50 Years - The Story of the Championship Season PART TWO

By the end of August 1957 Ards had bowed out of the Ulster Cup with a record of two wins, a draw and a defeat but had played ourselves into the second round of the Gold Cup thanks to a 3-0 win over Bangor.

The next eleven Saturdays would be devoted to the City Cup, a sprawling competition that saw all twelve league sides compete on a league basis. Following our 4-1 win over Coleraine, Ards next faced Distillery at Castlereagh Park when a Hugh Lowry goal earned a share of the points from a one-all draw.

Draw with Cliftonville report from Ireland's Saturday Night

Four days later on the Wednesday, Ards travelled to Ballymena to play in the second round of the Gold Cup. Victory followed here when a brace from Liam Munroe along with strikes from Lowry, Humphries and Lawther swept the north Antrim team aside 5-3. On 21st September 1957 Ards went to Solitude to take on Cliftonville in the City Cup and found Red's keeper Mick Murphy in thrilling form. The more fancied Ards side could find the net only once in the opening half through Lawther, thanks in part to the form of keeper Murphy. On the other side of half time, Cliftonville levelled and then took a surprise lead through Robinson. Ards were rampant though and not long after McGuicken  got himself in the right spot to poke in the equaliser.

Back to back draws was hardly looking like the form of cup winners, but the 3-2 win over Portadown the following week looked like putting Ards back on track. The up and down form continued however when Glentoran shipped in four goals at The Oval against a two goal reply. Next visitors to Castlereagh were Derry City, a team whose scalp Ards had taken twice the previous season. A similar outcome was returned this time around too, with the home side two ahead by the break. Strikes from Quee and Lawther had the side on top as Derry struggled defensively. The visitors pulled a goal back in the second half but Ards struck again on the hour with McDonnell scoring the third and final goal.

Another two points on the board then and perhaps the start of something for the side. Not a bit of it. Visitors Ballymena came calling to Castlereagh Park the following Saturday and left again with two deserved points at the outcome of a 4-1 victory. What would the next encounter with group leaders Linfield bring as November began? The Belfast Blues were so far undefeated in the competition while Ards were struggling to create any sort of form. Commentators naturally predicted a win for Linfield and they were not to be disappointed.

The game was only five minutes old when Jack Milburn knocked the ball past Moffat for the first goal, although Ards defended stoutly to ensure the floodgates would not open. While Moffat and his backs were doing a fine job of defending, the Ards forwards were noted for wanting to do too much in their opponents' penalty box. The half-time whistle found the game standing at one-nil, though a terrific strike from Linfield's John Parke soon had the lead stretched to two. The same player followed up with the third and Ards were beaten again, despite Munroe's late consolation.

Still, the upcoming semi-final of the Gold Cup provided some hope and optimism about the club that better days just might be around the corner... to be continued

50 Years - Part One