKinstry (pictured above) who was awarded the Manchester United Soccer Schools Coaches Cup.

Johnny, currently at University in England was the 'North England' Regional Winner before winning the overall award after a successful interview.He received his award at the Man Utd v Middlesborough game last Monday.

Well done Johnny.

The Lisburn Whites once again hosted the annual 'Night at the Races' and the 'LiDAs' (Lisburn Distillery Awards) at the clubhouse on 22nd April 2006.

The winners were as follows;

Award	Winner	Image
Lisburn Whites 'Player of the Season'	Phil Matthews
Lisburn Whites 'Top Goalscorer'	John Martin
Players 'Player of the Season'	Stuart Thompson (presented by Paul Kirk)
Seconds 'Player of the Season'	Mark Whitford
Seconds 'Top Goalscorer'	Aaron Johnston
Youth Team ' Player of the Season'	Joe Watson (presented by Tim Wareing)
Youth Team 'Top Goalscorer'	Aaron McCrory + Mark Patton
Maillot Jaune - Worst Trainer Damien McLaughlin	Sick Note - absent from training! Paul Muir

Photographs with the exception of Aaron Johnston and Mark Whitford courtesy/copyright Jonathan Irwin

The Club Licensing Committee met yesterday (Monday 24 April 2006) to consider the clubs applications for the award of a club license for season 2006/07 under the UEFA club licensing policy

Lisburn Distillery's application, in line with the current club licensing manual, was assessed in five key areas - Sporting, Infrastructure, Personnel & Administration, Legal and Financial.

The good news is that the club have been successful in their application and have been granted a license for the 2006/7 season.

It's the second year in a row that the club have been successful with their application and congratulations are due to secretary Andrew Thompson, chairman Jim McGrory and others for the considerable time, work and effort involved.Well done all - a great result.

Congratulations to John Martin who netted his 50th goal for the club last Saturday.

John is pictured running to celebrate the strike with manager Paul Kirk who said after the victory against Larne; 'I am delighted for John and to see him get his fiftieth goal for the club, he is up there now with the rest of the boys in the 'Fifty club'. I really am delighted for him because he deserves it, he is a hard worker and it's a good finish to his season.'

Fifty plus club info (data will be updated shortly)

It's the end of the season for Conor Hagan and Gareth McKeown tomorrow.

Following this week's disciplinary meeting, Conor Hagan received a two match ban whilst Gareth McKeown received a four match one, both effective from this coming Monday.

Ryan McCann returns from suspension for tomorrow's game against Larne

The Lisburn Whites have once again organised 'A Night at the Races' which will be followed by the 'End of Season Awards Presentation' next Saturday (22nd April 2006).

This will take place in the Social Club after the Larne game, commencing around 5.15 pm.

A buffet will be served before the presentation and admission to the event is free.

The list of Awards to be presented include

• Lisburn Whites Supporters Club Player of the Year
• Programme Player of the Year
• Players player of the Year
• Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Year
• Seconds Team Player of the Year
• Youth Team Player of the Year
• First Team goal scorer of the Year
• Seconds Team goal scorer of the Year
• Youth Team goal scorer of the Year

The Lisburn Whites Supporters Club extend a friendly welcome to everyone who would like to attend.

Congratulations to Phil Matthews on picking up the Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Month award for March.

It's Phil's third monthly award this season and earmarks him as a leading contender for the overall player of the Month Award that will be presented next Saturday.

Please note that the April award will be on line on Easter Tuesday evening.

Lisburn Distillery would like to extend special thanks to our match sponsors against Cliftonville on Saturday - McNaughton Paper (NI) Ltd.

Part of the James McNaughton Ireland Paper Merchants Ireland group, we would like to thank them for their sponsorship of this game and support throughout the season.

Other commercial opportunities including match sponsorship are available at the club - please click on the commercial icon above for more information.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Following Monday's draw in Switzerland, the side that qualifies from this season's Carnegie Premier League will be heading off to Iceland in June.

The first leg, against IBK Keflavik, will be away from home.

The succesful side will then go on to play the Norwegian side Lillestrom and the icing on the cake for the winners of that tie would be a meeting against one the English Premier League sides.

With four games to go a number of sides including Lisburn Distillery are in with a chance of claiming that European slot.

Lisburn Distillery captain Wayne Buchanan (pictured below) plays his last game of the season on Saturday.

After picking up a four match ban (effective from Monday 10th April) it means his last game will be against the 2005-2006 Carnegie Premier League Champions, Linfield, at Windsor Park this Saturday.

This Friday, 07th April 2006, the Under 18 Carnegie Schools Cup Final between Grosvenor and La Salle will be played at New Grosvenor Stadium.

Grosvenor have never lost a final but Lisburn Distillery player and U17 NI International, Chris McGaharan, will be out to break that record when he steps onto the pitch with La Salle.

Kick-off time is 2.30 pm

Following on from the successful Open Day last year, it has been confirmed that there will be another Open Day on Saturday 10th June 2006.

Once again last year's highly successful helicopter flights are planned, along with stalls and a car boot sale.

Stalls will cost £20, and the car boot sale £5 per vehicle.

More information on the events planned for the day will follow over the next few weeks.

Details of the first 'Lisburn Distillery Golf Tournament'have been released.

This will take place on Monday 19th June 2006 at Carrickfergus Golf Club.

There will be a range of prizes on offer and a four-ball costs £200. As well as including hole-sponsorship (corporate or otherwise as applicable), it also includes green-fees and evening meal for the four ball.

For more information please email LD Golf Tournament 2006

Apologies for the late updates on this information.

Sean Armstrong transfer request

Lisburn Distillery have confirmed that Sean Armstrong has put in a transfer request. 'Unfortunately things have not worked out for Sean' said Lisburn Distillery boss Paul Kirk. He added; 'He joined us at the start of the season but things just haven't worked out in terms of goals and at present there is a lot of competition for places in midfield. He is obviously disappointed but he is a 100% honest guy, he never misses training and whilst things haven't turned out the way he would have liked, he has assured me that he is happy to continue playing on for Lisburn Distillery until things are resolved.'

Chris Coffey Released

The club has also confirmed that Chris Coffey has been released from his contract.

Chris has had two spells at the club, making 145 appearances with three goals to his credit over those spells.Despite playing against FK Zalgiris at the start of the season, first team opportunites for Chris had unfortunately been limited. 'He is a great pro and passed a lot of his experience on to the young lads coming through the seconds, we wish him all the best for the future' said Lisburn Distillery boss Paul Kirk.

IFA's Anti Racism Week

As part of the IFA's Anti-Racism Week (20-24 March), the IFA launched UEFA's Ten Point Plan, best practice guide, to tackle racism and sectarianism within football here.

This was launched at The Oval on Friday 24th March, full details on the ten points, which the IFA have asked clubs to use 'as a tool to strengthen their identity, promote respect and encourage more families to attend games' can be found on the IFA website.

Featuring on the cover of the Football for All Initiative leaflet are Lisburn Distillery coach Donald Malomo Paris and players francis Murphy, John Martin, Wayne Buchanan, Michael Dougherty and Gary Spence.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Chris McGaharan has been called up late into the Northern Ireland U17 squad following an injury to Daniel Lafferty.

Chris will travel to Holland in manager Kenny Shiels' squad and they will take on Germany, Finland and hosts Holland in the elite phase fixtures of the European Championships

The group winners will go on to the finals which will be held in Luxembourg in May this year.

Northern Ireland's fixtures are

Fri 24th March v. Germany in (Boxmeer - ko 16.30)

Sun 26th March v. Finland (Venray - ko 15.00)

Tues 28th March v. Holland (Venray - ko 17.00)

All kick-off are local time and results/reports should be available on Irish FA.com

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Suspensions continue to impact on the team, and following the disciplinary meeting this week, Stuart Thompson and Ryan Catney have both picked up one match suspensions from Monday 27th March.

There's another opportunity to make a day of it at New Grosvenor this Saturday.

This Saturday the club will be showing the 'Merseyside Derby' live on the big screen in the social club. (ko 12.45pm).

After that we have the 'main act', the Carnegie Premier League game between Lisburn Distillery and Ballymena Utd..

You can enjoy both matches, all you have to do is pay for your Carnegie Premier League admission, go through the turnstile and into the social club - all supporters are very welcome.

Supporters will be able to purchase food from the hot-food bar which will be open.

After the 'main act' ,supporters can also catch up on more Premiership action with an evening game that kicks off at 17.15pm which is also on Sky in the social club. (this is subject to no evening event in the social club). This weekend Portsmouth take on Arsenal at Fratton Park.

Congratulations to Phil Matthews on picking up the Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Month award for February 2006.

Phil who also won the November award now joins Paul Muir on two awards each this season.

The March award poll will appear after the Ballymena United game on Saturday, before the final award in April.

Cumulative votes over the season will determine the winner of the Player of the Season award.

Details of the prize winners are as follows.

Anyone who has not already claimed their prize should contact the club on the following link 125th draw - prizes

Once again, the club would like to thank everyone who supported this special draw, and congratulations to the winners.

Given last week's dinner, we have updated the information on the Phoenix Society and once again would thank them for organising yet another highly successful dinner and auction last week.

The Phoenix Society celebrated its' fifth birthday in August 2005. The Society was formed in August 2000 and comprises a small a group of Lisburn Distillery supporters (including the club chairman) who are involved in active fund raising and development work for the club.

The Society acts independently of the two supporters clubs and meets on a regular basis to carry out the aims of the Society.

The Society, with the help and generosity of Lisburn Distillery supporters, sponsors and others have so far raised around £40,200 for the club from a number of events.These have included events like " Classic Poker Nights","Nights at the Races" and the "Supa Striker" sponsorship campaign in conjunction with the "White's Matchday Programme".

The biggest event in terms of financial contribution and profile has been the "Dinner & Auction ". This event has been held annually and it has grown over the years and now has an important place in the Lisburn Distillery event calendar. Details on last weeks event are posted below..

The Society continues to work on and look at a number of other areas that they hope will be of benefit to Lisburn Distillery.

Those areas have changed over the seasons and in the past the Society were involved with developing the profile of the club, working with the media on club news, community relations development via youth and schools projects. The Society also keep supporters involved with their events and progress through the programme and website. The Society also like to hear views or comments on areas or items that the Phoenix Society can get involed in that will hopefully benefit the club.You can pass these on to secretary Louis Boyle or treasurer Terry Thompson.

Margaret Quinn was a special guest here at New Grosvenor on Saturday. Lisburn Distillery will be sponsoring Margaret in her quest for track medals at the Special Olympics Ireland Games in Belfast in June.

Margaret is pictured below receiving her cheque for funding from Lisburn Distillery Chairman Jim McGrory (l) and manager Paul Kirk (r). Also enjoying the occasion are Carnegie Premier League representatives Edward Ferguson and Peter Rodgers.

Congratulations to the players, the ladies committee and everyone at the club for their efforts.we are wishing Margaret all the very best in the weeks ahead and we will be cheering her on for gold in June.

We will keep you posted of her progress here on Lisburn-Distillery.net

There will be an open meeting of the Belfast Celtic Society next Thursday (23rd March 2006) in The Linen Hall Library, Belfast (opposite City Hall) at 7.00 p.m..

Football journalist and author Padraig Coyle is joined by our own Distillery historian Dawson Simpson to examine the contribution made by both Celtic and Distillery to the social fabric of working class Belfast many years ago.

Also taking part will be Neal Garnham of the University of Ulster who has extensively researched the role of football in Irish society before partition. The actor Alan McKee will also be doing some readings on the evening.

Tickets cost £5 / £3 (Advance Booking Recommended).

You can book your tickets online or by credit card from the Linen Hall Library Box Office (phone 028 9032 1707) by credit or debit card; or by post from The Linen Hall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast BT1 5GB. Alternatively call in at the desk in the Library.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Friday night's annual dinner once again proved a highly successful event for the club.This is the fifth annual dinner organised by the Phoenix Society on behalf of the club and yet again the Society weighed in with a donation for club funds that is anticipated to be around £8000.

Both the club and the Phoenix Society would like to everyone who once again supported the event or contributed to it in any way and continue to make it the success that it is.

The Balmoral Hotel was the venue for the second successive year, some 150 guests turning out to enjoy the night, including The Mayor of Lisburn City Council, Councillor Jonathan Craig, Peter Rodgers and Edward Ferguson on behalf of Leeds Metroplitan University, the sponsors of the Carnegie Premier League, and Jim Boyce (President) and Howard Wells (Chief Executive) of the Irish Football Association.

Jackie Fullerton, Tommy Cassidy and comedian Johnny Giant provided the entertainment on the night. Our thanks to them and the Balmoral Hotel for an excellent night.

Christopher Dunville, direct descendant of the Dunville family whose distillery employees founded the club, travelled over from Canada for the event and he is pictured below toasting the success of the event with Chairman Jim McGrory.

Whites' boss Paul Kirk also showed his artistic talent with his 'A day at the shore' raising some £450 on the night.

Please note that all images on this site are strictly copyright

We will be posting an update about the Phoenix Society shortly.

Young Gary Spence became the latest player to be suspended this season.Following a couple of booking in Second team games Gary now serves a one match ban from today.

Two days to go and we are almost there with the finalisation of auction items. Here is latest list for Friday night's dinner and there are some superb items on offer.

We would like to thank all those who have once again contributed items for the night

Latest List

The first of four specially labelled bottles of Bushmills Single Irish Malt Whiskey to commemorate the Whites 125th anniversary (1880-2005)
A framed poster 'Imagine - John Lennon'
A signed Lisburn Distillery shirt
A child's battery powered motorbike
Limited edition print - Michael Rutter at Northwest 200 by Robert Tomlin
An adult mountain bike - 18 gears
A signed 'Sevvy Ballesteros' print
A football signed by FIFA dignitaries including Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini
The second of four specially labelled bottles of Bushmills Single Irish Malt Whiskey to commemorate the Whites 125th anniversary (1880-2005)
A landscape scene - oils - by J.Williams
A Manchester United away shirt - blue (squad signed)
A photo-montage of George Best bearing the signature 'George Best'
A 1967 original Rolling Stones 'Between the Buttons' album (framed)
An adult mountain bike - 21 gears
A signed photograph of David Healy scoring the winner against England
A signed 'Tiger Woods at the Dubai Open' print
An Arsenal home shirt (squad signed)
The third of four specially labelled bottles of Bushmills Single Irish Malt Whiskey to commemorate the Whites 125th anniversary (1880-2005)
A 1966 England retro-replica shirt which will bear a unique message to the purchaser from a special and unique signatory (by arrangement)
A Rangers away shirt (white) squad signed
An original oil - 'A day at the shore' - Paul Kirk
A signed David Healy T-shirt - Northern Ireland v England 07/09/05
A Liverpool home shirt (squad signed)
Limited edition print - (the late) Bertie Fisher by Jeff Rush
A signed and framed Newcastle Utd shirt - Alan Shearer and Michael Owen
A signed Celtic shirt - Roy Keane
A signed Northern Ireland squad shirt - Northern Ireland v England 07/09/05
The fourth and final specially labelled bottle of Bushmills Single Irish Malt Whiskey to commemorate the Whites 125th anniversary (1880-2005)

The list may be subject to change

It's a final opportunity for bids via the Internet for items - please email your details (contact details, item and bid) to 2006 Auction Bids

****Please do not, under any circumstances, include any other financial details****

It's all systems go for the Lisburn Distillery annual dinner and auction at the Balmoral Hotel on Friday week (10th March 2006)

The current list of auction items is

Limited edition print - Michael Rutter at Northwest 200 by Robert Tomlin
Limited edition print - (the late) Bertie Fisher by Jeff Rush
A photo-montage of George Best bearing the signature 'George Best'
A landscape scene - oils - by J.Williams
A signed Northern Ireland squad shirt - N.Ireland v England 07/09/05
A football signed by FIFA dignitaries including Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini
Two adult mountain bikes
A child's battery powered motorbike
An Arsenal home shirt (squad signed)
A Liverpool home shirt (squad signed)
A Manchester United away shirt - blue (squad signed)
A 1967 original Rolling Stones 'Between the Buttons' album (framed)

A signed and framed Newcastle Utd shirt - Alan Shearer and Michael Owen

The Newcastle shirt looks superb in it's black frame, and there are another two special shirts likely to arriving from Scotland and Spain, both individually signed by special stars - check back for more information shortly.

We are also delighted to confirm that IFA Chief Executive Howard Wells and IFA President Jim Boyce will also be attending the event.

For more information on the dinner click here

New Grosvenor will be used by the Estonia international team for a training session on Monday night, ahead of their friendly international against Northern Ireland on Wednesday night (Windsor Park 8.00 pm).

Apart from a brief period open to the media, the session is 'behind closed doors' - the public will not be permitted access.

You can find out more information about Wednesday's game on the IFA website

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

We would like to wish fullback Simon West and his family all the very best when they move to Cyprus in March.

Simon had made the breakthrough from the second eleven towards the end of last year and went on to make a number of starts for the first eleven. He was one of a number of promising youngsters who have made the transition this season and he made a big impression on the team management with his performances.

Good luck to him and his family in their new home and surroundings

.

Catney is catalyst for Whites 2006 revival (by Stuart McKinley)

Article courtesy of (publication date 25th February 2006)

Paul Kirk has hailed Ryan Catney as the man at the heart of Lisburn Distillery's New Year revival.

And the Ballyskeagh boss believes that cross-channel scouts could soon be making their way to New Grosvenor.

The Whites have lost just once in 2006 after finishing 2005 with just two wins in eight outings and it seems to be more than a coincidence that the upturn in fortunes came just as Catney became eligible for first-team action.

The Belfast teenager was released by Premiership-chasing Reading at the end of last year and Kirk was quick to make his move.

Having signed in December his registration couldn't be rubber-stamped until the New Year, the Northern Ireland under-19 international made his debut in the 0-0 draw with Glentoran on January 2 and has been involved in the first-team ever since.

"Ryan Catney has brought a breath of fresh air to the team," said Kirk.

"He has a little bit of everything; can pass, tackle, is strong with the ball at his feet and has an eye for goal too.

"Since Ryan has come into the team we have looked like a different side and the confidence is starting to come back.

"It looks like other players have had a weight lifted off their shoulders and the other midfielders are performing very well at the minute too.

"Ryan is a quality player - it's easy to see why he was picked up by Reading - and if he continues the way he started I believe that Ryan could be one of the very few players who comes back to Irish League from England and then gets a chance to go away again.

"I don't know who else around the league would be in the running, but I would think he would have to be a contender for the Young Player of the Year award.

"He is going to Switzerland with the Northern Ireland under-19 squad next week and it is great for our club that players are gaining international recognition."

Kirk has also moved to allay any fears Glentoran fans may have over Paul Millar's lack of managerial experience.

The Whites boss insists that everyone has to start somewhere, even if it means working their way up the footballing ladder as he did.

"I didn't have any experience at the top level of local football when I got the Distillery job," he said.

"I had my grounding in the Amateur League with Killyleagh YC and then moved onto to another couple of clubs.

"I then worked with the youth team at Glentoran and am proud that a number of them made the breakthrough into the first-team.

"That is where I learnt management and I think working with young players means I am not afraid to throw them in now."

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Congratulations to Chris on yet another call up to the Northern Ireland set-up. This time Chris has been named in the U-17 squad to play an international friendly against Luxembourg (away) on Wednesday 08th March 2006.

It's yet more international recognition for the La Salle pupil and we wish him well in the forthcoming game.

Congratulations to 'Big G' - Gareth McKeown, on winning the Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Month award for January 2006.

Gareth was presented with his award, in the presence of his team-mates, by first team fitness coach Donald Malomo-Paris.

This Saturday sees the last game in February, and the February award will be on-line next week - please vote on-line here at Lisburn Distillery.net

Lisburn Distillery would like to extend special thanks to our match sponsors against Dungannon Swifts on Saturday - Abbey Insurance Brokers.

We hope that they and their guests enjoyed the afternoon despite the absence of any goals and appreciate their support for the club.

Other commercial opportunities including match sponsorship are available at the club - please click on the commercial icon above for more information.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

The annual Lisburn Distillery dinner will be held on Friday 10th March 2006 at the Balmoral Hotel, Dunmurry.

In addition to the auction items already posted (show), more items are now on their way, including

There are more items still to come, details will follow here on the website shortly - we will be accepting bids via the Internet for items - please email your details (contact details, item and bid) to 2006 Auction Bids

****Please do not, under any circumstances, include any other financial details****

Paul Kirk picked up a surprise momento before Saturday's game against Dungannon Swifts.

Every home game, you will usually find Paul and his opposition counterpart enjoying a cup of tea in the clubhouse kitchen thanks to Elaine Cressey, daughter Elizabeth and Angela Bell. The ladies are there every week providing the tea, coffee and food within the boardroom and for the visiting teams.To mark Paul's ten years at the club, the three ladies presented him with a specially engraved plaque - Paul is pictured receiving the plaque from Angela (l) and Elaine (r).

This is a reminder that there will be a special disco in the Lisburn Distillery social club on Saturday 25th February 2006 (eight until late-admission £5.00) to raise funds for Margaret Quinn in the Special Olympics Ireland Games that will held in Belfast in June (21st -25th) this year.

Margaret, an athlete will be at the event on Saturday and we look forward to welcoming both her and her friends to Lisburn Distillery.

If you would like to find out more about the Special Olympics then please see the information below or click on the logo in this post.

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

It was back in October that we flagged up the news that former webmaster Johnny McKinstry, currently at university in England had just been appointed manager of Northumbria FC Thirds.

Northumbria FC is the registered name for Northumbria University's football team(s) and whilst their season is short in comparison to the Carnegie Premier League, the news from the North-East is that Northumbria FC won their final game of the season 4-1 to lift the league title with an unbeaten record.

They now progress to the National knock-out plate and all the best to Johnny and his team when that gets underway.

Congratulations to Ryan Catney on another call-up to the Northern Ireland U-19 Squad to play Switzerland on 01st March 2006.

Ryan joined the Whites at the end of November from Reading and has been in fine form since he was eligible to play for the first team at the start of January.

Paul Kirk got the result he wanted to mark ten years at New Grosvenor with a 2-1 victory that means the Whites will meet Bangor at home on 04th March 2006.

Paul is pictured below with goalscorers, Conor Hagan (left) and Darren Armour (right)

Paul Kirk celebrates ten years in charge of Lisburn Distillery today.

That though will not deflect his thoughts from tonight's important Nationwide Irish Cup tie, and there would be no better way to cap the occasion than with a victory tonight which would take the Whites into the quarter-finals.

Paul is now the second longest serving manager in the history of the club, sitting just behind Bill Crone who in the first of two spells with the club served from 1897 to 1908.

Under Paul the club has won both the Ulster Cup and First Division in 1998/99 and the First Division in 2001/2.After achieving third spot in the Irish League 2003/4, they then qualified for the Intertoto Cup last season, and played in that competition at the start of this season.

Paul is pictured below with team attendant Stevie Ferguson and the Ulster Cup and First Division Trophy.

Congratulations to Paul on achieving this milestone, he has put a lot of hard work in over the last decade, and we hope that his eleventh year can get off to a good start in the Cup tonight.

The Sixth Round relay between Ballymena United and Lisburn Distillery will be played on Wednesday night (15th February ) at Ballymena Showgrounds, kick-off 7.45 pm.

The winners will have home advantage in the next round, meeting Bangor.

The full draw for the quarter-finals (games to be played on Saturday 04th March 2006) is

Glentoran v Dungannon Swifts or Portadown
Linfield or Loughgall v Glenavon
Lisburn Distillery or Ballymena United v Bangor
Newington v Larne (to be played at Larne)

To read the report from the IFA featured Sixth Round game - click here

The IFA home page also contains a number of banner images from the game - the pictures automatically refresh themselves - click here

Tomorrow's Nationwide Irish Cup game between Lisburn Distillery and Ballymena United is the Sixth Round tie that will be featured on the Irish Football Association's website this weekend.

To find out more and catch up on the action - click here.

There will be a special disco in the Lisburn Distillery social club on Saturday 25th February 2006 (eight until late) to raise funds for an athlete in the Special Olympics Ireland Games that will held in Belfast in June (21st -25th) this year.

The events will be held across various sporting venues in County Antrim and Lisburn Distillery are sponsoring an athlete in the Games. The players have all been making weekly contributions towards the financial goal of £500 and supporters can also become involved by attending and/or supporting the disco.

About Special Olympics Ireland

Special Olympics Ireland was established in 1978 and is an all island programme.

Special Olympics Ireland offers a year-round sports training and competition programme for children and adults with a learning disability in a variety of Olympic type sports. By offering a range of events in each sport an opportunity is provided for all athletes, irrespective of their ability, to participate at their own level.

There are over 34,000 people with a learning disability on the island of Ireland. 10,500 of those individuals participate in Special Olympics and have benefited socially, emotionally and physically as a result.

The Special Olympics Ireland Mission Statement is: To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sport for children and adults with a learning disability, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Some 5,500 volunteers will be needed to plan, organise and run the Games in Belfast June 2006 - if you would like to help, you can find more information on the Special Olympics 2006 Games - Belfast website (click on logo below).

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

One of the ties of the round takes place at New Grosvenor next week, when Ballymena United will come here in the Fifth Round of the Nationwide Irish Cup.

It's a big day and we welcome everyone to our ground next Saturday .

The club continues to show televised games involving English Premier League sides live throughout the season and on Saturday the game scheduled for transmission on Sky Sports Premplus is Wigan Athletic v Liverpool (ko 12.45pm - coverage starts 12.30 pm).

This game will be on in the social club leading nicely up to the Lisburn Distillery v Ballymena Utd game itself.

You can enjoy both matches, all you have to do is pay for your Nationwide Irish Cup admission, go through the turnstile and into the social club - all supporters are very welcome. As well as enjoying the surroundings of the social club, supporters will be able to purchase food from the hot-food bar which will be open just outside the social club.

The Event

The annual Dinner and Auction will be held next month - Friday 10th March 2006 in the Balmoral Hotel, Blacks Road, Dunmurry.

Whilst it is the biggest event in the club calendar in terms of fund-raising, it's also a chance to relax and enjoy a goodnight's entertainment, which this year will be provided by

Compere: Mr Jackie Fullerton,

Guest Speaker: Mr Tommy Cassidy (the former Newcastle Utd & Northern Ireland International player), and

Comedian: Johnny Giant

The cost of the event remains unchanged from previous years, with tables costing £350 (for a table of ten) but as usual shared tables can be accomodated and supporters are welcome to join up as they have done in the past. The cost per head is £35.

This year, the club will be delighted to welcome Mr Eddie Ferguson and Mr Peter Rodgers from Carnegie Premier League Sponsors, Leeds Metropolitan University. Both will be guests of club Chairman Jim McGrory and we are pleased that representatives from the League Sponsors are able to be with us for the event.

125th anniversary Draw

We would remind all our supporters and friends that the special draw to celebrate our 125 years of football history will also be made at the dinner.

There is a fantastic range of prizes on offer, and the top prize is a brand new Suzuki Alto

Tickets cost £25 each and are available from any board member, the club shop or the bar staff on (match days).

Support the club, support the Whites and you have an excellent chance to win the Suzuki Alto or any of the other prizes on offer.

• a signed NI squad shirt from the memorable Northern Ireland v England game last September
• a Newcastle Utd shirt signed by Tyneside legend Alan Shearer and England International Michael Owen.

Once again as in previous years, we will be accepting bids via the Internet for items - please email your details (contact details, item and bid) to 2006 Auction Bids/Dinner info

****Please do not, under any circumstances, include any other financial details****

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Lisburn Distillery will meet Sligo Rovers at New Grosvenor in a friendly as Rovers begin their preparations for the new Eircom League season.

Given the evening kick-off and the distance involved, this game will kick-off around 7.30pm - the kick-off time will be flexible to assist our visitors.

John Martin may still have another three match ban still to serve but ge got a liitle bit of a boost on Satruday with the belated presentation of the Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Month award for December 2005.

Given the voting period and the home programme in January, the awarded was presented later than usual but it gave John, winner of the first Internet Player of the Month award back in 2000, something to smile about.

The January poll should be on line by the end of this week.

Robert Casey (pictured below) joined Lisburn Distillery today ahead of the January transfer window closing.

The experienced thirty-three year old midfielder has signed a one-year deal. Robbie started out his career at Newry Celtic before joining Portadown where he made over two hundred appearances over eight years. A former Northern Ireland 'B' International, he then moved on to Newry Town before joining Armagh City.

Also on the transfer front, former seconds player Gary Stewart has also re-signed for the club

Lisburn secretary Andy Thompson was delighted to confirm that the club's application for a UEFA licence was lodged with the IFA today.

Despite having gained the License last season, the application once again involved a massive amount of work with all sorts of financial, legal and other documents having to be produced to satisfy strict requirements across a number of criteria.Andy, chairman Jim McGrory and a number of others all helped over a number of weeks and are to be thanked for the hard work, time and effort that they put in to enable the application to be lodged.

Wayne Buchanan and Ryan McCann are the lastest players to face the penalties imposed by the League's disciplinary committee.

Both miss two games from Monday 30th January.It means that they miss the league game away to Portadown on Saturday, and the following weeks Nationwide Irish Cup Sixth Round tie against Ballymena Utd at New Grosvenor.

Darren Armour returns form suspension this week whilst John Martin has another three games to serve.

Chris Coffey returned from his business trip to Australia last week and is back in training.

He is likely to return with the Seconds in tomorrow's match against Newry Reserves

Striker Chris Tumulty has signed for Lisburn Distillery.

The twenty-three year old who was at Queens Park Rangers as a teenager has been out of the game for a while but is keen to return to football.He will be in David Taylor's squad tomorrow.

(Article courtesy of The Belfast Telegraph)

Lisburn Distillery manager Paul Kirk has made goalkeeper Michael Dougherty available to other clubs.

The former Crusaders stopper has found it difficult to dislodge present number one Phil Matthews this season and Kirk believes that it would be best for all concerned if Dougherty was to move to pastures new, either on loan or on a permanent basis ? but only if the right deal comes along.

"We have come to the agreement that it would be best for everyone if Michael was to find a new club so we have made him available for transfer," said the Whites manager.

"It isn't a decision that was taken lightly because I rate Michael very highly but it is very difficult to keep everyone happy.

"When you have two top class goalkeepers at a club then someone is always going to be disappointed. I feel that in this stage of Michael's career he needs to be playing first team football on a regular basis ? playing in the reserves just isn't good enough for him.

"As well as that, it doesn't make financial sense to have two goalkeepers earning wages in the top bracket with one of them playing in the reserves every week.

"He would be a real asset to any team and I am sure that plenty of clubs - Premier League clubs at that - will be making inquiries.

"It is also my responsibility though to make sure that the deal is right for Lisburn Distillery. If he goes to another club on a permanent basis then we will have to broker a deal with them.

"He has another 18 months to go on his contract so we aren't just going to let him go without getting something in return. But if he just goes on loan then we will welcome him back when that loan spell is over and take things from there.

"If he is to go permanently then a swap deal would be ideal for us."

Lisburn Distillery is not responsible for the content of, or services/products supplied/advertised on external websites

Following today's victory at Institute, Lisburn Distillery have been paired against Ballymena United in Round Six of the Nationwide Irish Cup.

The full draw for the games to be played on Saturday 11th February 2006 is

Cliftonville or Dungannon Swifts v. Crusaders or Portadown
Glenavon v. Coleraine or Newry City
Glentoran v. Ballyclare Comrades
Larne or Donegal Celtic v. Carrick Rangers
Limavady United v. HW Welders or Bangor
Linfield v. Banbridge Town or Loughgall
Lisburn Distillery v. Ballymena United
Newington YC or Coagh United v. Portstewart

Three Lisburn Distillery players are suspended from Monday, they are;

John Martin - five games

Darren Armour - two games

Sean Armstrong - one game

Lisburn Distillery would like to thank both John Devlin and GlaxoSmithKline for providing the club with 'Lucozade Sport' drink throughout the season.

Lucozade Sport tackles the two key factors affecting sporting performance – depletion of energy stores and dehydration. Available to the players on matchdays, Lucozade Sport protects them against dehydration, energy depletion and poor recovery.

Pictured with Lucozade Sport, training tops and carryall are (l) Kyle McQuillan, Michael Ferguson and Aaron Johnston (r).

Lucozade Sport and the running man device are registered trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKline Group of companies.

Congratulations to Chris on his call up to the Northern Ireland Schools U-18s squad to meet Australia on Monday 23rd January 2006.

The La Salle pupil has also already represented the U-16 side and has appeared a number of times for the first team this season.

The game will be played at Newforge, kick-off time is 2.00 pm.

We say good-bye to James Willis (pictured) who was released to join Newry City on Friday.

The paperwork was processed on Friday, enabling Bo to make his debut against Ballymena Utd on Saturday.

Bo joined Lisburn Distillery in June 2004 from Crusaders and netted 17 goals from 55 appearances, we wish him all the very best for the future.

The Whites have been drawn away to Institute in the fifth round of the Nationwide Irish Cup on Saturday 14th January 2006.

The full draw (made yesterday) is

Ards v Glentoran
Ballymena United v Kilmore Rec.
Ballymoney United v Carrick Rangers
Ballynure OB v Ballyclare Comrades
Banbridge Town v Loughgall
Cliftonville v Dungannon Swifts
Coleraine v Newry City
Crusaders v Portadown
Glenavon v Dundela
HW Welders v Bangor
Institute v Lisburn Distillery
Larne v Donegal Celtic
Linfield v. Armagh City
Newington YC v Coagh United
PSNI v Limavady United
Tobermore United v Portstewart

Congratulations to Phil Matthews on picking up the Lisburn Distillery.net Player of the Month for November 2005.

Phil previously won the award outright in the 2001, 2002 and 2003 and despite being out of the team in the final few matches of the month he produced some super saves in his other games.

Someone is going to be a very unique winner of the special draw to commemorate the clubs' 125th anniversary.

The winner will drive off with a brand new Suzuki Alto, supplied by S.M.W Suzuki, Belfast.

The draw has a bumper list of prizes, and will take place at the Lisburn Distillery Annual Dinner on Friday 10th March 2006.

Tickets cost £25 each and are available from any board member, the club shop or the bar staff on (match days).

Support the club, support the Whites and you have an excellent chance to win the Szuki Alto or any of the other prizes on offer.

The annual Lisburn Distillery Children's Christmas Party will be held this coming Sunday, 18th December 2005.

It will be held in the clubhouse from 2.00 pm until 6.00 pm and will feature a Children's Disco.

If you wish to bring children along, it is essential that you advise either Mrs Elaine Cressey, Mrs Angela Bell or Club Director Bobby Hanna of your intention.

Rumour has it that a very special visitor will also be putting in his annual appearance before going on a One-day World Tour on the 25th December 2005!

The Phoenix Society has confirmed that the Lisburn Distillery annual dinner is on Friday 10th March 2006.

The venue for the event will once again be the Balmoral Hotel, Blacks Road, Dunmurry.

The line-up for the evening's entertainment will be;

Compere: Mr Jackie Fullerton

Guest Speaker: Mr Tommy Cassidy (the former Newcastle Utd & Northern Ireland International player)

Comedian: Johnny Giant

The cost of the event remains unchanged from previous years, with tables costing £350 (for a table of ten) but as usual shared tables can be accomodated and supporters are welcome to join up as they have done in the past. The cost per head is £35.

This is a reminder that the social club year runs from October to October.

To renew your membership, or to take out new membership, please speak to Mrs Betty Addis, Mrs Marlene Jamison or Cub Chairman Jim McGrory.

Annual membership costs just £5.00 per annum.

Support the club, Support the Whites

The club will be holding its' annual sponsors night at the club on Wednesday (7.30 pm).

Invitations have already been issued to all relevant parties and this is an opportunity for the chairman and the board of directors to say 'thank-you' in person to those who have sponsored the club.

Entertainment will be provided by 'This way up'