ardsfc.co.uk - Ards Football Club - Ards 5-0 Ballyclare Comrades

Ards maintained fifth spot in Championship 1 as a fine second half display on Saturday saw the goals rain down on Ballyclare.

At half-time few would have expected the scale of the Ballyclare collapse as Ards edged in just a goal up at the break, but four more strikes, including a brace from substitute Stephen Doyle had Ards coasting towards a win.

Craig McMillen was suspended for this game and he was the only Ards absentee. Tommy Kincaid chose to move Kris Pike to left-wingback and that saw James Wilson come into the centre of a three man defence.

It was Ballyclare who looked the more dangerous early on as they forced a number of corners and but for the confident claims from Ards keeper Andy McDonald, the Dixon Park residents might have found the net. On 15 minutes Ards had their first look at goal as Darren Fitzgerald took delivery of a short through-pass and fed the ball for Jimmy McIlhagga. He was well positioned, coming through the Ballyclare lines but with just the goalkeeper standing in front of him, McIlhagga got the ball caught up in his own feet and the chance passed.

There wasn't much else to talk about until Ards got their opener on 32 minutes. A short corner from the right saw Pike play a one-two with Mark Picking and Pike's cross-ball beat a couple of defenders to play in McIlhagga. With little enough grace, he did manage to get a shot in this time that somehow trundled past keeper Allen Huxley and into the far side of the goal.

Ards' only opportunity for extending their lead on this side of the interval came on 40 minutes when first the tireless Darren Armour had a shot deflected away for a corner and then from that Pike delivery, Armour put a header over the bar.

Some excellent build-up play led to the Ards second on 54 minutes. With McKee involved, Pike worked the ball down the left flank from where he cut a cross back to the far edge of the penalty box. There stood Mark Picking and he sweetly caught the ball with his right foot to drill in his seventh goal of the season.

Ards continued to pressure the Ballyclare defence and could have found the net a couple more times in the next few minutes. First of all, Huxley had been alert off his line to clear the ball from an in-rushing Fitzgerald, but only so far as Armour, whose well struck lob was inches wide.

Then on 58 minutes, an even better chance presented itself for Fitzgerald who found himself in yards of space one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Whether the striker expected to see an offside flag, Fitzgerald seemed to lack in confidence going forward and poorly hit his shot directly at the keeper, when he would normally have been odds-on to score.

The tide was but coming only one way though and it became 3-0 on 61 minutes when Ards won a corner, to be taken by James Wright. His cross from the left side was met by the towering head of James Wilson and with the ball looking likely for the net anyway, Fitzgerald arrived with a glancing touch to carry it past Huxley.

Chances were few and far between for the Comrades but they missed an excellent opportunity on 72 minutes. A free kick conceded by Darren Nixon on the edge of area, for which the Ards-man was booked, was well delivered by Andy Simms and McDonald could do little but parry the ball in front of him. Full-back Darren Munster was first to the loose ball but he had a moment to forget as he lashed the ball well wide from a matter of yards when the goal was at his mercy.

Goal number four for Ards came on 76 minutes as Armour slipped a through ball forward for sub Stephen Doyle and he took a stride before calmly side-footing past the goalkeeper, just minutes after coming on. The day would improve further for the young striker as he took advantage of a stray pass from the Ballyclare defence on 79 minutes and neatly skipped around Huxley to plant his second of the day into the roof of the net.

Ronnie Bailie, representing match sponsors The 15 Club
presents Kris Pike with his Man of the Match award

1 Andy McDonald (c)

19 James Wilson	2 Darren Nixon		4 Gary Spence
17 Mark Picking			3 Kris Pike

11 Aaron McKee	16 James Wright		5 Jimmy McIlhagga

20 Darren Armour		10 Darren Fitzgerald
Jimmy McIlhagga 32, Mark Picking 54, Darren Fitzgerald 61, Stephen Doyle 76, 79


	9 Darren Stirling (for Picking 71), 12 Stephen Doyle (for Fitzgerald 71), 15 Gary Wray (for Wright 79), 18 Thomas Gorman

	Peter McGrath