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 Carnegie
First Division: Ballyclare Comrades 0-1 Ards
5th April 2008
Not too much
football on display at Dixon Park on Saturday as the swirling wind made
for difficult conditions, but Ards collected three valuable points as
Tommy Kincaid's side continue to pull away from the foot of the table.
Second-placed Ballyclare's
chance of over-hauling Loughgall at the other end of the league took a
further knock with this defeat in a game that they never really looked
like winning. The same Ards starting eleven took the field for the
fourth consecutive game with the visiting side enjoying the opening
chance in the tenth minute.
A short cross from Craig
McMillen was played across the Ballyclare area towards the right hand
side where James Wilson was on hand to strike the ball off the base of
the near upright. Ards followed that up on 19 minutes with another near
miss; this time a Ricky Billing ball pulled back from the bye-line found
Darren Stirling in the centre but his low volley whizzed past the goal.
Ards went in front with 28
minutes gone when a McMillen corner from the left found Billing
lurking at the front post and he deftly flicked the ball into Mannus'
near corner. Gary Spence was correctly booked on 35 minutes for
a cynical challenge as Ballyclare tried to make in-roads on the Ards
goal and a minute later Ards' keeper and captain Andy McDonald was
called into action. The Comrades weren't too far away from finding an
equaliser as a Dick free kick from outside the area squeezed through the
keeper's legs but a relieved McDonald was quick to spin around and
gather the ball on the goal-line.
A chance opened up quickly
for Ards on 38 minutes when a missed header by a defender let in Ricky
Billing, but the goal-scorer shot hurriedly and blazed well high and
well wide. Last chance of the half went to Comrades' Adam Dick who got
inside the Ards area to fire a shot at goal that McDonald stopped with
his legs before Spence got the ball away for a corner.
Ten minutes into the new
half and Ballyclare fired the opening shots with a pair of chances from
full-back Michael Smith. He made strong claims that his first effort had
been blocked by the arm of James Wilson, well outside the box it must be
added, while the same player's follow-up shot didn't miss the goal by
too much.
Darren McKay had a later
chance for the home side, breaking in from the right side of the Ards
area to fire wide of the goal and that would be one the clearest chances
for the remainder of the half. What little football had been on show was
being done by Ards but even they weren't offering to too much to suggest
that the game might turn into a classic.
A fortunate chance opened
up for Ards on 76 minutes when a cross from Johnny Roy was headed out by
a defender straight to the boot of Wilson who sent back in a volley that
didn't trouble the scorers. A win and three points gained for Ards, who
will to carry this form into the final round of games.
| Team |
Substitutes |
| 1 Andy McDonald (capt.)
(GK) |
14 Danny Mulholland
(for Billing 90) |
| 2 Darren Nixon |
16 Stephen Johnston |
| 3 Kris Pike |
17 Stuart Long |
4 Gary Spence  35 |
18 David Cully (for
Roy 80) |
| 5 James Wilson |
20 Justin McBride (for
Stirling 80) |
| 7 Craig McMillen |
|
| 9 Darren Stirling |
Referee
David Mulholland |
| 10 Aaron McKee |
|
| 11 Ricky Billing |
Scorers
Ricky Billing 28 |
| 12 Jonny Roy |
|
| 15 Gary Clifford |
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