H&W Welders vs Dergview

At 1-0 with 20 minutes left, the game was still in the balance. Dergview had grown into the contest after a reshuffle just past the hour mark. But Ferguson's 86th-minute goal — a composed finish after a well-worked move — killed the contest immediately. The third goal followed inside 120 seconds, turning a potential nervy finish into a comfortable scoreline.

Matthew Ferguson (H&W Welders) — 9/10. The match-winner with a perfect hat-trick (right foot, left foot, header or similar). Each goal carried a different quality: the first from close range, the second a composed finish, the third a clinical strike. The Welders' official Facebook page confirmed he took the match ball home afterwards.

H&W Welders defence — A clean sheet against a Dergview side that showed flashes of threat in the second half. The back four, supplemented by second-half substitutes, restricted Dergview to speculative efforts from distance.

Player of the match: Matthew Ferguson.

The match events tell a tale of two halves. Welders' opening goal in the 34th minute reflected first-half dominance, but the xG pattern (if available) would likely show a narrow gap until the final five minutes. The real story is the game's late explosion: all three goals came in the final 56 minutes of a 90-minute contest, with two in the final four minutes. That late flurry flatters the margin slightly but does not misrepresent Welders' control of the fixture.

H&W Welders have now won 11 of 19 meetings with Dergview across all competitions (4 draws, 4 losses), with the fixture averaging 3.58 goals per game. This was the 16th time in 20 meetings that over 2.5 goals were scored.

Both sides are building towards the 2026/27 NIFL Championship season, which is expected to begin in early August. H&W Welders have now played three pre-season friendlies — a 1-1 draw at Coleraine on 5 July, a fixture against Larne on 29 June, and this win over Dergview. Their next pre-season test is against Carrick Rangers on 18 July.

Dergview continue their own pre-season schedule with further friendlies to be confirmed, aiming to build fitness and sharpness ahead of the league campaign.

A professional pre-season workout for H&W Welders, who controlled the game from start to finish without ever needing to hit top gear. Ferguson's hat-trick will grab the headlines, but the clean sheet and the 90-minute fitness minutes for the squad were the real objectives. Dergview will take encouragement from their second-half resilience before the late collapse.