ardsfc.co.uk - Ards Football Club - Ballinamallard United 0-1 Ards

Ards may have won this encounter at Holm Park but it was the Ballinamallard faithful who were celebrating at the end as the away goal rule took them into the next round.

Ards were well aware that they would have to up their performance from the first leg, if they were stand any chance of competing with a fit and fast Ballinamallard side. The game's first chance fell for Paul McKnight, back in the Ards side following a short injury. A good break on seven minutes saw a cross from Pike on the left side find McKnight coming in on goal, but his first touch was heavy and the home goalkeeper was quickly out to steal the ball.

A chance quickly followed at the other end as Andy McDonald was called on to make a great, late save from from a well struck Andy Higganbotham shot. Another opening was made for Ards on 13 minutes when a good turn and pass from James Wright put Darren Stirling in the clear. He neatly turned a defender to get off a shot that was deflected away for a corner.

There was little other action in the first half as danger man from the first leg, Andy Crawford was kept quiet for most of the game, due to an excellent man-marking job by David Cully. With four minutes to the break Ards won a corner. Kris Pike made the delivery, aiming for Paul Dickson at the far post, but he was out-gunned by defender Mark Stafford who was relieved to see his goal-bound header come back off the nearest upright.

Ards assistant manager Justin McBride rang the changes for the second half, sending on Jimmy McIlhagga and Craig McMillen for Dickson and Irvine. McMillen's introduction had an almost immediate affect as he latched on a 48th minute through pass from Pike to nick the ball over the advancing Trevor Morrison but manage to hit only the crossbar. Fortunately Darren Stirling was the man in the right place to take advantage and he scored one of his easiest ever goals by heading in the rebound.

Stirling put a second header over the bar four minutes later from a McMillen cross and then on 61 minutes, Ballinamallard had a chance to level. A free kick from the left made it's way onto the head of James McKenna and he was denied by a superb save from McDonald, who sprawled along the ground to turn the header away.

The goalkeeper came to Ards' aid again on 66 minutes when he stood up tall to firmly block a shot from Higganbotham, who had previously led the Ards defence on a merry dance.

One-nil the score stood as the match entered injury time and Ballinamallard continued to press for an equaliser. As the seconds ticked on Duwane McManus cut in from the right side of the box to place a good hit at the Ards goal for which McDonald responded with another great stop. It certainly was the goalkeeper's night, if not his team's who crash out of the competition despite this encouraging win.

1 Andy McDonald (c)

2 Darren Nixon		19 James Wilson		14 David Cully

8 Paul Dickson	6 Dee Irvine		16 James Wright		3 Kris Pike

9 Darren Stirling	20 Paul McKnight				10 Darren Fitzgerald

Darren Stirling 48


	5 Jimmy McIlhagga (for Irvine h/t), 7 Craig McMillen (for Dickson h/t), 11 Aaron McKee (for McKnight 67), 12 Stephen Doyle, 18 Thomas Gorman

	Tim Marshall